{"id":25182,"date":"2024-04-08T02:31:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T02:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rockseeker.com\/?p=25182"},"modified":"2024-04-08T02:42:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T02:42:37","slug":"viking-sunstones-icelandic-spar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rockseeker.com\/viking-sunstones-icelandic-spar\/","title":{"rendered":"Viking Sunstones: The Crystal Compass of the Vikings (Icelandic Spar)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Viking sunstones, or “s\u00f3larsteinn” in Old Norse, have fascinated historians, archaeologists, and navigators for years due to their mythical status and intriguing properties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the exact nature and use of these sunstones remain partly speculative, they are believed to have been a navigational aid for Viking mariners during their extensive voyages across the North Atlantic, long before the introduction of the magnetic compass in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The idea of the sunstone is primarily derived from medieval texts and sagas, with one of the most notable references found in the saga of King Olaf, where a sunstone is mentioned as a means to locate the sun in a completely overcast sky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholars hypothesize that these stones could have been a type of crystal, possibly Icelandic spar (a clear form of calcite), known for its property of polarizing light. By holding the stone up to the sky, Vikings might have been able to determine the sun’s position by observing the patterns of light, even on cloudy days or when the sun was just below the horizon at twilight.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The working principle behind this is the optical phenomenon of polarization, where the stone could filter and polarize sunlight, splitting it into two distinct beams. By rotating the stone until the two beams appeared equally bright, the Vikings could ascertain the direction of the sun and, consequently, their bearing. This method would have been particularly useful in the northern latitudes, where the Vikings sailed far from land and where the magnetic compass was not yet known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Your Friend In Reykjavik | Tour Guide Iceland (@yourfriendinreykjavik)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>