Forgotten Adventuring Gear: VIKING SUNSTONE

[@justinritchey2967]

This is exactly what is needed in the Curse of Strahd campaign where the lore of the world says the sun is always heavily obscured so you can never tell the exact time of day.

[@jonathanwells223]

Bjorn Red-spear the Barbarian: “Improvise, adapt, overcome!”

[@aras_knight]

Also in a Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign where sunlight is barely reaching the region

[@NevisYsbryd]

The North Sea is clouded over a _lot_ of the time regardless of active precipitation. Cloud cover can fairly easily obscure the sun enough for it to be difficult to tell where it is.

[@kuna129]

Foggy too - it's very scary to be on the sea totally surrounded by fog.

[@rallen7660]

Even in Missouri we have a lot of days where the sun can't be seen. Rain clouds, fog, and snow occlude the sun for large parts of the year. I always thought the compass was the only tool to use. Thanks for the new knowledge!

[@Wishbone1977]

In Scandinavia it is not uncommon to have completely overcast days with a heavy uniform cloud layer, and on those days you really cannot tell by eye where the sun is in the sky.

[@Elora445]

Yeah, where I live has had quite a few overcast days lately (not so much of a summer this year). So overcast that one simply can't tell where the sun is. Nowadays you can guess where it is based on the time of the day, but before clocks...

[@williammcalexanderjr1834]

Krammer (I hope that's how you spell it), I have some info on compasses for you. In my younger days, as an archaeologist, two of us found a prehistoric site. Part of the data recording included compass readings. We stood 30 meters apart and our compasses were pointing at each other. We were using Sunto compasses (good quality ones). The Ouachita Mountains are composed of folded and twisted strata. This can and does interfere with magnetic fields. So always remember accurate map reading and terrain recognition skills are important.

[@ellorybockting]

As a world builder I have love to build a fantasy setting that uses no hand waving or 'a wizard did it' as an explanation. In it there is a place called the Erie. A very large expanse of bog and swamp that is usually to misty and foggy to see the sun, the bogiron and iron deposits make a compass unreliable enough to easily get lost in the windy and foggy bog. So a sunstone is only way to determine the time and direction.

[@Rocketsong]

Cool. I have a song about the sunstone on one of my albums. The secret is polarization Calcite ore is birefringent, which means it splits light into polarized paths. In this case, calcite can split either plane polarized or circularly polarized light. Very cool to see someone explaining how it works in practice, thanks Kramer.

[@WisdomThumbs]

Yep! And humans are among the few organisms that see the polarization of light.

[@StarlasAiko]

Last month I was out with a friend during extremely cloudy afternoon. Despite the complete cloud cover, it was not possible to look at the sky in any direction other than North with bare eyes and there was no indication of where the sun was. Everything was just blindingly bright grey. But with sunglasses, I could look straight at the sun and it looked like a Full Moon behind a veil thin cloud cover.

[@YepImThatGuy66]

For those who may not know, there is True North and Magnetic North for the compass. Great vid, now I want one.

[@markfergerson2145]

A sunstone makes a passable clock during winter in high latitudes, too. Above the Arctic circle the sun is not visible at all for months at a time because it’s below the horizon in northern hemisphere winter. A sunstone will tell you which way the sun is. That won’t give you direction but it will tell you what time of day it is within a couple of hours if you already know which way is north through local experience. Even toward the end of autumn and the beginning of spring the sun will still be below the *local* horizon in mountainous terrain. That can amount to half of the year in some places. Knowing the time of day s helpful when managing land trips, meeting someone else at a particular time, or just knowing when to call the kids in for supper.

[@lukeevan5393]

Instructions unclear, threw out all navigation tools and sunstoned my way into Narnia

[@TheMadPoetHimself]

Sounds like it worked!

