A Viking Age Ghost Ship near the Great Halls of Lejre

Abstract

Due to persistent rumours of wooden planks from a ‘Viking Ship’ in the Lejre Stream (Lejre Å) running in the Valley of Lejre (Lejre Ådal) and near the dynastic residence of Lejre (the Scyldings’ palace), archaeologists have investigated the area in the 1980s. The negative result has never been the subject of any publication so far, let alone a closer examination of what the background of these rumours might be. This paper aims to present the investigation and its context. Furthermore, it sums up our knowledge about the Lejre Stream, which concludes that it was not a navigable waterway in the Late Iron Age. This investigation also suggests that the so-called ‘ship planks’ represent another wooden structure than a Viking ship, either a ford or a watermill. Finally, it is suggested on the basis of the investigation that the area of the dynastic residence of Lejre would be an ideal place to search for early watermill technology.