1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,090 WILLIAM SHATNER: Ruthless raiders plundering throughout Europe. 2 00:00:04,505 --> 00:00:08,635 Bold navigators braving treacherous high seas. 3 00:00:08,759 --> 00:00:12,219 And mighty heroes, who wielded 4 00:00:12,346 --> 00:00:14,506 unbreakable swords. 5 00:00:15,516 --> 00:00:17,846 During the Middle Ages, the Vikings were infamous 6 00:00:17,976 --> 00:00:21,306 for being a bloodthirsty band of seafaring warriors 7 00:00:21,438 --> 00:00:24,688 who would appear out of the mists of the Atlantic Ocean 8 00:00:24,816 --> 00:00:27,486 and attack without warning. 9 00:00:28,779 --> 00:00:30,489 But while we’re all aware 10 00:00:30,614 --> 00:00:33,704 of the Vikings’ notorious reputation, 11 00:00:33,784 --> 00:00:35,414 is it possible that they were 12 00:00:35,536 --> 00:00:38,746 not merely the savage brutes we think of today 13 00:00:38,872 --> 00:00:43,382 but rather a highly advanced civilization? 14 00:00:44,670 --> 00:00:47,010 Well, that is what we’ll try and find out. 15 00:00:47,130 --> 00:00:49,170 ♪ ♪ 16 00:01:03,689 --> 00:01:06,689 It’s a land of wild beauty, 17 00:01:06,817 --> 00:01:08,987 filled with towering fjords 18 00:01:09,111 --> 00:01:11,571 and dense forests. 19 00:01:11,697 --> 00:01:14,987 This region in northern Europe 20 00:01:15,117 --> 00:01:18,617 that includes Norway, Sweden and Denmark, 21 00:01:18,704 --> 00:01:21,754 is a place of spectacular vistas, 22 00:01:21,873 --> 00:01:26,423 where vast sheets of ice lie beneath night skies 23 00:01:26,503 --> 00:01:29,763 that are illuminated by the northern lights. 24 00:01:29,923 --> 00:01:32,223 And over a thousand years ago, 25 00:01:32,301 --> 00:01:35,221 this untamed region gave birth 26 00:01:35,304 --> 00:01:38,064 to a legendary and mysterious people 27 00:01:38,181 --> 00:01:40,681 who fascinate us to this day. 28 00:01:41,852 --> 00:01:45,312 We call them... Vikings. 29 00:01:47,107 --> 00:01:50,857 The Vikings are embedded in our consciousness. 30 00:01:50,944 --> 00:01:54,784 When we think of the archetypal warrior, 31 00:01:54,865 --> 00:01:56,415 we think of the Viking. 32 00:01:57,659 --> 00:02:01,619 The Vikings are the quintessential 33 00:02:01,747 --> 00:02:04,247 fighting race. 34 00:02:04,374 --> 00:02:09,214 We love the idea of the Vikings being these superheroes, 35 00:02:09,338 --> 00:02:11,968 and we’ve embellished them a little bit. 36 00:02:12,090 --> 00:02:15,300 We’ve made them blood-curdling savages. 37 00:02:15,385 --> 00:02:20,135 It’s just because these characters really appeal to us. 38 00:02:20,223 --> 00:02:24,143 What we term a Viking today is a Scandinavian person 39 00:02:24,269 --> 00:02:29,109 who lived between 793 and 1066. 40 00:02:29,232 --> 00:02:32,152 And that is a period when 41 00:02:32,277 --> 00:02:37,117 Scandinavians were raiding and pillaging, 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,660 and they were known throughout Europe 43 00:02:39,743 --> 00:02:43,663 for specifically brutal Viking culture. 44 00:02:45,290 --> 00:02:48,330 This is a maritime culture, it’s focused around boats, 45 00:02:48,460 --> 00:02:50,250 and all based on the waterways. 46 00:02:50,379 --> 00:02:55,009 The Vikings poured in with sort of brute strength, with fury. 47 00:02:55,133 --> 00:02:57,143 They ransacked sacred monasteries 48 00:02:57,260 --> 00:03:00,850 and completely upset the balance of power throughout Europe. 49 00:03:01,807 --> 00:03:04,017 The Viking Age goes through phases. 50 00:03:04,101 --> 00:03:07,811 At the start, the raids are just raiding. 51 00:03:08,939 --> 00:03:10,399 And then armies land, 52 00:03:10,565 --> 00:03:13,815 and they’re there to take land and conquer. 53 00:03:13,902 --> 00:03:17,612 And then Viking kingdoms come together. 54 00:03:17,739 --> 00:03:21,409 At one point, the Vikings had conquered all of England. 55 00:03:22,869 --> 00:03:28,329 And so the impact of the Viking Age is, um, extraordinary. 56 00:03:29,543 --> 00:03:32,463 ALAN WILLIAMS: What is interesting is they seem to have achieved 57 00:03:32,587 --> 00:03:36,337 so much while being functionally illiterate. 58 00:03:36,425 --> 00:03:39,725 Some historians have tended to assume that because 59 00:03:39,886 --> 00:03:41,546 the Vikings were illiterate, 60 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,430 their technology must have been primitive. 61 00:03:44,558 --> 00:03:48,688 But in fact, their achievements in technology are considerable. 62 00:03:48,812 --> 00:03:52,192 They were great shipbuilders, they were great sword makers 63 00:03:52,315 --> 00:03:54,105 and great metalsmiths. 64 00:03:55,068 --> 00:03:58,108 It was simply that they weren’t at a stage 65 00:03:58,238 --> 00:04:00,658 where they could write down what they were doing. 66 00:04:00,741 --> 00:04:03,621 SHATNER: Trade routes established by the Vikings 67 00:04:03,702 --> 00:04:05,912 would change the course of world history. 68 00:04:06,037 --> 00:04:10,417 And their impact on medieval Europe can still be seen today. 69 00:04:11,543 --> 00:04:15,303 Yet the lack of written records about these fierce conquerors 70 00:04:15,422 --> 00:04:19,092 has left the details of their life and times 71 00:04:19,217 --> 00:04:21,217 shrouded in mystery. 72 00:04:22,179 --> 00:04:27,139 We have a lot of archaeological excavations which tell us about 73 00:04:27,267 --> 00:04:31,017 where the Vikings settled and where they went. 74 00:04:32,230 --> 00:04:37,110 But what we lack is long, epic descriptions of 75 00:04:37,235 --> 00:04:40,905 the lives of the Vikings, that is, long stories 76 00:04:41,031 --> 00:04:43,661 in the words of the Vikings themselves. 77 00:04:43,742 --> 00:04:47,542 What I find baffling about the Viking Age 78 00:04:47,621 --> 00:04:48,751 is how little we know. 79 00:04:49,831 --> 00:04:53,881 You can come across wonderful material finds, buildings, 80 00:04:54,044 --> 00:04:56,004 forts and whatnot, but you don’t know anything 81 00:04:56,129 --> 00:04:59,969 about, really, the story of the people themselves. 82 00:05:01,092 --> 00:05:03,432 SHATNER: While there are no definitive historical accounts 83 00:05:03,553 --> 00:05:05,893 written by the Vikings themselves, 84 00:05:06,014 --> 00:05:08,474 there is a curious collection 85 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,560 of fictional poems and stories 86 00:05:10,727 --> 00:05:12,597 written about the Vikings 87 00:05:12,729 --> 00:05:17,479 that might potentially offer a glimpse into their civilization. 88 00:05:17,609 --> 00:05:20,529 These epic tales are known 89 00:05:20,654 --> 00:05:23,414 as the Icelandic Sagas. 90 00:05:25,158 --> 00:05:29,948 The Icelandic Sagas, most of the ones that are preserved, 91 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,330 come from the 13th, 92 00:05:32,457 --> 00:05:34,917 14th, even 15th century. 