The "Thing" made laws, decided whether or not to go tow war, and held trials to judge criminals. The nobles and freemen made up two of the three social classes in Viking society. The third was the slaves. The slaves were descendants of ancestors who had been enslaved or were those who had been captured in wars and raids. Women were held in the same esteem as slaves in many cultures of the time, Viking women however possessed many rights commonly denied to women. While the husband was still head of the household, the women could still own land or other property, share in the wealth of their husband, and they could get a divorce at any time they so wished. Viking culture was very sexually open and they practiced polygamy. Large households were very common. Scandinavia soon became very crowded, which forced many Vikings to seek out land to colonize, which in turn led to the development of the extraordinary Viking "Long Ships.".
The Vikings were renowned for their shipbuilding expertise. They built their ships of wood and where among the first boat builders to use the Keel. The Viking Long-ships were recognized by their decorative "prow," which was often carved to the likeness of fearsome beasts. The Viking Long-ship could sail well in deep sea as well as sail up shallow rivers. At Sea they were powered by sails and in shallow water by oar. They differed in size from 50 feet for trading hips to 65-95 feet for warships. These ships were amazingly effective and were what allowed the Vikings their large sphere of influence. One example of the Long-ships effectiveness was that the Norwegian explorer Leif Eriksson reached North America in his Long-ship 400 years before Christopher Columbus did. Because of the importance of the ship in Viking culture, most kings and noblemen were buried with their long-ships.
The Long-ships were incredible devices; their captains and navigators however were just as incredible.