A BIT OF HISTORY
The Vikings, originally from Scandinavia, were skilled sailors and explorers who extended their influence across Europe and even into the Americas between the 8th and 11th centuries.
They used their versatile longships to navigate oceans, rivers, and shallow waterways, facilitating both raids and trade. These fearless Norsemen, from their remote homelands, boldly ventured as far as America, journeying from northern to southern Europe.
WARRIOR TRADERS
Viking expansion was driven by a desire for exploration, trade, and conquest. They left a lasting impact on the regions they reached, influencing language, culture, and governance. Their journeys to the Americas mark the earliest known contact between Europeans and the New World—centuries before Columbus.
THE VIKINGS AND LUNDENWIC
Viking attacks on London, then known as Lundenwic and later Lundenburgh, began in the early 9th century. In 842, chroniclers recorded a “great slaughter” in the city, and in 851 a massive Danish fleet of some 350 ships sailed up the Thames, captured London, and defeated a West Saxon army. After years of intermittent raids, the city fell to the Great Heathen Army in 871 but was retaken by Alfred the Great in 886, who refortified it within the old Roman walls. Despite these defenses, Viking forces continued to target London for its wealth and strategic location.
The most famous later assaults came during the early 11th century. In 994, a joint Norwegian–Danish force under Olaf Tryggvason and Sweyn Forkbeard attacked but was repelled. Sweyn returned in 1013, forcing King Æthelred into exile and briefly becoming king before his death. His son Cnut besieged London in 1016, famously pulling down London Bridge—possibly inspiring the old nursery rhyme—by lashing ships together and tearing at its supports from below. After a truce with King Edmund Ironside and Edmund’s death later that year, Cnut became king of England, bringing London under Danish rule and marking the culmination of the Viking age of conquest in the city.
THE EXPERTISE OF DURIEU AND OWATROL®
Alongside these ancestral recipes, the modern world also benefits from the expertise of Owatrol®, a brand of the Durieu Group—a century-old company specializing in material protection. With Owatrol®, Durieu offers a special marine range, including the famous DEKS OLJE® D.1, a saturator designed for hard exotic woods.
DEKS OLJE® D.1 has exceptional penetrating qualities, protecting the wood deeply and offering long-lasting defense against premature aging. It’s specially formulated to withstand harsh marine environments: sun, wind, humidity, and salty air. This renowned saturator was originally created for Scandinavian boat decks subjected to extreme conditions.
The legendary anti-rust RUSTOL-OWATROL® is also widely used in the nautical world. Its exceptional rust-inhibiting properties provide long-term protection for screws, bolts, and other metal components.
It’s only natural, then, that the Durieu Group chose to sponsor this beautiful project to revive a Viking longship—sharing its story, its construction, and the skills of its sailors.
