Viking Marine Adventures

On an ordinary Tuesday in November, a group of Vikings appeared suddenly in a small Melbourne suburb. Their authenticity was in doubt at first, but then they started speaking a language that hadn’t been heard in centuries, and closer inspection revealed they wore ancient clothes to protect them from harsh winter weather. Nobody knew where they came from – or why – but as a PhD student specialising in Scandinavian studies, I was one of the people the world turned to for help when they arrived.

I was taken from my university, blindfolded, driven for hours, and herded into a quiet room. When my blindfold was ripped off, I discovered I was surrounded by four white walls and a lone Viking man was sitting in front of me. Before I had the chance to say anything, he asked if I knew of any marine stainless steel fabrication services near Melbourne, as he needed to purchase a boat and escape as soon as possible. I blinked. Was this all a hoax? How did this man speak English? But then it hit me. He wasn’t speaking English; I was speaking Old Norse. My jaw dropped. I’d studied the language at university but I definitely wasn’t fluent. There was something strange going on here.

The Viking man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal contraption that he explained was a quality boat latch accessory. I know they used similar devices in ancient times to launch their ships onto water, but I’d never seen one so technologically advanced. It actually looked easy and safe to use, like it could be installed by an expert in modern times and nobody would know the difference. What an amazing feat of engineering! I have always been the first to admit that historians make many assumptions and don’t know everything about the past, but such a contraption existing in the first place completely alters our current understanding of the universe! In a whisper, I demanded the Viking man explain what was going on. He looked up, smiling.