[@NicW76]

Don't need to imagine being somewhere a natural power sets it's will against you; I live in the UK and our weather does that pretty much on a daily basis. 😂 We often have completely overcast skies so you don't see the sun all day, sometimes for days. I can definitely imagine there could once have been a great use for the sunstone in a climate like this. 😎

[@jamesanderson6769]

I always amazed at innovations our ancestors used to solve problems.

[@LaineyBug2020]

This would be a nice addition to Skill Tree's Staff of the Wanderer. I'm imagining having a little vintage brass sundial compass and spy glass in my other pockets! Maybe in a hiking situation you can have a modern map of the area tea stained!

[@Crisilac]

I mean, you COULD use a compass, but "Sun stone" is *such* a cooler name.

[@LivingAnachronism]

True!

[@ClashBluelight]

Magpointer? North Finder? Mystic Needle? Arrow of the Wanderer? Ol' Clause's Guide? Pocket Polaris?

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

Here sunstone refers to Oregon sunstone, which are the reddish/orange/green ones and very pretty. Actually got one from a garage lapidary guy (while on a road trip in Oregon) for my wedding ring. Relevant? No, not really, I just like sunstones.

[@Jeffersoniananti-federalist]

@@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken Now imagine an entire fantasy culture based on the sunstone. Also, your name is hilarious!

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

@@Jeffersoniananti-federalist I am VERY stubborn about my username

[@gagatube]

A most interesting subject. I did a little digging on this topic a few years back and could not determine if the Sunstone was a genuine navigational aid or not. From (low level) scientific research that statistically found no benefit in using a Sunstone, to an article saying an airline which used to make trans-arctic flights (during which a magnetic compass is less than useless) had Sunstones mounted in the cockpit as a navigational aid. To add to the confusion I found an article which said the Sunstone is literally an aid i.e. if you are sufficiently skilled (and know what you are looking for) _you don't need the stone._ Evidence to support this theory is found in an Icelandic Saga where the 'hero', in a gathering, is asked to point to the direction of the sun and does so unaided, whereupon the Chief fetches his Sunstone, examines the sky through it and announces the hero is correct.

[@scottthomas3792]

I used to work for a small college, and one professor had a sunstone. As I recall, it fluoresced under ultraviolet. I think he said it was for getting very a very general idea of which direction you're headed on cloudy or stormy days.

[@CreepyMF]

Those sunstones are really incredible, i kinda want one now.

[@StevenHouse1980]

Looking thrugh this or that type of stone to see the direction of high concentrations of a few types of magic... well maybe if you have a "Beast Stone/Crystallized Monster Blood" you could find Monsters with Mana inside them, to hunt them or to run away from them.

[@MrDowntemp0]

Moves to the desert. Loses the sun :) Only kiddin' love the content. Since its such a backup tool, Would be neat as a piece of jewelry so you don't have to worry about carrying it around as much. The black dot could be another gem too.

[@LivingAnachronism]

I had the exact same thought while making this video 😂, but oddly enough while driving up north yesterday it was cloudy enough that I actually COULDN'T see the sun. And I looked through all the windows in the car to find it and I couldn't. It was a wild experience.

[@golwenlothlindel]

So the other thing about magnetic compasses is this: magnetic north and true north aren't the same. At the equator, the difference hardly matters but at the poles the difference is miles. The vikings were primarily sailing between 50 and 80 degrees north, where using the wrong value for north could mean a few days or a whole week extra sailing time. That's more than enough time to die of hunger and thirst, if you run out of provisions. Being blown off course is the norm if you're sailing in the north Atlantic, but the sooner you know you're off course the sooner you can start rationing your provisions and looking for ways to get more. That can dramatically boost your possibility of survival even in the worst case scenarios. The magnetic compass is not superior to a sunstone for ship navigation, especially not in the extreme north or south. What IS superior to a sunstone for ship navigation is a sextant. Though in the perpetually cloudy and misty north Atlantic, you might want both instruments.

