The "langskip", also called the longship, consisted of a warship that was large enough to fit at least 16 rúm (rooms), which were the pairs of rowers and build for speed (Short). The "knörr" was a merchant carrying ship that was partially enclosed and the main concern was to be able to carry cargo across seas safely (Short). In Njal's Saga, there were ships that were introduced in the saga episodes that included mostly longships. Some were not clear of what kind of ships they were such as one a Viking named Earl was having built, "He had one ship built which was not like a longship; it had a griffin's head, much ornamented" (Njal's Saga 135). The lengths of these two kinds of ships can range from sizes 17 meters to 35 meters or even bigger. The head of a dragon on the front of the long ships has been the most popular in all longship discoveries. The reasons for this creature to be carved on the front of the ships were to protect the Vikings of evil spirits on the sea, or potentially to scare oncoming enemies to show that the Vikings on board were masculine and were not afraid of a fight. There has been findings of both "langskip" and "knörr" ships that have been discovered in Denmark at Skuldelev in Roskilde fjord around 1957-1962. Five vessels were found, some which were up to the size of 95 feet. There were two sleek longships and three cargo-carrying ships. There was a interesting archaeological discovery when the people that were observing one of the longships when found that the wood that was used to create the longship was from Ireland and made a long voyage across the North Sea to Denmark, " tree-ring analysis of its oak timbers revealed that they had been cut down around A.D. 1060-70 near Dublin, suggesting the presence of a major shipyard at this key Viking stronghold in Ireland" (Hadingham). This means that it is known that the Norse Vikings did travel all over from different countries and expanding their raiding and exploration.
