The Intriguing Oseberg Cart

The Oseberg ship held many different purposes for the Vikings. The ship most importantly carried them around to fight battles and completely clean house on every island in which the Vikings put their indefensible fighting strategies to the test. The ship was also used as a burial mound that held all the tools that made the Vikings, Vikings. One of the artifacts found on these ships was a mysterious cart (ThorNews). The cart is around 18 feet long and 5 feet wide, which is plenty big to do many tasks the Vikings needed (ThorNews). What makes the carts confusing in today’s world is that no archeologist knows the exact use for them. Today, people guess that one use for these carts was for religious ceremonies. 

What we can observe, however, is the stunning artwork on the side of the carts. These carts have beautiful carvings engraved into the wood. The back of the cart was usually decorated with cats, which is a reference to Froya, the goddess of fertility (The Oseberg Cart). The carvings on the front have other meanings, including religious meanings. There is a carving of a man struggling with snakes that are all around him. This is believed to be the myth Gunnar in the snake pit (ThorNews). The picture shown below is on the side of the cart. It is of men fighting each other. This is believed to be a representation of the Vikings fighting style (ThorNews). Whatever you believe is the exact use for the carts, they were very valuable to Viking culture.

Sources:

“The Oseberg Cart.” UiO Museum of Cultural History, https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/exhibitions/oseberg/oseberg-cart.html

“What was the Purpose of the Mysterious Oseberg Cart?” ThorNews,

https://thornews.com/2015/03/15/what-was-the-purpose-of-the-mysterious-oseberg-cart/