Sunstone
"Before we had compasses and global positioning systems civilization had to utilize the sun and stars for their navigation. Now, what do you do when there's no sun to be seen in the morning due to cloud cover? The Vikings idea was to use something called a sunstone for navigation. It was actually successful and may have contributed to their naval success."
~ josh Gates
Mechanics & Inner Workings
The sunstone utilizes two lines engraved or marked on one face of the stone and the other side marked with a single line. To navigate the individual would raise the stone to their eye and attempt to align the lines. It was theorized that the direction that the lines drifted towards was the location of the sun due to the refraction of the light through the crystal.
History
The sunstone was more of a theory than a solidified piece of history. It wasn't until recent research that found that the sunstone did exist outside of mythology, but it actually worked.
In 2015 Josh Gates investigated claims about the sunstones capabilities and proved them to be true.
Significance
The sunstone played a significant role not only in mythology, but also in the naval power of the Vikings. In mythology sailors utilized the sunstone in moments of dire need to find safe harbor through a storm or to help reinforce a brothers army in need. In practical terms, the sunstone was utilized when navigating through weather that obscured the sun. Its use in navigation made the Vikings more efficient in their sailing which increased their trade and military capabilities.
Rare
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