PREHISTORIC NAVAL ARCHITECTURE. 591 



hleypisJcuta (nmiiiiig Khip),' and employed principally for boarding, 

 which was facilitated by the budd of their bnlwark.^ 

 Some of the leading skutas mentioned in the Sagas are: 

 A tifteen-seated sknta belonging to Eindrid the Youug.^ 

 A fifteen-seated sknta belonging to Erling Skjalgsson.^ 

 A fifteen -seater given by Thorleif to his son Eirik.^ 

 {d) Brcujon. — The dragon (dreJci) received its name from the decora- 

 tions of the prows, representing the liead and tail of some fabulons ani- 

 mal. 

 The most celebrated dragons handed down in the Sagas are: 

 That of Thorolf Kveldnlfsson, of Sandness, in ]N^ordland, bnilt in 872- 

 873.6 



Harald Haarfager's dragon, bnilt in 900. Of this it is said that " the 

 King liad lifted it out in the most splendid way and bronght his house 

 troops and his berserkers on board; the forecastle men were picked 

 men, for they had the King's banner.'" 



The dragon of Chief Kand the Strong, in Sallen, which was '' the most 

 beautiful ship in Norway." " Her captor. King Olaf, called it "The Ser- 

 pent" because the sail when tilled by the wind would represent the 

 di'agoirs wings. " It had thirty divisions, but was laige in proportion 

 thowto (m Hit at pH), The prow bore a dragon's head and the stern 

 was curved outward in a crook (krokr) like a tail {sporor); the figure- 

 head, and both curves were gilt."^ 



The ship which King Harald Hardrada had built at Nidaros was of 

 the same size as the Long Serpent, and every i^art of her was finished 

 with the greatest care. On the stem was a dragon head and on the 

 stern a dragon tad and the sides of the bows of the ship were of gilt. 

 The vessel was of thirty-five benches, and was large for her size and 

 was remarkably handsome, "for the King had everything belonging to 

 the ship's equipment of the best, both sails and riggings, anchors and 

 cables." '" 



The ship which King Eystein had built at Xidaros in 110;> in size and 

 shape was like the Long Serpent which Olaf Trygvason had built." "At 

 the head there was a dragon's head and at the stern a crooked tail, 



'Olaf Try gvasoii Saga, c. Ixxxiii, xli. lugi's Saga, c. i. 



-Olaf Trygvason Saga, c. xx. Egil's Saga, c. Iviii. St. Olaf's Saga, c. cxxxii, 

 cxlix. Magnus Blind's Saga c v, xvi. Magnus Eiiingsson's Saga, c. xxx. 



■'Hciraskriugla, ed. linger (cit.by Nicolayseu), p. 799. 



'Magnus Erlingssou's Saga, v. xxv. Olaf Trygvason Saga, i-. cii. St. Olaf Saga, 

 c. Ix. (1. 



''Olaf Trygvason Saga, c. xx. 



'• lIiMuiskriugla (ed. linger cit. by Nicolaysen) p. 192. 



' Egil's Saga, c. ix. 



^Harald Haarfager Saga, Heimskriugla text, c. ix. 



^ Olaf Trygvason Saga, c. Ixxxv; Magnus the Good's Saga, c. xx. 



'f Haralil Hardradn Saga, Heimskriugla text, c. Ixi. 



" Sigurd the Crusader's Saga, Heimskringla text, c. xxvL 



