The Shipping and Trading of Hunjer Hall

The Torvaldlander ship was a long, light,
and very maneuverable vessel with a square sail.


The men of Torvaldsland sang with great voices. The oars, two men to an oars lifted and dipped. The helmsman leaned on the tiller of the great steering oar.

Marauders of Gor, p 54



Often the bow was decorated with the visage of an animal. The ship was steered with a large oar on the right side (starboard), and rode high in the water even when it was fully loaded. It could thus often be used as a landing vehicle, a characteristic that figured heavily into the success of the raids. Maximum speed was roughly 12 knots, with cruising speed averaging around 7 knots. With 30 men at the oars, the Viking ship could reach a speed of about 5 knots. It is 23.3 meters long and has space for 32 shields on each side. It has 16 pairs of oars, and probably carried about 70 men, which allowed the oars to be manned in shifts. Each man had a chest of personal belongings, which served as a bench to sit on when it was time to row. There was no protection from the elements, other than a small tent in the best of cases. Meals consisted of dried meat, freshly caught fish, sour milk, water, mead (or beer), and cloudberries (to prevent scurvy).

The men of Torvaldsland are skilled with their hands. Trade to the south, of course is largely in furs acquired from Torvaldsland, and in barrels of smoked, dried parsit fish.

Marauders of Gor, pg 28






The Torvalanders brought back enormous amounts of treasures from their voyages. These treasures were usually gold and silver coins and jewelry. The Torvaldlanders loved to display their riches, since it gave them status to do so. Coins were often hung on chains or sewn onto clothing, and jewelry was worn proudly. Men and women were equally excited about jewelry. Silver was the common monetary standard. When it was time to pay for something, they simply cut off the appropriate weight. Whether the silver came from a coin or a piece of jewelry did not matter.

Salt, incidentally, is obtained by the men of Torvaldsland, most commonly, from sea water or the burning of seaweed. It is also, however, a trade commodity, and is sometimes taken in raids. The red and yellow salts of the south, some of which I saw on the tables, are not domestic to Torvaldsland" .

Marauders of Gor, pgs 186-187


Raids were not the only source of treasures, however. The Torvaldlanders were just as skilled at trading as they were at fighting. Trading routes were established to such faraway places as . The Torvaldlander men sailed the seas and the rivers and traversed the lands.They brought home furs, silk, spices, precious stones, glass, weapons, wines, and slaves, among other things. Torvaldlanders at home eagerly awaited the return of the trading vessels.





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