[@kingdavidapple]

While reading, "Collapse,' by Jared Diamond, he mentions how foggy the western shore of Greenland and all of the region of Iceland can be due to sea ice, fractured or sheet in winter. Such a device would be a real help, in concert with the many other indicators of approaching land these sailors knew better than I can: size & type of swell, types of fish or birds observed, smell or taste of the seawater; perhaps more details I know nothing of. Thanks, Kramer!

[@brucelee3388]

A piece of clear calcite/spar was found with some navigational instruments in a 'cabin' on the Mary Rose (sank 1545). So someone thought it was useful. Magnetiuc compasses can easily be thrown off by any iron the party is carrying - swords, knives, helms, body armour - that sort of stuff. I have a vague memory you were supposed to leave your rifle at least 20 ft (~7 metres) away when using a compass to get a reliable reading - and that leaves out 'magnetic variation' in map reading, which will really screw with your mind.

[@darchrys5048]

Just got into you recently, it's awesome to see videos like yours! Would you ever consider doing a video about how medieval fantasy influences your morning and evening routines? Or perhaps your daily habits in general?

[@LivingAnachronism]

Yes absolutely, as soon as I finish setting up my house, I have a couple videos like that planned

[@robertjensen1438]

There once was a young Viking named Rudolph the Red and his wife Freydis. Freydis decided to have a walk with her husband, but when she told him of her plans, he took one look at the sky grunted and said it was going to rain. Freydis was confused, and there were no clouds in the sky. Later on in the day, when it was pouring down rain, she asked her husband how he knew, which he replied with “Ruldolph the Red knows rain dear.”

[@grbdevnull5611]

I've read about how sun stones are used a couple times, but for some reason, I was not really able to make sense of it. I don't know if I have just heard it enough times now or if it was your visuals, but this made way more sense. Thank you.

[@Sb129]

Birefringence is quite a neat property to witness in real life. I have a big one and a few little ones. This also makes for a good laser pointer beam splitter if it is clear enough.

[@remnantuscuiviefea]

It's simple things like this stone that prove there is still magic in this world. God bless

[@Vedues]

I didn't know King Olaf was a Pokemon trainer. Now he just needs to find a Gloom to use that sunstone on.

[@ahandgrenade3640]

I mean he captured a dragon and that's close enough. Wait wrong kind olaf.

[@Isaac-YLYL]

Compasses need to be compared against a constantly shifting magnetic field (ie changing year by year), whereas the sun is a better constant. So I don't agree that the compass makes solar navigation unnecessary.

[@RyuuKageDesu]

Once skilled at it, I bet this would be a very accurate navigation technique.

[@patrickbateman3146]

I like the new background set

[@LivingAnachronism]

Thanks!

[@ShiningSunfish]

When I was thinking about the D&D aspect, I was thinking the same thing. Stones are really cool magic items because they are attractive, simple, and sturdy. It would be so cool to have a stone on your hip that has this normal function, but also allows for a bunch of other magical opportunities, whether through attunement or its own innate ability.

[@michami135]

D&D / RPG Idea: The sunstone reacts to magical energies and may be used to locate magic with some level of precision. If you use a sunstone as you enter a new room, you'll be able to see if any magical traps (or ongoing magic) are present. You may then use the sunstone to identify the general direction of the trap. I would add that the glow from magic is dim, so the more ambient light, the harder it is to use. You may also say that the glow from nearby magic is strong enough to provide limited light in complete darkness. A magic user may be able to "charge" their magic enough to cause the sunstone to glow bright enough to be a viable torch.

