The legend of a Viking Sun Stone, a mysterious crystal used by sailors to help navigate waters when conditions were heavily overcast, has long been told. But today, with the discovery of a curious white stone, strong credence and attention is being given towards this fabled object. Might it actually exist?
The navigational tool, once thought to be a total myth, is becoming a real possibility, since archaeologists found a stone matching its description next to other navigational tools aboard a ship’s wreckage.
In 2013, archaeologists recovered a milky colored stone, the approximate size of a deck of cards, amongst the artifacts of a shipwreck from the 1500’s in the English Channel. Its discovery immediately brought to mind the legend of the Sun Stones. Might the mysterious item, now held at the Museum in Alderney, be one of these lost treasures?
In ancient tales, the Sun Stone was used to reveal the location of the sun, even when it went below the horizon or was hidden behind dense fog or thick clouds.
One of the main descriptions of this usage is written in The Saga of King Olaf; a tale dating back to the 13th century concerning a visit that Saint Olaf, the King of Norway (995-1030), had with a wise man named Raudulfer. The reference to the Sun Stone in the Saga was previously thought as mostly fanciful or just part of an allegorical Christian tale; and not an actual item. The segment is as follows:
“The weather was thick and snowy as Sigurður had predicted. Then the king summoned Sigurður and Dagur (Rauðúlfur’s sons) to him. The king made people look out and they could nowhere see a clear sky. Then he asked Sigurður to tell where the sun was at that time. He gave a clear assertion. Then the king made them fetch the solar stone and held it up and saw where light radiated from the stone and thus directly verified Sigurður’s prediction.”
But now, with a possible Sun Stone recovered from a shipwreck, the above passage is being looked at quite differently. It very well could be describing how a Sun Stone was used.
It has often been questioned how the Vikings were able to expertly navigate the northern waters, and explore into Greenland, and beyond, with the only known navigational tools used at the time. And while it must be stated there has never been a discovery of a Sun Stone found on a Viking ship or archaeological site to date, that doesn’t mean there won’t be. The texts, with the 2013 find in the English Channel, strongly suggests they were known and used.
Scientists have also tested whether certain stones might be able to do what the ancient scripts describe, and even though there have been conflicting results, there are studies concluding they can.
Sun Stones, made of Iceland Spar, or calcite, have a crystal structure which polarizes light. This unique property of the stones can be used just as described. If Iceland Spar is held up to the sky, a double image is seen, and as you move the crystal so the images resolve into one, then where it points, reveals the location of the Sun, and offers navigational or directional guidance.
As mentioned, whether or not a Sun Stone is found on Viking ship or not, the fact a possible Sun Stone has been discovered, and scientists are finding evidence the Sun Stones could have worked, is enough to start changing the course of disbelief, towards belief. These once thought magical items are beginning to be understood as extremely important tools of the past, and historical treasures.
As with much of history, there are mysteries yet to discover and learn from. It’s exciting to know these treasures are out there to find. What might we unearth next?
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