93 00:05:36,044 --> 00:05:39,844 So they are talking about events that happened 94 00:05:40,006 --> 00:05:43,176 centuries before when they were written down. 95 00:05:44,135 --> 00:05:47,215 They reproduce stories 96 00:05:47,347 --> 00:05:52,097 that has been told and retold over the centuries. 97 00:05:52,185 --> 00:05:56,265 The storytellers who are behind the sagas 98 00:05:56,398 --> 00:06:00,028 take motifs and ideas from other stories that they have heard, 99 00:06:00,151 --> 00:06:03,741 or from the history that they think that they know. 100 00:06:03,822 --> 00:06:06,992 And that’s why some of the stories are so good. 101 00:06:07,117 --> 00:06:10,037 What we should remember about the sagas 102 00:06:10,203 --> 00:06:12,793 is that they were meant to entertain. 103 00:06:12,914 --> 00:06:17,594 Because of this, historical accuracy was not really 104 00:06:17,711 --> 00:06:20,421 the top priority for the person who was-- 105 00:06:20,547 --> 00:06:22,257 who was telling the saga. 106 00:06:23,592 --> 00:06:27,142 SHATNER: For centuries, historians have dismissed the Icelandic Sagas 107 00:06:27,262 --> 00:06:29,562 as nothing more than the fictional creations 108 00:06:29,723 --> 00:06:31,393 of anonymous storytellers and poets 109 00:06:31,516 --> 00:06:35,226 who had no direct knowledge of the Vikings. 110 00:06:35,353 --> 00:06:39,193 But is it possible that these fantastic stories contain 111 00:06:39,316 --> 00:06:43,646 shreds of truth that could shed light on the Viking Age? 112 00:06:45,155 --> 00:06:48,495 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining the Sagas’ account 113 00:06:48,617 --> 00:06:53,657 of a legendary, larger-than-life Viking warrior named... 114 00:06:53,788 --> 00:06:55,668 Ragnar Lodbrok. 115 00:06:57,500 --> 00:07:01,250 The story of Ragnar Lodbrok is really 116 00:07:01,379 --> 00:07:06,179 one of the most exciting Viking Age stories. 117 00:07:07,177 --> 00:07:12,387 It starts by Ragnar defeating a dragon 118 00:07:12,515 --> 00:07:17,305 in order to be able to marry a very beautiful woman. 119 00:07:18,355 --> 00:07:21,695 Later on, Ragnar is out sailing 120 00:07:21,816 --> 00:07:25,856 on adventures in various places in Europe. 121 00:07:25,987 --> 00:07:30,737 In the end, Ragnar is defeated in battle, 122 00:07:30,867 --> 00:07:33,697 and the death of Ragnar 123 00:07:33,828 --> 00:07:37,168 is famous in the Sagas. 124 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:40,590 He’s captured by his opponent, 125 00:07:40,710 --> 00:07:43,550 and thrown into a pit of snakes, 126 00:07:43,672 --> 00:07:46,972 where he dies after being bitten by many. 127 00:07:47,092 --> 00:07:49,302 It’s a kind of torture death, of course. 128 00:07:50,553 --> 00:07:52,433 This is, of course, a literary motif 129 00:07:52,555 --> 00:07:55,765 that has been told about many people before Ragnar. 130 00:07:55,892 --> 00:07:58,392 I mean, this is-- this is great storytelling. 131 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,560 It’s not historical fact. 132 00:08:01,564 --> 00:08:03,774 SHATNER: While many parts of the Ragnar Lothbrok story, 133 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:06,570 such as his death by snakebites, 134 00:08:06,695 --> 00:08:09,745 are most likely fictional embellishments... 135 00:08:10,740 --> 00:08:13,950 ...some experts claim that the events in the Sagas 136 00:08:14,077 --> 00:08:17,497 which took place after Ragnar’s death, 137 00:08:17,622 --> 00:08:20,292 may actually have a basis in fact. 138 00:08:21,793 --> 00:08:26,173 WINROTH: In the saga, very soon after Ragnar apparently died, 139 00:08:26,297 --> 00:08:29,837 a lot of Vikings got together 140 00:08:29,968 --> 00:08:33,218 to form what is called the Great Army. 141 00:08:34,347 --> 00:08:38,017 This Great Army starts to 142 00:08:38,101 --> 00:08:42,231 more or less systematically conquer England. 143 00:08:44,232 --> 00:08:48,952 CAT JARMAN: In the Sagas, the Viking Great Army headed for 144 00:08:49,070 --> 00:08:53,530 one of the key sites in England, which was Repton. 145 00:08:53,658 --> 00:08:57,618 And Repton was the site of a very wealthy monastery. 146 00:08:57,704 --> 00:09:02,214 Now, archaeological excavating actually found evidence of this. 147 00:09:02,333 --> 00:09:06,213 We know that it was attacked by, presumably, the Vikings, 148 00:09:06,337 --> 00:09:07,957 because a lot of it was ruined. 149 00:09:08,089 --> 00:09:11,339 And there were a lot of Scandinavian graves. 150 00:09:12,427 --> 00:09:15,137 So, this is a really quite unique example where 151 00:09:15,221 --> 00:09:17,851 we have archaeological evidence backing up 152 00:09:17,974 --> 00:09:21,354 something that comes up in the Saga literature. 153 00:09:21,478 --> 00:09:24,058 The Sagas are written by people 154 00:09:24,189 --> 00:09:25,899 who wanted to preserve 155 00:09:25,982 --> 00:09:28,192 a great deal of information about the past. 156 00:09:28,318 --> 00:09:32,198 So they’re not making up this stuff out of whole cloth. 157 00:09:32,363 --> 00:09:35,453 Are they changing the story slightly in their rendition? 158 00:09:35,575 --> 00:09:38,195 Yes. But they’re relating a story 159 00:09:38,328 --> 00:09:41,288 that was very, very influential to them, 160 00:09:41,414 --> 00:09:43,624 and had been for hundreds of years. 161 00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:47,210 SHATNER: Do the Icelandic Sagas contain important information 162 00:09:47,337 --> 00:09:50,917 about the Vikings that has been overlooked for centuries? 163 00:09:52,842 --> 00:09:54,972 Perhaps the answer can be found by examining 164 00:09:55,095 --> 00:09:57,935 a number of mysterious Viking swords 165 00:09:58,056 --> 00:10:00,136 that were so exceptionally strong 166 00:10:00,266 --> 00:10:03,726 we still don’t know how they were made. 167 00:10:10,110 --> 00:10:11,070 SHATNER: Throughout Europe 168 00:10:11,152 --> 00:10:12,652 there are numerous museums 169 00:10:12,779 --> 00:10:13,739 that house a countless number 170 00:10:13,822 --> 00:10:15,822 of ancient Viking artifacts, 171 00:10:15,990 --> 00:10:19,160 some of which are more than 1,000 years old. 172 00:10:19,327 --> 00:10:21,657 Perhaps the most fascinating objects 173 00:10:21,746 --> 00:10:25,326 left behind by the Vikings are their swords. 174 00:10:25,458 --> 00:10:27,458 These extraordinary blades 175 00:10:27,502 --> 00:10:30,302 are an iconic symbol of the Viking Age. 176 00:10:30,421 --> 00:10:33,841 And not only were they formidable in battle, 177 00:10:34,008 --> 00:10:35,798 but they also feature detailed 178 00:10:35,969 --> 00:10:39,179 and exquisite craftsmanship. 179 00:10:40,807 --> 00:10:43,637 The thing about the Viking swords in particular 180 00:10:43,810 --> 00:10:47,520 is you’ll see, on a lot of these hilts of the Viking era, 181 00:10:47,689 --> 00:10:49,519 repeating geometric symbols. 182 00:10:49,691 --> 00:10:53,321 Oftentimes, these hilts were further decorated 183 00:10:53,486 --> 00:10:56,946 largely with silver, or perhaps copper 184 00:10:57,031 --> 00:10:59,701 or gold inlaid into the hilt. 185 00:10:59,784 --> 00:11:03,544 And some were incredibly advanced in their techniques. 