592 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



aud both were gilded over. The ship was high-sided, but the fore and 

 aft parts appeared less than they should be." ' 



King Haakon's dragon, used by him in 1247.^ 



The '^ MariasuSen," built by King Haakon in 1257, was " tlie most 

 beautiful ship hitherto built in Norway," and had thirty half divisions.^ 



King Haakon's dragon, used by him in 12G3 in his expedition to Scot- 

 land, was built entirely of oak, had twenty-seven divisions, and the 

 dragon's head, prows, and stern were all gilded.* 



The largest dragon ever mentioned is that of Knut the Great; it had 

 sixty iDairs of oars, and from the descriptions given it must have been 

 300 feet long. 



{e) Skeid, which was a fast sailer and occasionlly as large as a dragon; 

 the largest one of this kind is that of Erling Skjiilgsson, which had sixty- 

 four oars and carried two hundred and forty men,'^ 



(/■) Biisse, which aj^pears to have been somewhat similar in size to a 

 dragon; a buza shij) is mentioned as having been built on the model 

 of the Long Serpent.^ 



The most prominent busse mentioned in the Sagas is that of Thore 

 Hund of Bi0rk0, which was of such lieight between flooring that it gave 

 room for "barrels of ale of astonishing size."^ 



Harald Hardrada's ship of the same size as the Long Serpent, but 

 witli a dragon head fore and aft. It had thirty-five divisions.** 



King Eystein's busse, built in 1103, of the size and construction as the 

 Long Serpent.^ 



Eindrid the Young's bussa, called the "Draglaun.""' 



In calm weather the ships were propelled by <><(ni manned by two, 

 three, or four men, according to their length ajid the size of the ship, 

 and exceptionally strong men only could handle an oar unaided.'' In 

 two instances only does tlie Saga give us an account of the length of 

 the oars, the one'^ being stated at 20 feet, and in the other instance 

 3L'j feet is given. '^ Actu-al finds show the length of oars at IS^ to 19J 

 feet in length," while oars of small boats'-'^ exhibit a lengtli of 10 feet. 



' Heimskringla, eel. Uuger, pp. 591, 592. 



" Flateyarbok, in, p. 161. 



"Ibid., Ill, pp. 196,197. 



■"Konuugssogur, ed. Unger (cit. by NicoLiysen), p. 464. 



^Olaf Trygvason Saga, c. cv.; St. Olaf Saga, c. clxxxiv; Hfiinskringla, ed. Unger 

 (cit. by Nicolayseii), PP. 231, 414. 



«St. Olaf Saga, c. cxliii. 



'Heiraskringla, ed. linger (cit. l)y Nicolaysen), i)p. 591,592. 



« Harald Hardradi Saga, c. Ixi. 



'' Heimskriugla, ed. Unger (cit. by Nicolaysen), p. 684. 

 i"lbid., p. 774. 



I'Magnns Erliugsson Saga, c. vi. 

 i-Frithjof Saga (ed. Tegner). 

 i''Konnngs.sogur, p. 223 (cit. by Nicolaysen.) 



^^Nicolmimn: Langskibet fra Goksted, p. 38, PI. iv. Fig 18; v, Fig. 1; vii, Fig. 13. 

 ^'-Engeliardt, C: Denmark in the Early Iron Age, p. 38, PI. iii, Figs. 19, 20. 