[@SimpleDesertRose]

Josh Gates did an episode of Destination Truth about the sun stone. He went into an okd mine that had been in operation since the bronze age and chipped ine out. Later he went out to sea on a very foggy day and used it to help locate the sun. At the time I thought it was pretty cool. However living in the desert you aren't likely to need one so i never thought much of it. But after a crazy week of monsoon weather, a gnarly dust storm and a huge thunderstorm that only brought us a whole 5 glorious minutes of rain, i can see now how it might come in handy. You can get turned around and disoreinted if you are cuaght out in a haboob without protection. Sometimes those thunderstorms sneak up on you if your not paying attention and they can block out the sun very fast. Here in Az we have a joke that if you dont like the weather stick around for 20 minutes and it will change. That can certainly be true during monsoon season. Let us know your findings as you learn how to use it.

[@Jaeler9]

I was just thinking about that episode and the wood compass that the enormous Norwegian gentleman with him used. Weren’t they like only a degree or two off? And decided it was more like a “keep checking for general direction” kind of compass and not a dead reckoning compass though it was quite close?

[@SimpleDesertRose]

@@Jaeler9 it's been so long I don't remember exactly how on or off they were. I do remember that they did find the sun and used the wood compas to get a general idea of where the shore was.

[@gleann_cuilinn]

I imagine fairies or elves would use these sunstones because of their aversion to iron

[@animusreptorcrafting]

with modern tech, we have a huge amount of things that cause electro magnetic interference that could screw with compass readings. having another means of direction finding is always a good idea. as to the skill requirement to use, a compass requires a fair amount of skill to use for navigation, beyond "red arrow points north", too

[@thestonecircle]

Awesome video man! I look forward to these every week 🙂

[@Tomcat_Centauri]

This is actually really interesting because my Witcher RPG character has a Sunstone and i've always wondered how or why it gives you a +2 to your rolls to find your way when you're exploring the land 😄 I was also curious to see how it worked !

[@jreynii]

Awesomeness in action! Thank you for this...

[@ShinKyuubi]

The first time I ever heard of this was back in 2015...Josh Gates' show "Expedition Unknown" did an episode about it. He would go on to get on a recreated Viking long ship with a group that practices living like their ancestors and one of them created a twilight board and shadow stick to go along with the sunstone. They used all these to navigate the ship in the cloudy and foggy conditions they were sailing in.

[@Castleinakingdom]

Hahaha also, (love the intro my brother made for you!)

[@LivingAnachronism]

He did an amazing job!

[@Castleinakingdom]

@LivingAnachronism I know he really enjoyed making it for you! I watched him behind his shoulder as he did it! ❤️

[@Castleinakingdom]

He's gotten really good, at filming and such! Which is really cool to have a brother like that!

[@graywolfdracon]

I could see the Sunstone being able to cast either magical darkness or magical light in a fantasy scenario. Perhaps even grant darkvison or true seeing.

[@theimpossiblethespian6974]

That opening though 👏👏👏👏

[@dr.jekyll5234]

Adding this to the arsenal of cool crazy grandad and im testing it until i learn it

[@michaelssomerville]

Great video and an intriguing tool!

[@Jeffersoniananti-federalist]

An entire culture based on the sunstone would be amazing!

[@elwindil8566]

From a fantasy perspective, the sunstone could do literally what it says on the tin, it's a stone that can create light. I'd use it as such in D&D, it needs to be able to absorb ambient light for later use, but the light it outputs is the same kind of wavelengths as proper sunlight, so it could be a useful tool against all sorts of light sensitive creatures.

[@LivingAnachronism]

Great idea!

[@jmoneyjoshkinion4576]

Anne McCaffrey's Dragon riders of Pern series has a fungus/ mushroom that absorbs light and emits it back out, and is used as lanterns on Pern! Glow and glow baskets are fairly commonly mentioned. Though sun stones do sound cooler, that series (except for teleporting and telepathy of the dragons) were rooted in science possiblity, including how they breathed fire. Have fun!