186 00:11:03,705 --> 00:11:05,795 Quite beautiful, 187 00:11:05,874 --> 00:11:08,674 and hard to produce even today in a modern shop. 188 00:11:09,669 --> 00:11:12,129 SHATNER: The sophistication of Viking swords 189 00:11:12,213 --> 00:11:14,553 shows how important these blades were 190 00:11:14,716 --> 00:11:16,966 to their warrior culture. 191 00:11:17,051 --> 00:11:20,851 And, in fact, powerful weapons featured prominently 192 00:11:20,972 --> 00:11:23,022 in Viking mythology. 193 00:11:23,141 --> 00:11:25,851 The Icelandic Sagas are filled with epic tales 194 00:11:25,977 --> 00:11:28,557 about supernatural swords and spears 195 00:11:28,730 --> 00:11:32,230 that were wielded by the gods. 196 00:11:32,358 --> 00:11:36,738 The god Odin is the supreme being of the Norse system. 197 00:11:36,905 --> 00:11:40,835 He had an unusual spear, the Gungnir. 198 00:11:40,909 --> 00:11:44,079 Now, this is an incredible spear. It can travel. 199 00:11:44,245 --> 00:11:48,995 It’s well-balanced, so it can go far with great accuracy. 200 00:11:50,251 --> 00:11:54,261 Odin has this spear that almost seems to be laser-guided. 201 00:11:55,381 --> 00:11:59,431 It finds its target regardless of how it’s thrown. 202 00:11:59,552 --> 00:12:03,012 And then Thor, of course, as we all know, 203 00:12:03,097 --> 00:12:06,267 has his hammer called Mjölnir. 204 00:12:07,727 --> 00:12:10,227 It creates thunder, but it also can, 205 00:12:10,355 --> 00:12:13,445 uh, create massive devastation. 206 00:12:14,442 --> 00:12:16,902 THOMPSON: Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, it’s associated with 207 00:12:16,945 --> 00:12:18,745 the skill of the blacksmith. 208 00:12:18,863 --> 00:12:20,283 Blacksmiths were often considered, 209 00:12:20,448 --> 00:12:22,368 just by nature, somewhat magic. 210 00:12:22,450 --> 00:12:24,200 Right? To be able to take this raw material 211 00:12:24,369 --> 00:12:27,459 and produce an incredible steel sword. 212 00:12:27,622 --> 00:12:31,582 SHATNER: While the Sagas speak of magical armaments, 213 00:12:31,626 --> 00:12:36,296 in reality, 170 special Viking swords have been recovered 214 00:12:36,464 --> 00:12:40,134 which are so unparalleled in strength and craftmanship 215 00:12:40,301 --> 00:12:42,641 that they are the real-life embodiment 216 00:12:42,804 --> 00:12:46,394 of mythical weapons celebrated in the Sagas. 217 00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:50,104 To this day, no one knows how they were made. 218 00:12:50,144 --> 00:12:53,314 And curiously, many of them bear 219 00:12:53,439 --> 00:12:58,319 the mysterious inscription "Ulfberht." 220 00:12:59,654 --> 00:13:02,994 The Ulfberht swords were made between about 221 00:13:03,116 --> 00:13:05,326 800 and 1000 AD. 222 00:13:05,451 --> 00:13:09,081 So, right solid in the high Viking period, 223 00:13:09,247 --> 00:13:11,917 when they were trading and raiding. 224 00:13:13,167 --> 00:13:16,797 Some of the Viking swords seem to be much better than others. 225 00:13:16,921 --> 00:13:19,971 And these were the so-called Ulfberht swords. 226 00:13:20,091 --> 00:13:22,511 It was assumed, without any evidence, 227 00:13:22,677 --> 00:13:24,297 that it was a swordsmith’s name. 228 00:13:24,429 --> 00:13:28,969 But why the name Ulfberht was used is still a mystery. 229 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:31,020 FURRER: What does Ulfberht mean? 230 00:13:31,144 --> 00:13:33,194 It’s probably not a person. 231 00:13:33,354 --> 00:13:36,274 It was probably a word of power. 232 00:13:36,357 --> 00:13:39,857 Typically, ulf means "wolf." 233 00:13:39,986 --> 00:13:43,656 And berht is an adjective meaning "bright." 234 00:13:44,657 --> 00:13:46,657 So it might be "bright wolf." 235 00:13:47,702 --> 00:13:51,122 SHATNER: Even more mysterious than their enigmatic inscription 236 00:13:51,289 --> 00:13:56,209 is the seemingly impossible strength of Ulfberht swords. 237 00:13:56,336 --> 00:13:59,626 I’ve analyzed 40 or 50 Ulfberht swords. 238 00:14:00,715 --> 00:14:04,225 It’s certainly interesting to find that many of them 239 00:14:04,344 --> 00:14:08,394 still have a sharp edge, which is certainly unexpected. 240 00:14:08,556 --> 00:14:12,386 These swords were made of a very high carbon steel. 241 00:14:12,518 --> 00:14:16,058 The chemistry’s completely different to any other weapons 242 00:14:16,189 --> 00:14:18,019 found in medieval Europe. 243 00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:21,896 It would be vastly superior to any other weapon in combat. 244 00:14:22,070 --> 00:14:25,410 SHATNER: To forge these extraordinary swords, 245 00:14:25,531 --> 00:14:28,161 the Vikings would have had to generate extreme temperatures, 246 00:14:28,326 --> 00:14:31,866 exceeding 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 247 00:14:31,996 --> 00:14:36,746 But incredibly, the technology to accomplish such a feat 248 00:14:36,876 --> 00:14:40,746 is not known to have existed until the Industrial Revolution, 249 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,680 nearly 800 years after the end of the Viking Age. 250 00:14:44,759 --> 00:14:48,599 So how did Viking blacksmiths forge 251 00:14:48,721 --> 00:14:51,431 these marvels of medieval warfare? 252 00:14:51,557 --> 00:14:56,267 The search answers leads far from Scandinavia... 253 00:14:57,730 --> 00:15:00,770 ...to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. 254 00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:02,780 Here in his workshop, 255 00:15:02,944 --> 00:15:06,284 blacksmith Ric Furrer is committed to forging swords 256 00:15:06,447 --> 00:15:09,947 that closely resemble an authentic Ulfberht. 257 00:15:10,952 --> 00:15:13,372 How I reproduce an Ulfberht blade 258 00:15:13,454 --> 00:15:15,084 is prepare the raw materials. 259 00:15:15,248 --> 00:15:19,128 It would start with rock, with iron ore; 260 00:15:19,293 --> 00:15:21,713 something that mirrors the chemistry 261 00:15:21,796 --> 00:15:23,586 of some of the blades that have been found. 262 00:15:23,714 --> 00:15:27,224 So, you’d crush that, 263 00:15:27,301 --> 00:15:29,891 put it into a ceramic cup, a crucible, 264 00:15:29,971 --> 00:15:32,101 fill it completely to the top, 265 00:15:32,223 --> 00:15:33,893 and then join it together 266 00:15:33,975 --> 00:15:35,605 with other materials. 267 00:15:35,768 --> 00:15:38,098 So we need a little bit of glass. 268 00:15:38,146 --> 00:15:42,106 The glass acts as a flux and a protective coating. 269 00:15:43,151 --> 00:15:46,611 And then, right after that, all of that material 270 00:15:46,737 --> 00:15:50,277 gets brought up to about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 271 00:15:50,450 --> 00:15:51,620 So, very hot. 272 00:15:51,742 --> 00:15:53,662 Hotter than a typical blacksmith fire 273 00:15:53,786 --> 00:15:55,656 would be allowed to get. 274 00:15:55,746 --> 00:15:56,996 A little more. 275 00:15:57,165 --> 00:15:58,465 In the Sagas, 276 00:15:58,583 --> 00:16:01,133 heat control in the fire was very important. 