I made my first long kayaking trip from Järvenpää to Lake Kokonjärvi in Urjala more than 20 years ago. I made the trip with friends in two canoes. We paddled up Mustijoki to Hausjärvi along the route I found on a road map. Once there, we got a tractor ride from a farmer, who told me about the old Viking trade route, from Suomenlahti to Hämeenlinna. It was the same river route that we had just taken, without knowledge of the Vikings. This was the trip that sparked my interest in Finland’s Viking history.
When I was canoeing the lakes and rivers of Southern Finland during summers, I began to lose interest in aimless paddling. It had been replaced by Viking history and searching for historical objects in waterways. My canoe was replaced by a Lapland riverboat, made of wood and modified into a Viking sloop, which is more suitable for searching. The steadily moving boat is packed with diving gear for treasure hunting, a metal detector, a fishing magnet, etc.
During the winter months, I familiarised myself with all the material I could find about the Viking Age in Finland. There isn’t much of it. After the 2018 publication of the book Finnish Viking Age Swords by Mikko Moilanen, it became clear that there was a lot of Viking Age activity in Pirkanmaa and Tavastia between 800 and 1050.
During the Viking Age, there were no highways in Finland. The famous “Hämeen härkätie” road between Turku and Hämeenlinna was only built in the 12th century. Rivers and lakes served as transportation routes at that time.
It is difficult to find things that have fallen into the water. Especially in a river, the current moves the object to a different place than where it fell. In addition, there is humus etc. in the water blocking visibility. And it doesn’t take long for mud to cover the fallen object. Based on this, it is clear that it is worth exploring the waterways of Southern Finland – to look for historical objects that were lost in the water during the 250 years of Viking rule.
All local traditional information about Finland’s Viking Age is of interest to me!
risto.karste@outlook.com