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Around the year 1000, King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway built a ship unlike any other Ormrinn Langi, “The Long Serpent.” Nearly 150 feet long, it was the largest Viking longship ever constructed, its dragon-headed prow gleaming with gold and carved runes. Chroniclers wrote that its very name made enemies tremble.
But behind its splendor lay darker whispers. Sagas claim the ship was built from sacred trees felled by Olaf himself, trees once protected by Norse witches and pagan priests. When Olaf A fierce Christian convert ordered their destruction, the witches cursed him, declaring that no sorceress could ever set foot on The Long Serpent and live.
Soon after, tales spread that women accused of witchcraft who came near the ship fell ill or died. Olaf’s enemies believed it a vessel haunted by pagan wrath.
At the Battle of Svolder in 1000 AD, The Long Serpent met its end, surrounded and destroyed. Some say Olaf vanished beneath the waves, claimed by the same dark powers he defied.