277 00:16:02,128 --> 00:16:04,338 It was even mentioned as being important when 278 00:16:04,464 --> 00:16:08,594 when, uh, the two dwarf brothers made Thor’s hammer. 279 00:16:08,676 --> 00:16:11,506 And we’ve got a nice temperature here. 280 00:16:11,637 --> 00:16:14,177 SHATNER: After heating the metal with temperatures that, 281 00:16:14,307 --> 00:16:17,137 as far as we know, were supposedly impossible 282 00:16:17,185 --> 00:16:18,775 to achieve during the Viking Age, 283 00:16:18,853 --> 00:16:23,613 the raw material becomes molten liquid. 284 00:16:23,691 --> 00:16:25,861 And when the liquid cools down, 285 00:16:25,943 --> 00:16:29,533 it hardens into a purified chunk of metal 286 00:16:29,697 --> 00:16:31,367 called an ingot. 287 00:16:31,532 --> 00:16:33,992 FURRER: And you would take this steel ingot, 288 00:16:34,118 --> 00:16:36,158 and then start forging it. 289 00:16:37,872 --> 00:16:39,542 So, you’d change its shape, 290 00:16:39,624 --> 00:16:44,384 making it progressively more bar-like as you go. 291 00:16:45,463 --> 00:16:47,463 Ready, ready? Three hits. 292 00:16:50,551 --> 00:16:54,471 One hit. Hit. Hit. 293 00:16:54,555 --> 00:16:57,015 And that’s it. That looks really good. 294 00:16:57,141 --> 00:17:00,231 So, if you look here, we have the finished blade. 295 00:17:03,648 --> 00:17:05,568 SHATNER: How did Viking blacksmiths, 296 00:17:05,691 --> 00:17:08,191 working with comparatively primitive tools, 297 00:17:08,319 --> 00:17:12,819 complete this process with such precision and expertise? 298 00:17:13,824 --> 00:17:15,874 It’s a fascinating question that, 299 00:17:15,993 --> 00:17:19,083 despite his extensive understanding of metallurgy 300 00:17:19,247 --> 00:17:23,917 and years of intense study, even Ric cannot answer. 301 00:17:24,877 --> 00:17:27,047 I don’t think anyone has produced an Ulfberht 302 00:17:27,171 --> 00:17:28,761 using completely traditional methods. 303 00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:31,091 Because we don’t know what those methods were. 304 00:17:32,176 --> 00:17:35,846 The Vikings had these mythological stories 305 00:17:35,930 --> 00:17:39,020 that involve weapons in the hands of a god. 306 00:17:39,850 --> 00:17:43,100 And it isn’t a far stretch to say that some of the swords 307 00:17:43,271 --> 00:17:46,611 that they actually had could also do miraculous things. 308 00:17:47,733 --> 00:17:50,113 There’s still a huge mystery in steel. 309 00:17:53,447 --> 00:17:55,617 Were the Ulfberht swords 310 00:17:55,783 --> 00:17:58,543 really infused with mystical powers? 311 00:17:58,619 --> 00:18:00,789 It may sound incredible, 312 00:18:00,913 --> 00:18:02,753 but then again, we still don’t know 313 00:18:02,873 --> 00:18:05,633 how the Vikings were able to forge 314 00:18:05,751 --> 00:18:08,251 such exceptionally strong blades. 315 00:18:08,379 --> 00:18:11,469 And there’s another artifact 316 00:18:11,591 --> 00:18:14,091 that is just as astonishing. 317 00:18:14,218 --> 00:18:17,598 It’s a small, seemingly ordinary piece of crystal 318 00:18:17,722 --> 00:18:20,142 that Viking sailors used to navigate 319 00:18:20,266 --> 00:18:22,726 beyond the edge of the known world. 320 00:18:27,064 --> 00:18:28,654 SHATNER: For centuries, the Vikings were 321 00:18:28,816 --> 00:18:30,436 masters of the high seas. 322 00:18:30,610 --> 00:18:33,990 Employing the era’s most sophisticated techniques, 323 00:18:34,113 --> 00:18:37,493 Viking shipbuilders created iconic vessels 324 00:18:37,617 --> 00:18:41,157 that are referred to as longships. 325 00:18:42,413 --> 00:18:45,753 Incredibly, numerous longships from the Viking Age 326 00:18:45,833 --> 00:18:49,133 have actually survived the ravages of time, 327 00:18:49,253 --> 00:18:52,673 and can be seen today in museums. 328 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,340 MELLOR: When you think about our image of the Viking, 329 00:18:55,426 --> 00:18:58,176 of course we all know the iconic ship and how 330 00:18:58,304 --> 00:19:01,314 that’s part of the mythos of Vikings today. 331 00:19:01,432 --> 00:19:04,182 However, people don’t realize 332 00:19:04,352 --> 00:19:06,482 that the Viking ships were fairly large, 333 00:19:06,604 --> 00:19:07,944 sometimes 100 feet long. 334 00:19:08,022 --> 00:19:09,862 Boats were arguably 335 00:19:09,982 --> 00:19:13,692 the most important component of Viking life, 336 00:19:13,819 --> 00:19:17,029 and they were very good at building them. 337 00:19:17,198 --> 00:19:19,698 Their technology was so much more advanced 338 00:19:19,825 --> 00:19:21,825 in shipbuilding than anyone else’s. 339 00:19:44,225 --> 00:19:47,195 THOMPSON: These boats were made to flex with the waves. 340 00:19:47,311 --> 00:19:49,311 That’s why often referred them as a sea snake. 341 00:19:49,397 --> 00:19:51,727 Because they could sort of snake through the waves. 342 00:19:51,899 --> 00:19:54,819 So, a lot of it was the prowess of their boat-building skill 343 00:19:54,902 --> 00:19:56,862 that really defined the achievements 344 00:19:56,904 --> 00:19:59,414 of the Vikings, and enabled them to do so much. 345 00:20:00,408 --> 00:20:01,738 JAN BILL: Without the Viking longship, 346 00:20:01,826 --> 00:20:04,156 there wouldn’t have been a Viking Age. 347 00:20:04,328 --> 00:20:07,078 The longship, of course, was the tool 348 00:20:07,248 --> 00:20:09,828 that you could use to project power. 349 00:20:10,918 --> 00:20:13,588 You could transport soldiers, warriors, 350 00:20:13,713 --> 00:20:16,263 over long distances, quickly. 351 00:20:17,383 --> 00:20:19,763 And you could ride far up rivers, 352 00:20:19,927 --> 00:20:23,057 and you could get across oceans, 353 00:20:23,180 --> 00:20:25,930 making these long expeditions 354 00:20:26,100 --> 00:20:29,940 that takes you all the way to faraway lands. 355 00:20:48,748 --> 00:20:50,788 SHATNER: While the incredible shipbuilding prowess 356 00:20:50,916 --> 00:20:52,626 of the Vikings is well-known, 357 00:20:52,793 --> 00:20:57,133 another very important key to their success on the high seas 358 00:20:57,256 --> 00:21:00,426 remains shrouded in mystery. 359 00:21:00,551 --> 00:21:02,551 When talking about the Vikings, 360 00:21:02,636 --> 00:21:04,546 you’re faced with a mystery: 361 00:21:04,638 --> 00:21:06,888 how did the Vikings navigate? 362 00:21:06,974 --> 00:21:11,814 They were able to navigate with tremendous accuracy. 363 00:21:11,979 --> 00:21:15,149 Yet, for all we know, they had no compass. 364 00:21:15,274 --> 00:21:17,234 The compass was a Chinese invention, 365 00:21:17,318 --> 00:21:20,488 and without a compass, how could they navigate? 