[@srice8959]

I like how you said that it’s a very Specific and Niche tool. I’d say at its time it’s a very useful, and important tool for a Navigator to have. An I’d say that it’s an important part of the tools of his trade. There’s a big reason why both the Ships Navigator, and his apprentice would get paid by a larger percentage. It’s all depending upon what type of ship they’re working on will play a huge role in determining his Day Rate amount or the percentage he’s paid. If he’s a Navigator on a nations warship, or on a Merchant ship, he’ll get the day rate. An if it’s a ship with a letter of Marque as a Privateer, Pirate ship, or if he’s on a ship of Trade and Discovery ship he’ll be paid a higher percentage amount of captured ships and its Cargo. My Stepdad was a Captain offshore who’s Coast Guard/Merchant Marine License was an Unlimited Master which allowed him to be a Master/Captain on a ship of every size all the way from a rowboat to an Aircraft Carrier. Not that a non military member would be entrusted with a naval warship, but just to just give an idea of what he could do. For him to be able to have that license he had both 6 Part Written Test and Practical Test too. He had to prove that he had the knowledge to do it, and he also needed to pass with either a 90% or a 95% or higher score. I don’t remember the exact amount. He had too be able to tie 100 different Knots, also he had to be able to navigate by just the stars at night time, and had too navigate using a Sextant for both day and night time navigation. The Sextant is the Navigation tool that has been used for years ever since the late 1600’s. Just for Shitś & Gigglės after we had watched a Documentary about the Sunstone & paired with the wooden sun Compass being able to find the Sun even on extremely cloudy day’s in the North Sea. On a trip from Little Creek Amphibious Base to Bergen, Norway he used a Sun Compass, & Sunstone that he had bought online from a company in Iceland. He would check the Sun compass, and Sunstone aka Icelandic Spar anywhere from 2-6 times a day to test it against the ship’s onboard Navigation System. He found it to be incredibly accurate especially for its first time in use so long ago. I’m really sorry everyone for how long my comment was. My ADHD meds have worn off and has me rambling on and on. I thought that anyone who is interested in history and or the Age of Sail might find this interesting

[@HaileyThiccc]

Always a nice thing to get a notification from discord saying you uploaded a new video, keep up the good content❤

[@backonlazer791]

Did you mean "a Dwarven Sunstone" because I will definitely be using this for my fantasy TTRPG campaign 😄

[@LivingAnachronism]

Elven sunstone vs dwarven sunstone vs gnomish compass. edit: actually I guess the elves might have a moon or star stone.

[@backonlazer791]

@@LivingAnachronism The Moon definitely often has a connection with the elves so that makes sense!

[@DMRaptorJesus]

Love these kinda videos, I really liked your Miners Hook video so this falls into that same kinda vein of cool info thats can be easily used in lots of different kinds of media not just larping or RPGs!

[@FinarfinNoldorin]

Thank you!! :)

[@MagmaZero4112]

That Logo is nice.

[@texanasimmons1761]

I watched an episode of a Josh Gates show that dealt on Viking Sunstones.

[@WisdomThumbs]

This works because humans can see the orientation of polarized light. Those bands of light you see from cars on rainy days, or from astigmatism, that’s just polarized light and its orientation.

[@jamesboley1402]

Really enjoy your videos great content

[@LivingAnachronism]

Thanks!

[@karliikaiser3800]

I imagine Vikings knowing where they are just looking at the surrounding area. Just because they had that experience. This tool would only be helpful exploring new areas. People did mostly stay in landsight while sailing until the age of exploration. And even then I imagine seatravel often along coastlines... But nevertheless a nice backup just in case...

[@jaxtelford807]

A circular sun stone, almost burnt down the tent it was displayed in at a display. It burnt a spiral track on the wood it was mounted on. This was reverse spiral to what it would be in the norther hemisphere.

[@PossumMedic]

Well... I just threw my GPS in the trash! 😜 Very interesting! Thanks for the info!

[@demetrinight5924]

I wonder what people used before compasses for navigation. This sun crystal is really a neat concept. In game terms this would probably give advantage on finding direction or time of day during a cloudy day. However the dice roll target would still be pretty high.

