Bjornstad Logo The Vikings of Bjornstad
Viking Ship Terms
English to Old Norse
and
Old Norse to English

The Viking Age was marked by ships of Scandinavian design appearing without warning in waters from Byzantium to North America.  The terms in the dictionary below would have been well known to the Norse who sailed those ships.

English to Old Norse

English Old Norse
beam bite
beam, timber; ship áss
beam stanchion snældr
(Continued below the diagrams)

(Used with the kind permission of the Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde)

 


(Used with the kind permission of Jørn Olav Løset, http://home.online.no/~joeolavl/viking/norse-shipbuilding.htm)

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "
English Old Norse
bench, rowing seat for two rowers sessa
boat (small boat), canoe; oarlock keipr
boat with five or ten rowers plus a helmsman femkeiping
boat with four or eight rowers plus a helmsman firkeiping
boat with three pairs of oars trerøring, sexæringr, seksring
boat, small ship skúta
bowline bóglína
brace stoeðingr
buntline gyrðingr
cargo ship knarr, knörr (knarrar)
caulking si
clew line hefill
clew up halsa
deck planking, deck þili/þilja
deck planking? fjöl?
drain plug nygla
four-oared boat færing
frame of ship's hull röng
garboard strake (attached to the keel) kjǫl-bord
ground beam for tent berling
gunwale rípr, hástokkr?
halyard dragreip
haul hala
high decked part of stern lypting
hold or compartment in hold rúm
hull húfr
iron nail jarnsaumr
keel kjǫlr
knee (internalstructural support) kne
lay alongside for attack at-laga
lie at anchor liggja
lowering or let out sail hnekkja?
mast siglutré
mast head húni
middle-sized cargo and troop ship karfi
naval forces; ship leiðangr
oak; tree; ship eik
oar handle hlunnr and hlummr
oar-hole habora
oarsman háseti
(vertical) overlap of strakes suða
reef rif
rib innviðr
rivet (iron) saumr
rope strengr
rove (rivet "washer")
rower's seat sess
rowing bench, thwart þopta
rudder, helm stýri
sail (v) sigla
sail segl
sail (vertical leech of sail) rá-lík
sailing sigling
sailor farmaðr
scarf (overlap along the length of the strakes) skor
sea (the sea) haf
sea sjór
sheave slot in the mast head bormóða
sheet skaut, skjaut
ship kjóll
ship, longship, warship drakkar
ship, perhaps a splendid warship skeið
ship, perhaps small shuttle or ferry fley
ship, boat skip
ship; steed of the sea gjalfrmarr
ship, boat skip
ship, perhaps a small shuttle or ferry fley
ship (cargo ship); merchant vessel, ocean-going trader (m) knörr (knarrar)
ship (poetic) (m) kjóll
ship (small ship); ash, ash tree; ash spear; the great ash tree Yggdrasill (m) askr
ship, boat (n) skip
ship; beam, timber, pole áss
ship; coastal trader byrding
ship; fast coastal rowing ship; a middle-sized cargo and troop ship (m) karfi
ship, fishing or trading ferja
ship; longship, warship (f) drakkar
ship; ocean-going warship skeið
ship; small warship snekke
ship; naval forces leiðangr
ship; oak; tree (f) eik
ship, with two pairs of oars, four rowers færing
ship, with three pairs of oars, six rowers sexæringr, seksring, trerøring
ship, with four pairs of oars, eight rowers firkeiping
ship, with five pairs of oars, ten rowers plus a helmsman (f) femkeiping
ship, '(nail-)studded' knattarbarki
ship; 'steed of the sea' (m) gjálfrmarr
ship's boat (m) bátr
shipwreck skipsbrot
shroud höfuðbenda
sink (v) siga
six-oared boat sexæringr, seksring
small warship snekke
spar (tacking spar), sailyard beitiáss
spar for bracing sail lík-sproti
spindle for the sheave (pully wheel) keipa
splint, sail pin (later luff) úfr
stay stag
steer (v) stýra (ð)
steering arm, tiller hjölm
steersman stýrismaðr
strake, hull plank borð
tack hals
tentpole (debated) tjaldáss?
treenail trésaumr
turret viðu-hús
warship langskip
warship skeid
windlass vindáss
wreck skipflak
yard siglura

Old Norse to English
 
Old NorseEnglish
at-laga lay alongside for attack
bátr ship's boat
beitiáss spar (tacking spar), sailyard
berling ground beam for tent
bóglína bowline
borð strake, hull plank
bormóða sheave slot in the mast head
byrding ship used for coastal trading
dragreip halyard
drakkar warship, longship
eik oak; tree; ship
færing four-oared boat
farmaðr sailor
femkeiping boat with five or ten rowers plus a helmsman
ferja ship used for fishing and trading
firkeiping boat with four or eight rowers plus a helmsman
fjöl? deck planking?
fleyship, perhaps small shuttle or ferry
gjalfrmarr ship; steed of the sea
gyrðingr buntline
habora oar-hole
haf sea (the sea)
hala haul
hals tack
halsa clew up
háseti oarsman
hástokkr? gunwale?
hefill clew line
hjölm steering arm, tiller
hlunnr and hlummr oar handle
hnekkja? lowering or let out sail
höfuðbenda shroud
húfr hull
húni mast head
innviðr rib
jarnsaumr iron nail
karfi middle-sized cargo and troop ship
keipa spindle for the sheave (pully wheel)
keipr boat (small boat), canoe; oarlock
kjǫl-bord garboard strake (attached to the keel)
kjóll ship
kjǫlr keel
knarr, knörr (knarrar) cargo ship, ocean-going trader
knattarbarki (nail-)studded ship
kne knee (internalstructural support)
knörr (knarrar) cargo ship
langskip warship
leiðangr naval forces; ship
liggja lie at anchor
lík-sproti spar for bracing sail
lypting high decked part of stern
nygla drain plug
rá-lík sail (vertical leech of sail)
rif reef
rípr gunwale
rove (rivet "washer")
röng frame of ship's hull
rúm hold or compartment in hold
saumr rivet (iron)
segl sail
sexæringr, seksring six-oared boat
sess, sessa rower's seat, bench; for two rowers
si caulking
siga sink (v)
sigla sail (v)
sigling sailing
siglura yard
siglutré mast
sjór sea
skaut sheet
skeið ocean-going warship
skip ship, boat
skipflak wreck
skipsbrot shipwreck
skjaut sheet
skor scarf (overlap along the length of the strakes)
skúta boat, small ship
snekke small warship, longship
stag stay
stoeðingr brace
strengr rope
stýra (ð) steer (v)
stýri rudder, helm
suða (vertical) overlap of strakes
þili/þilja deck planking, deck
þopta rowing bench, thwart
tjaldáss? tentpole (debated)
trerøring boat with three pairs of oars
trésaumr treenail
úfr splint, sail pin (later luff)
viðu-hús turret
vindáss windlass
stýrismaðr steersman

Sources:

 
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