366 00:21:21,572 --> 00:21:23,162 Well, "the stars," you say, 367 00:21:23,324 --> 00:21:25,664 but actually, if you’ve ever been there, 368 00:21:25,785 --> 00:21:27,295 to the Northern Atlantic, 369 00:21:27,411 --> 00:21:28,831 you realize how cloudy it is. 370 00:21:28,996 --> 00:21:32,666 On a cloudy day, you cannot see the Sun, 371 00:21:32,792 --> 00:21:34,752 you cannot see the stars. 372 00:21:34,835 --> 00:21:36,495 And yet here they were, 373 00:21:36,629 --> 00:21:39,759 navigating throughout Northern Europe. 374 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:43,260 And the question is, how did they do it? 375 00:21:44,345 --> 00:21:47,515 SHATNER: Some researchers believe the mystery of Viking navigation 376 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:51,640 may be solved by examining the Icelandic Sagas, 377 00:21:51,811 --> 00:21:54,861 which include tales of a legendary tool 378 00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:58,032 used by Viking sailors. 379 00:21:58,192 --> 00:22:00,992 In the Norse Sagas, we get an account 380 00:22:01,111 --> 00:22:04,611 of what could be described as Viking technology, 381 00:22:04,698 --> 00:22:08,868 and it involves a mysterious crystal 382 00:22:08,994 --> 00:22:10,664 called the sunstone, 383 00:22:10,704 --> 00:22:13,544 or the sólarsteinn, as they term it. 384 00:22:13,666 --> 00:22:16,536 And this is a kind of translucent stone 385 00:22:16,710 --> 00:22:20,130 that had special, magical powers. 386 00:22:20,214 --> 00:22:25,054 The Viking sagas tell us about how this great sunstone 387 00:22:25,177 --> 00:22:28,557 was held by the captain of a Viking warship 388 00:22:28,681 --> 00:22:30,681 up to a cloudy sky 389 00:22:30,850 --> 00:22:32,560 in order to be able to make out 390 00:22:32,726 --> 00:22:34,726 where the Sun was located 391 00:22:34,895 --> 00:22:36,725 in order to be able to navigate. 392 00:22:37,857 --> 00:22:40,897 THOMPSON: It’s been long rumored from little glimpses in the Sagas 393 00:22:41,026 --> 00:22:43,396 that the sunstone may have been a major part 394 00:22:43,571 --> 00:22:45,991 of the navigational abilities of the Vikings, 395 00:22:46,073 --> 00:22:48,833 giving them an edge that other people at the time did not have. 396 00:22:48,909 --> 00:22:50,579 But knowing exactly what it is 397 00:22:50,744 --> 00:22:53,334 is tantalizingly in the realm of legend. 398 00:22:54,415 --> 00:22:57,835 SHATNER: Was the magical sunstone just a fictional creation, 399 00:22:57,918 --> 00:23:00,878 or could it have actually been a real-life tool 400 00:23:01,046 --> 00:23:02,376 that allowed the Vikings 401 00:23:02,423 --> 00:23:05,593 to become extraordinary navigators? 402 00:23:12,016 --> 00:23:15,266 SHATNER: While investigating a 16th-century 403 00:23:15,436 --> 00:23:17,096 sunken English warship, 404 00:23:17,229 --> 00:23:22,729 underwater archaeologists uncover an unusual crystal. 405 00:23:23,694 --> 00:23:27,074 Although the shipwreck is English, some believe 406 00:23:27,197 --> 00:23:32,367 this crystal may be connected to the mythical Viking sunstone. 407 00:23:34,455 --> 00:23:38,255 BILL: There was a find from an Elizabethan shipwreck 408 00:23:38,375 --> 00:23:42,455 from the Channel Islands, where they actually have 409 00:23:42,588 --> 00:23:45,968 picked up a piece of calcite 410 00:23:46,091 --> 00:23:50,471 quite close to some navigational equipment 411 00:23:50,638 --> 00:23:52,308 on a shipwreck site. 412 00:23:53,307 --> 00:23:54,807 It’s a mineral, calcite, 413 00:23:54,975 --> 00:23:57,385 and it has a particular quality 414 00:23:57,478 --> 00:24:01,728 that it lets polarized light pass through it. 415 00:24:01,815 --> 00:24:05,275 And polarized light comes from the Sun, 416 00:24:05,402 --> 00:24:08,072 even if it’s covered by clouds. 417 00:24:08,155 --> 00:24:11,315 SHATNER: Does the discovery of a calcite crystal 418 00:24:11,492 --> 00:24:15,832 inside an English warship suggest that this same material 419 00:24:15,955 --> 00:24:18,335 was the real-life sunstone used by the Vikings 420 00:24:18,457 --> 00:24:21,837 to navigate the high seas centuries earlier? 421 00:24:23,337 --> 00:24:25,917 According to tests conducted in 2011 422 00:24:26,090 --> 00:24:29,510 by physicists from the University of Rennes in France, 423 00:24:29,677 --> 00:24:32,507 the answer is yes. 424 00:24:33,847 --> 00:24:36,847 It turns out that if you look at a calcite crystal, 425 00:24:36,976 --> 00:24:39,016 you see not one image, but two images, 426 00:24:39,144 --> 00:24:42,194 each one polarized slightly differently. 427 00:24:42,356 --> 00:24:44,856 And as you scan the sky, 428 00:24:44,984 --> 00:24:47,694 the intensity of these two changes, 429 00:24:47,820 --> 00:24:50,320 depending upon where the Sun is located. 430 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:52,529 But when you lock on to the Sun, 431 00:24:52,658 --> 00:24:54,778 the two images are equally bright. 432 00:24:54,868 --> 00:24:58,368 Bingo, that’s where the Sun is located. 433 00:24:58,497 --> 00:25:02,457 And that’s how the Vikings could do it without a compass, 434 00:25:02,543 --> 00:25:04,673 without superior navigational equipment, 435 00:25:04,795 --> 00:25:06,345 without elaborate maps. 436 00:25:06,463 --> 00:25:09,673 No, they simply matched the two images, 437 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,890 and bingo, that was it. 438 00:25:13,679 --> 00:25:18,729 To think that a crystal was the tool the Vikings used 439 00:25:18,892 --> 00:25:21,142 to precisely navigate the high seas 440 00:25:21,228 --> 00:25:24,478 centuries before the invention of the compass... 441 00:25:24,648 --> 00:25:25,978 It’s intriguing. 442 00:25:26,066 --> 00:25:28,686 And it begs the question, how far did they sail? 443 00:25:28,819 --> 00:25:32,199 Believe it or not, there’s evidence to suggest 444 00:25:32,322 --> 00:25:35,162 that the Vikings traveled all the way 445 00:25:35,242 --> 00:25:38,162 to the heart of North America. 446 00:25:42,916 --> 00:25:44,326 SHATNER: One of the most intriguing tales 447 00:25:44,418 --> 00:25:46,208 from the Icelandic Sagas 448 00:25:46,336 --> 00:25:48,086 involves a group of Vikings 449 00:25:48,213 --> 00:25:51,423 who embarked on a daring voyage across the Atlantic Ocean... 450 00:25:52,676 --> 00:25:55,386 ...on a quest to reach a faraway realm 451 00:25:55,512 --> 00:25:57,432 known as Vinland. 452 00:25:58,390 --> 00:26:01,850 According to the Sagas, Vinland was a bountiful paradise, 453 00:26:01,935 --> 00:26:04,685 and for centuries, historians thought it was 454 00:26:04,772 --> 00:26:07,022 merely the stuff of myth and legend. 455 00:26:09,443 --> 00:26:14,113 But then, in 1960, Norwegian husband-and-wife team 456 00:26:14,239 --> 00:26:17,779 Helge and Anne Ingstad set out to prove 457 00:26:17,910 --> 00:26:19,910 not only that Vinland was a real place 458 00:26:20,037 --> 00:26:24,957 but also that it was located in North America. 