[@MrEmiosk]

Observation of the stars, and height of the suns zenith (gives you altitude and south in the northen hemisphere and north in the southern) the sun also always rises in the east and sets in the west. The stars are both a good clock and altitude finder, as you only need to memorize the north star and a couple of constellations in relation to it to find north and tell local time. Astrolabes were very popular tools to take precise bearings. Quadrants works pretty well. The study of Astronomy(back then astrology) was super important for anyone wanting to sail, or wandring in unkown lands to make sure you are heading roughly the right direction.

[@thomaslietzau2813]

YES THEY WORK !! THEY ALSO WORKS IN FOG OR SMOKE ( FOREST FIRE ) I USE THEM IN COMPO WITH COMPASS

[@beshkodiak]

Interesting fellow, reminds me of me 50 years ago. Which is a compliment to both of us. Interest in historical tech. Take a look at my Japanese antique copper blowtorch

[@FaceEatingOwl]

Awesome! There's usually something I've never heard of each day, this is today's. Thanks, Kramer. Hope you are settling well in your new place.

[@Suzanne_sf]

Thank you for teaching us about the Viking Sunstone. I had no idea that it existed.

[@thebelfastvikingmartinbrow3603]

They don't never been used 😂 when the usa catches up with the UK then they learn not a thing used on viking age boat's.

[@Suzanne_sf]

@@thebelfastvikingmartinbrow3603 USA not usa. boats not boat's. I guess I will research it myself to find out. :)

[@Non_Descript_Individual]

For modern sailors who are also preppers; I myself am a doomsday prepper, though not yet a sailor. But I say "not yet" because one bug out plan I've been considering (in light of the fact that I have spent time living on and sailing a Catalina-27 Sloop - a single-masted sailboat with 1 main sail and 1 headsail unless you add more headsails and / or a spinnaker), is the idea of buying an older used Catalina-27 or 30 (note that the number is the length of the boat in feet for any brand name) and using that to sail to yonder shores if SHTF ever happens. So as it happens, I'm not the only one who is so much as vaguely nautically inclined, who either has, does now or will at some point begin researching the historically infamous Viking methods for seafaring. And this idea about the sun stone as presented in this video is right up my alley for a number of reasons. And as I was still in the middle of watching this video I immediately started looking up clear calcite on amazon. This, only to find the seemingly endless supply and variety of shapes that it comes in. Therefore, should I explore this idea, I now know where to get more viking sunstones than I can invent uses for. THANK YOU for that one. Now, on to my reasons for using this thing if I were to take it up: First, should I actually decide to put my past sailing XP points to use by buying a Cat-27 or Cat-30 for SHTF bug-out by sea, it would do no harm to be capable of navigating using only the sun should my compass break or get lost, should my chart plotter go zappo, etc. If any of that happens and I'm halfway across the span of that big blue wet thing, then having the ability to get at least the basic idea of what direction to steer the boat toward using a Viking sunstone might literally be the actual difference between life and death on the high seas. But that's just if you're traveling on the waters. Let's talk about back on land, especially in the scariest SHTF scenario there's ever gonna be; NUCLEAR WINTER, AFTER A GLOBAL NUCLEAR WAR. See, under the theoretical scenario in which the sun will be blocked out by endless cloud cover for possibly years after the planet goes poof due to nigh-total nuclear annihilation, there may be times when you're traveling on foot looking for a better place to be. But wait, you're in the middle of a wasteland somewhere with no recognizeable landmarks to speak of (because they were all push-broomed off the face of the earth years ago by a nuclear blast wave). So what do you do? You could always pull out your Viking Sunstone and use it to at least try to find out what direction the sun will set in from behind the long-term cloud cover of the still ongoing nuclear winter. It may be a literal shot in the dark, but giving it a try couldn't hurt if you have no other options. I would certainly give it a go. Anyway, just some food for thought to all. Thank you.

