Viking longship Draken Harald Hårfagre used in Nolan's Odyssey film

The vessel that carries Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s film "Odyssey" is not a Mycenaean ship but a functional replica of a Viking longship, the Draken Harald Hårfagre. It was chosen because it is a seaworthy wooden ship capable of filming on the open sea, not because it matches the historical vessels of the Homeric age.

Archaeologist Demetra Kamarinos explains the key differences between the two shipbuilding traditions. Viking longships were built in the Iron Age with thin planks, iron nails and metal fastenings, employing clinker construction for strength and flexibility in the rough North Sea and Atlantic waters. Mycenaean ships, from the Late Bronze Age, used thicker wooden planks, bronze tools, and wooden pegs, constructing hulls without metal fastenings for the calmer Mediterranean routes. Both traditions began with a shell‑first method, but their materials and techniques reflected the distinct maritime environments they served.