459 00:26:26,293 --> 00:26:29,753 MELLOR: Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad combed the entire coast 460 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,720 of Canada to try and find this site. 461 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,140 And they were very confident that the Sagas 462 00:26:35,260 --> 00:26:37,100 had an element of fact about it. 463 00:26:37,221 --> 00:26:39,061 And they were right, they did. 464 00:26:40,307 --> 00:26:42,097 SHATNER: The Norwegian couple uncovered 465 00:26:42,226 --> 00:26:44,306 the remains of a Viking settlement 466 00:26:44,478 --> 00:26:46,808 on the northern tip of Newfoundland 467 00:26:46,980 --> 00:26:49,480 that dated to the 11th century AD. 468 00:26:51,443 --> 00:26:53,153 This profound discovery, 469 00:26:53,278 --> 00:26:55,778 which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site 470 00:26:55,906 --> 00:26:57,276 called L’Anse aux Meadows, 471 00:26:57,449 --> 00:26:59,489 is indisputable proof 472 00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:03,910 that the Sagas may hold more truth about the Vikings 473 00:27:03,997 --> 00:27:06,827 than we ever thought possible. 474 00:27:28,105 --> 00:27:31,025 BILL: L’Anse aux Meadows is actually the physical evidence 475 00:27:31,150 --> 00:27:34,690 of Scandinavian habitation 476 00:27:34,820 --> 00:27:37,780 on the North American continent. 477 00:27:37,865 --> 00:27:40,375 The Vikings did discover North America 478 00:27:40,534 --> 00:27:43,044 500 years before Christopher Columbus. 479 00:27:44,163 --> 00:27:48,043 THOMPSON: We know that there were Viking settlements in the New World. 480 00:27:48,208 --> 00:27:50,958 When I was a young boy, that was considered a legend. 481 00:27:51,128 --> 00:27:52,628 Now it is historical fact. 482 00:27:52,713 --> 00:27:54,713 And they may have actually been more extensive 483 00:27:54,882 --> 00:27:56,972 than we see in the Sagas themselves. 484 00:27:57,968 --> 00:28:00,548 MELLOR: L’Anse aux Meadows is in Newfoundland. 485 00:28:00,721 --> 00:28:03,311 And we know that they were there, 486 00:28:03,390 --> 00:28:05,230 but then, of course, it begs the question, 487 00:28:05,309 --> 00:28:07,309 how far in did they get? 488 00:28:08,312 --> 00:28:09,562 SHATNER: Is it possible the Vikings 489 00:28:09,730 --> 00:28:12,230 traveled deep into North America? 490 00:28:12,357 --> 00:28:15,237 Well, there are those who believe the answer is yes. 491 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:18,200 And they claim that the proof can be found 492 00:28:18,322 --> 00:28:20,742 more than 2,000 miles away from Newfoundland... 493 00:28:23,243 --> 00:28:26,003 ...in Alexandria, Minnesota. 494 00:28:26,997 --> 00:28:30,667 This small city, about 130 miles northeast of Minneapolis, 495 00:28:30,751 --> 00:28:33,921 is home to the Runestone Museum. 496 00:28:34,087 --> 00:28:36,667 Inside is an artifact 497 00:28:36,757 --> 00:28:39,007 that many point to as evidence 498 00:28:39,092 --> 00:28:41,052 that the Vikings traveled 499 00:28:41,178 --> 00:28:43,848 well beyond the northeastern tip of Canada 500 00:28:43,931 --> 00:28:46,851 and into the heartland of America. 501 00:28:46,934 --> 00:28:50,194 Because on display is the remarkable, 502 00:28:50,270 --> 00:28:54,730 yet controversial, Kensington Runestone. 503 00:28:54,858 --> 00:28:56,938 The Kensington Runestone 504 00:28:57,027 --> 00:28:59,897 is about the size of a gravestone. 505 00:28:59,947 --> 00:29:04,447 And it was discovered in 1898 in Kensington, 506 00:29:04,576 --> 00:29:06,786 in Douglas County in Minnesota 507 00:29:06,870 --> 00:29:10,120 by a Swedish immigrant, Olof Ohman. 508 00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:15,958 And it is covered in runes. 509 00:29:16,129 --> 00:29:19,799 And what intrigues people is that it seems to be 510 00:29:19,967 --> 00:29:23,257 incontrovertible proof that the Vikings were there. 511 00:29:24,304 --> 00:29:27,144 THOMPSON: Runes are Viking works of art. 512 00:29:28,141 --> 00:29:29,641 And runestones are located 513 00:29:29,810 --> 00:29:31,140 pretty much throughout the Viking realm. 514 00:29:31,311 --> 00:29:33,981 Runes were kind of cumbersome to write with, 515 00:29:34,106 --> 00:29:36,066 and so things tended to be short. 516 00:29:36,984 --> 00:29:40,614 So what you end up with is very often cryptic poetry 517 00:29:40,737 --> 00:29:42,777 with a tremendous amount of meaning 518 00:29:42,906 --> 00:29:45,446 packed into very obscure passages. 519 00:29:45,575 --> 00:29:47,945 So, even to be able to understand these runes 520 00:29:48,078 --> 00:29:50,658 was sort of a master craft. 521 00:29:51,665 --> 00:29:54,795 SHATNER: For over a century, people have speculated about the meaning 522 00:29:54,918 --> 00:29:58,668 of the cryptic markings on the Kensington Runestone. 523 00:29:59,673 --> 00:30:01,843 By comparing it with other known runestones, 524 00:30:02,009 --> 00:30:06,969 historians have theorized that the stone tells the tale 525 00:30:07,097 --> 00:30:09,137 of a Viking expedition. 526 00:30:09,266 --> 00:30:13,186 McMAHON: Allegedly, the Kensington Runestone has 527 00:30:13,312 --> 00:30:15,022 an intriguing story 528 00:30:15,147 --> 00:30:17,147 written in runic script, 529 00:30:17,274 --> 00:30:20,114 about a group of about 30 Vikings, 530 00:30:20,193 --> 00:30:23,033 who journey from Vinland 531 00:30:23,196 --> 00:30:26,616 all the way down into what is now Minnesota. 532 00:30:28,535 --> 00:30:30,695 Now, ten of them are massacred 533 00:30:30,871 --> 00:30:34,211 en route by the local people. 534 00:30:35,375 --> 00:30:39,375 But the suggestion is that these Vikings made it 535 00:30:39,546 --> 00:30:42,466 to the interior of North America. 536 00:30:43,717 --> 00:30:45,507 SHATNER: Based on this translation, 537 00:30:45,635 --> 00:30:47,545 many believe that the Kensington Runestone 538 00:30:47,721 --> 00:30:50,471 is a memorial to Vikings who died 539 00:30:50,557 --> 00:30:53,807 on their quest to explore North America. 540 00:30:53,894 --> 00:30:57,024 But skeptics have questioned 541 00:30:57,064 --> 00:30:59,694 the stone’s authenticity. 542 00:30:59,816 --> 00:31:03,236 McMAHON: This could either be a genuine account 543 00:31:03,403 --> 00:31:05,413 of an incredible journey 544 00:31:05,572 --> 00:31:09,032 by intrepid warriors deep into America. 545 00:31:09,159 --> 00:31:13,329 Or the other theory is that this was Swedish immigrants 546 00:31:13,413 --> 00:31:15,583 trying to prove to their neighbors 547 00:31:15,665 --> 00:31:18,495 that they had a much longer presence 548 00:31:18,585 --> 00:31:20,875 and an entitlement to be there 549 00:31:21,004 --> 00:31:24,054 because their ancestors had been there. 550 00:31:25,050 --> 00:31:28,390 But the idea that these warriors ventured 551 00:31:28,428 --> 00:31:30,888 deep into North America, 552 00:31:31,014 --> 00:31:35,104 into places that we know well today, Minnesota.... 553 00:31:35,227 --> 00:31:38,057 That really captures the imagination. 