[@connycontainer9459]

I'm gonna take your boat and all your prep stuff and make you my wife.

[@neoaliphant]

also even if you can see the sun later in the day, at dawn good chance of not seeing sky for several hours in UK with fog banks, or just overcast clouds for days, not much point waiting for several hours for fog to rise before heading off....

[@culturewarsdiplomacy]

It’s like power tools. Cool you can use something old and requires more skill and it’s amazing what they could do with a clear rock but modern tech was developed to improve on that stuff and most of the time it is easier. Necessity is the mother of invention practicality is the father.

[@nartyteek]

I can get one for about $2 at the apothecary. They sell crystals but not at ripoff prices, which is rare for a witchcraft supply lol.

[@benjaminblack4345]

Ah, that's really cool!

[@BrianSmith-ql5nj]

Try this... Get a large cardboard box Cut a hole the size of your stone out of one side of the box in the center. Get a large dark cloth that will cover and hang over the box. Insert stone into box hole. Put box over your head. Cover with cloth. Align a hole in cloth to match location of stone. Scan the sky on a cloudy day. View the bright spot that will appear when the sun is aligned with the stone.

[@timsippel1845]

Good for use on fantasy planets/planes/whatever that don't have magnetic fields 😅 And very interesting just on its own. I'd never heard of real sunstones before.

[@TheAyeAye1]

Interesting.

[@tenchraven]

Older video, but on the "other magic" question, none. My usual character shuns magic- too easy to become dependent on, and there are ways to track it when in use. Then you get things that hunt by mana, rather than sight or sound or scent. Real world, North Atlantic/North Sea, you can get cloud cover that lasts for days, and fog that doesn't burn off. If you know how to use one, I can see it getting handy fast.

[@MidwestArtMan]

An added utility is the ability to evolve your Gloom into a Bellossom.

[@no1ofconsequence936]

Corin woke up, with bleary eyes and a throbbing head. He looked around. The only corpses he saw were from the enemies they fought the previous night. His allies were alive, but he did not know where they were. Corin didn't know whether they left him behind because of the crack on his head or they had betrayed him. Corin needed to know the truth, but first came facts. He needed to know the time of day. The sky was so thick with clouds that he could not tell where the sun was. If it was late in the day, he would need to gather supplies for the night. If it was early morning, preparing for night would be foolish. He took out his compass and his sunstone. He determined which way was north with his compass. With the sunstone, he eventually found where the sun lay. He quickly judged it to be late morning since the sun was still barely in the east. Now he could start tracking his old allies.

[@nostalgicmusicbox]

I just added one to my Viking kit. It's pretty cloudy *pun?* But that's ok for now. It still works enough for fun when we're at festivals. I'm still searching for the clearest one I can find in the future. Great video! Thank you.

[@Admiral_Lynx89]

I wouldn't be so certain about the reliability of a magnetic compass, anyway. They're good for now, and I imagine if/when the poles flip during a human lifetime on this planet, anyone not aware will just be told about it. That's not even mentioning the natural phenomena we can observe right now visiting specific locations where they just start spinning for no apparent reason (in-ground mineral interference for some), or just being askew half a degree depending on your latitude.

[@SG-js2qn]

Also, sometimes your compass points to the nearest dimensional portal, not true north. (Stranger Things)

[@sephirothdomain1]

Roguishly handsome or Handsomely Roguish

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

If you're sailing in the North Atlantic, the weather can be bad enough for long enough that you can't directly sight the sun for a week or more. EDIT: As for an alternative fantasy uses, maybe a caster with the appropriate knowledge could use it while underground.

[@michaelbagley497]

Adventurer uses his sunstone to find his way only to find out he was looking at a fire spirit and not the sun.

[@LivingAnachronism]

👀

[@LuxisAlukard]

I can imagine some Christian priest seeing Vikings using sunstone and thinking it's magic. Buy I can't imagine said priest shouting "A witch! Burn him!" while pointing at badass looking Viking :) P.S. Yes, I am sure this is historically inaccurate, but I had to share that image with someone :)

[@shereeh94]

“You may be near a huge iron deposit”- I hear you Rangers Apprentice fan!