554 00:31:39,689 --> 00:31:42,399 The truth about the Kensington Runestone 555 00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:46,197 is a fascinating enigma that continues to be explored. 556 00:31:46,279 --> 00:31:49,739 But there’s another Viking mystery 557 00:31:49,866 --> 00:31:52,616 that has drawn even more attention. 558 00:31:52,744 --> 00:31:54,584 It involves the fate of a settlement 559 00:31:54,704 --> 00:31:58,254 that was home to more than 2,000 people who vanished. 560 00:32:06,049 --> 00:32:08,009 SHATNER: A fleet of Viking longships 561 00:32:08,135 --> 00:32:10,265 sets off from the shores of Iceland 562 00:32:10,345 --> 00:32:13,925 on a 900-nautical-mile journey 563 00:32:14,057 --> 00:32:16,887 to settle a new colony in Greenland. 564 00:32:17,018 --> 00:32:20,558 The expedition is led by famed explorer 565 00:32:20,730 --> 00:32:25,230 and notorious outlaw Erik the Red. 566 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,490 MELLOR: Erik the Red is kind of a character. 567 00:32:27,612 --> 00:32:30,492 Because he’s in Norway, kills a man, gets outlawed, 568 00:32:30,615 --> 00:32:32,525 leaves Norway, gets to Iceland, 569 00:32:32,659 --> 00:32:33,579 kills a man, gets outlawed. 570 00:32:33,702 --> 00:32:35,202 So, he’s constantly, like, 571 00:32:35,370 --> 00:32:36,330 one of these guys that is 572 00:32:36,455 --> 00:32:37,835 trying to evade the law. 573 00:32:39,374 --> 00:32:43,174 So he thinks, "All right, off to Greenland I go." 574 00:32:43,295 --> 00:32:45,305 THOMPSON: When the Vikings travel to Greenland, 575 00:32:45,422 --> 00:32:47,552 they’re bringing the whole households over. 576 00:32:48,508 --> 00:32:50,388 So, these would have been a major, major movement in 577 00:32:50,510 --> 00:32:52,470 these boats going across open oceans, 578 00:32:52,596 --> 00:32:57,056 with cows and pigs and ducks and dogs and things. 579 00:32:58,143 --> 00:32:59,483 And these were rough seas, 580 00:32:59,603 --> 00:33:02,023 these north seas can be very rough and very wavy, 581 00:33:02,105 --> 00:33:05,145 and could potentially be dangerous. 582 00:33:06,151 --> 00:33:09,071 BYOCK: A large number of people go there. 583 00:33:09,196 --> 00:33:12,066 They set out with 24 ships, 584 00:33:12,199 --> 00:33:16,949 and then there was a terrible, almost a tsunami, 585 00:33:17,078 --> 00:33:21,748 and only 14 ships made it to Greenland. 586 00:33:21,875 --> 00:33:24,175 And they settled there. 587 00:33:25,170 --> 00:33:27,550 SHATNER: Historians estimate that approximately 500 588 00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:30,592 Viking settlers landed and established 589 00:33:30,717 --> 00:33:32,797 the colony in Greenland. 590 00:33:32,969 --> 00:33:36,809 And remarkably, several ruins of this settlement 591 00:33:36,932 --> 00:33:39,482 have endured for nearly a thousand years. 592 00:33:40,936 --> 00:33:43,396 You can do tourism in Greenland today, 593 00:33:43,522 --> 00:33:45,232 and you can see the remains. 594 00:33:45,357 --> 00:33:47,027 There’s a lot of archaeology going on. 595 00:33:48,026 --> 00:33:51,196 They dug up a lot of farmsteads, 596 00:33:51,321 --> 00:33:54,741 but the buildings are mostly just, you know, foundations. 597 00:33:54,866 --> 00:33:56,526 Which is interesting, since they were made out of stone. 598 00:33:56,660 --> 00:33:59,950 The place is a wild place where the wind blows. 599 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:04,420 It’s a harsh, barren, treeless landscape. 600 00:34:05,377 --> 00:34:07,627 And yet, they survived with this thriving colony. 601 00:34:09,214 --> 00:34:11,474 SHATNER: Over time, Viking colonists in Greenland 602 00:34:11,591 --> 00:34:14,801 became successful merchants, 603 00:34:14,970 --> 00:34:19,270 and established lucrative trade routes all throughout Europe. 604 00:34:19,391 --> 00:34:23,231 In the Middle Ages, there was a craze for ivory. 605 00:34:23,353 --> 00:34:27,613 Rich people, churches couldn’t get enough ivory, 606 00:34:27,732 --> 00:34:31,152 and a lot of that ivory came from 607 00:34:31,278 --> 00:34:34,318 walrus tusks in Greenland. 608 00:34:34,489 --> 00:34:37,869 So the Vikings who were living in Greenland were making 609 00:34:37,993 --> 00:34:41,913 lots of money selling ivory to the rest of Europe. 610 00:34:43,331 --> 00:34:46,081 SHATNER: Over the course of nearly 500 years, 611 00:34:46,251 --> 00:34:48,591 the prosperous Viking colony grew 612 00:34:48,712 --> 00:34:51,842 to a population of more than 2,000 people. 613 00:34:52,841 --> 00:34:56,761 And their descendants lived in Greenland until the 1400s, 614 00:34:56,928 --> 00:35:01,968 centuries beyond what is commonly thought to be 615 00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:04,140 the end of the Viking Age. 616 00:35:06,104 --> 00:35:07,564 And then... 617 00:35:07,731 --> 00:35:10,401 the colonists mysteriously... 618 00:35:10,567 --> 00:35:12,317 disappeared from history. 619 00:35:14,029 --> 00:35:15,859 GEIGER: We know that they were there in 1408, 620 00:35:15,947 --> 00:35:17,277 because there was a wedding, 621 00:35:17,449 --> 00:35:19,409 and that record made it into records in Iceland. 622 00:35:19,534 --> 00:35:22,454 So, in 1408, there was a big ceremony, 623 00:35:22,579 --> 00:35:25,539 big enough to say that this was still a thriving community, 624 00:35:25,665 --> 00:35:27,995 and that is the last written record 625 00:35:28,168 --> 00:35:30,378 of the Vikings in Greenland. 626 00:35:31,588 --> 00:35:33,668 SHATNER: Numerous theories have been proposed to explain 627 00:35:33,798 --> 00:35:36,378 the mysterious disappearance of the Greenland colony. 628 00:35:36,468 --> 00:35:40,138 Some say that the colonists fell victim 629 00:35:40,263 --> 00:35:42,393 to mankind’s greatest adversary, 630 00:35:42,515 --> 00:35:44,805 Mother Nature. 631 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,120 SHATNER: During this period, known as the Little Ice Age, 632 00:36:05,288 --> 00:36:06,998 Greenland was blanketed 633 00:36:07,123 --> 00:36:10,543 in a punishing and interminable frost. 634 00:36:11,586 --> 00:36:14,626 In the north, it made summer so cold, 635 00:36:14,756 --> 00:36:16,466 it maybe seemed like winter. 636 00:36:17,425 --> 00:36:19,755 And it happened for several years in a row. 637 00:36:19,928 --> 00:36:23,138 It might have also promoted people to just leave the area. 638 00:36:23,264 --> 00:36:26,894 SHATNER: It’s possible that Mother Nature’s wrath 639 00:36:27,018 --> 00:36:30,058 obliterated the Vikings’ booming economy. 640 00:36:30,146 --> 00:36:33,226 In 2018, groundbreaking new research 641 00:36:33,358 --> 00:36:37,488 from scientists at the University of Oslo revealed 642 00:36:37,612 --> 00:36:41,912 that an unexpected set of circumstances may have triggered 643 00:36:42,033 --> 00:36:44,793 the Viking equivalent to the Great Depression. 644 00:36:46,830 --> 00:36:48,790 Something like 80% of the ivory that turns up 645 00:36:48,915 --> 00:36:50,825 in Europe came from Greenland. 