[@LivingAnachronism]

🗡️🏹

[@animistchannel]

In their day, the norse were better than anyone else at sailing along lines of latitude. This technology is considered part of the reason how, especially in the cloudy skies of the north Atlantic.

[@Victor-dm4qv]

Looks a bit small. If I find a bigger one that works, I will send it to you..

[@calladricosplays]

I wonder if it will work underwater?

[@allencummins9297]

I work on all metal cell towers that could be useful

[@timderuijter]

I have now bought three of these but my Gloom is still not evolving...

[@cacophonic7]

The invention of eyes really doomed the whole viking sunstone economy.

[@LivingAnachronism]

You need eyes to use a sunstone

[@gabrielgade1112]

I wonder what how that stone would affect the world of one piece

[@NevisYsbryd]

I am familiar with them doing this via iolite, not sunstone...

[@robertgross1655]

🎩Hi, in an alternative world I can imagine the sunstone being powerful. They refract light. How powerful would a light concentrator be ? They are cool.

[@robertgross1655]

🎩Hi sunstones are magical. They are used to find the position of the sun, at sunrise and sunset. Used in conjunction with a horizon board. Oh the dot goes up. It dosent find the sun during the day. Think of a longboat at sea, it’s foggy. It’s dawn. The sunstone will tell you where the sun rises.

[@tonystoops7802]

Someone should ask the Pacific Islanders, they might know something about sea travel.😬

[@ZOMBIEHEADSHOTKILLER]

umm.... "find the sun"? you can just you know, see it in the sky....... its the only bright glowing ball in the sky that hurts to look at at.

[@Glimmlampe1982]

Let me introduce you to the concept of heavy clouds and/or fog in the winter... But on the other hand, maybe you're more a good weather adventurer? 😂

[@Benehrethgir]

Why so far from camera, show your outfit, then bring in camera, cant see what your doing with your hands.... keep showing us? Idk your to far away.

[@thebelfastvikingmartinbrow3603]

There's no proof that they used sunstones none at all. We have stopped teaching it year's ago lol. I think only one piece has been found and that wad 100s off year's after the viking age. I have some big bit's of it. But there's still no information about it being used. And no point watching the video lol😂

[@TheWampam]

This comment needs to go higher up. Sunstones are only mentioned in sagas as somewhat magical items, with no further description what they actually do.

[@MalucoLapin]

This is stupid. Calcites are easy to find on the shores, but not polished and cut. But there is an other material, esay to find, that they used to make window glasses : horn. And an other, easy way : close you eyes. No way you can miss see the sunlight.

[@LivingAnachronism]

I actually address this in the video, and many have spoken to it in the comments. Especially in Iceland, Greenland or any place prone to blizzards, storms or just very long winters with very short days, the sun can be difficult to see. Not everyone will need this tool, and not everyone who needs it will need it all of the time.

[@MalucoLapin]

@@LivingAnachronism i have been homeless. I traveled, walked from farms to farms, during months, no ĥone, no money, no home, no friends, just the knowledge that there is nothing West but sea. Even under heavy rain, you know where the sun is. I needed him, he was my only light, my only watch, my only cap. And this is how i figure that closed eyes, you notice the difference of light easier. I had to choose left or right, it was rainy as hell, and i only had one way to know the cap. I figure a ruined house corner, and it was my first homeless cry. You don't need to cut and polished a stone. That doesn't mean you can't, and that nobody ever did it. But there is no need. Absolutely not. That's for my personnal experience. For the history. They had compass. 2015 a necklace in ember have been found in Turquie, and he proves that Danes have been in Turquie... Whoever have ember and steel have a compass. Magnetism is just something not that easy to preserve during centuries.