646 00:36:51,918 --> 00:36:57,378 We know from scientific evidence now that that walrus declined. 647 00:36:57,465 --> 00:36:59,255 So, all of a sudden, that whole economic 648 00:36:59,384 --> 00:37:01,264 basis seems to disappear. 649 00:37:02,262 --> 00:37:03,512 SHATNER: While there are many theories 650 00:37:03,638 --> 00:37:05,138 for the cause of the Greenland colony’s 651 00:37:05,265 --> 00:37:06,525 mysterious disappearance 652 00:37:06,641 --> 00:37:10,271 an even more confounding question is... 653 00:37:11,312 --> 00:37:13,772 ...where did the people go? 654 00:37:13,898 --> 00:37:18,148 If 2,000 people from Greenland moved back to Iceland 655 00:37:18,278 --> 00:37:20,318 or to Norway, there would be some sort of record. 656 00:37:20,488 --> 00:37:22,778 There’s not. 657 00:37:22,866 --> 00:37:25,616 But if they all packed onto ships, you know, 658 00:37:25,744 --> 00:37:27,204 the seas were very dangerous. 659 00:37:28,329 --> 00:37:31,419 And so, yeah, it’s possible that the entire population 660 00:37:31,541 --> 00:37:33,961 of Greenland was killed in a storm, maybe. 661 00:37:34,127 --> 00:37:35,957 That’s at the bottom of the ocean 662 00:37:36,129 --> 00:37:37,509 where we can find it, or maybe it’s lost forever. 663 00:37:38,590 --> 00:37:40,680 SHATNER: The disappearance of the Greenland colony 664 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:44,680 was the fascinating final chapter in Viking history. 665 00:37:44,804 --> 00:37:49,104 And although the truth about their fate remains elusive, 666 00:37:49,225 --> 00:37:52,135 archaeologist are making new discoveries 667 00:37:52,270 --> 00:37:54,900 that could reveal secrets about the Vikings 668 00:37:55,023 --> 00:37:57,983 that have been lost for centuries. 669 00:38:07,452 --> 00:38:10,412 SHATNER: Just outside the small village of Gjellestad, 670 00:38:10,497 --> 00:38:13,827 a group of archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute 671 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,250 of Cultural Heritage Research 672 00:38:16,336 --> 00:38:20,256 is investigating an ancient Viking burial mound 673 00:38:20,340 --> 00:38:23,300 when they make a remarkable discovery. 674 00:38:23,426 --> 00:38:27,346 The team unearthed a 65-foot-long Viking ship 675 00:38:27,430 --> 00:38:29,180 that is the largest ship recovered 676 00:38:29,349 --> 00:38:31,019 in more than 100 years. 677 00:38:31,142 --> 00:38:33,982 This huge vessel was buried 678 00:38:34,103 --> 00:38:35,313 at the beginning of the Viking Age, 679 00:38:35,438 --> 00:38:38,518 around 800 AD, and is referred to... 680 00:38:39,526 --> 00:38:41,776 ...as the Gjellestad ship. 681 00:38:42,946 --> 00:38:46,026 There’s a good reason for being very curious about 682 00:38:46,157 --> 00:38:50,197 the Gjellestad ship, and that is that it might actually 683 00:38:50,370 --> 00:38:55,040 be one of the very oldest sailing ships in Scandinavia. 684 00:38:55,208 --> 00:38:57,338 So, you could say that the Gjellestad is 685 00:38:57,460 --> 00:39:00,300 a new piece to the puzzle about the Viking Age. 686 00:39:00,380 --> 00:39:02,340 And I think it’s a very important one. 687 00:39:03,883 --> 00:39:05,473 SHATNER: For over a thousand years, 688 00:39:05,552 --> 00:39:06,892 this hallowed ground 689 00:39:07,053 --> 00:39:08,643 concealed 5 longhouses 690 00:39:08,721 --> 00:39:10,971 and 13 burial sites. 691 00:39:11,057 --> 00:39:13,477 Curiously, experts believe 692 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:16,230 that an ancient Viking king was 693 00:39:16,312 --> 00:39:20,072 ritually buried inside the Gjellestad ship. 694 00:39:21,317 --> 00:39:24,027 BILL: The Gjellestad site provided the first opportunity 695 00:39:24,070 --> 00:39:28,530 for 100 years to excavate a ship grave. 696 00:39:28,658 --> 00:39:30,988 And, uh, and this was a fantastic opportunity, 697 00:39:31,077 --> 00:39:33,537 because 100 years ago, 698 00:39:33,663 --> 00:39:35,663 archaeological excavation methods were 699 00:39:35,748 --> 00:39:38,498 much, much different from what they are today. 700 00:39:39,586 --> 00:39:43,876 With our modern technology, there was much bigger chance of 701 00:39:44,007 --> 00:39:48,757 really harvesting a lot of knowledge from the excavation 702 00:39:48,928 --> 00:39:50,678 of this mound. 703 00:40:14,412 --> 00:40:17,582 SHATNER: The excavation of the Gjellestad ship 704 00:40:17,707 --> 00:40:20,377 will reveal details of Viking culture 705 00:40:20,460 --> 00:40:22,290 that have yet to be discovered, 706 00:40:22,420 --> 00:40:25,300 and could prove the Icelandic Sagas 707 00:40:25,465 --> 00:40:28,475 are based more on fact than fiction. 708 00:40:28,593 --> 00:40:31,973 It’s exciting to think that each new artifact found 709 00:40:32,138 --> 00:40:34,138 brings us closer to understanding 710 00:40:34,307 --> 00:40:36,387 the real life of this fascinating 711 00:40:36,476 --> 00:40:39,806 and exceptional Norse civilization. 712 00:40:39,938 --> 00:40:42,398 The Vikings represent these 713 00:40:42,482 --> 00:40:44,572 people who are adventurous... 714 00:40:45,610 --> 00:40:48,400 ...who did things that, 715 00:40:48,571 --> 00:40:50,951 as we think about it, were amazing. 716 00:40:51,908 --> 00:40:54,988 How do you go thousands of miles on a boat, 717 00:40:55,161 --> 00:40:56,501 from this place to this place, 718 00:40:56,663 --> 00:40:59,173 at a time when no one else is doing that? 719 00:40:59,332 --> 00:41:01,172 I think those kinds of components 720 00:41:01,334 --> 00:41:04,804 are part of the reason why we’re so fascinated with the Vikings. 721 00:41:05,755 --> 00:41:08,765 It’s really great that there’s so much interest in the Vikings. 722 00:41:09,842 --> 00:41:12,852 Because it creates a space for scientists 723 00:41:13,012 --> 00:41:15,262 and the researchers to really back it up. 724 00:41:15,348 --> 00:41:18,848 We’ve got new sites coming to light, and we’ve got 725 00:41:19,018 --> 00:41:22,188 new scientific methods that are telling us more and more 726 00:41:22,271 --> 00:41:26,031 about these real people behind those legends. 727 00:41:26,150 --> 00:41:29,530 And that combination of the real evidence and 728 00:41:29,696 --> 00:41:32,696 the fictional side is really something quite special. 729 00:41:34,867 --> 00:41:36,947 It’s surprising how little we actually know 730 00:41:37,036 --> 00:41:38,616 about the Vikings. 731 00:41:38,705 --> 00:41:42,465 Were they merely ruthless and barbaric invaders, 732 00:41:42,542 --> 00:41:46,212 or does their notorious reputation overshadow the fact 733 00:41:46,379 --> 00:41:48,879 that they were a highly sophisticated culture? 734 00:41:50,383 --> 00:41:52,303 The mystery of who the Vikings really were 735 00:41:52,385 --> 00:41:56,065 is perhaps what makes them so fascinating. 736 00:41:56,180 --> 00:41:58,850 But for now, their true history remains... 737 00:41:59,851 --> 00:42:01,481 ...unexplained. 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