The other issue, which has not been addressed, is when Sweden started a permanent standing organization to provide and maintain ships to wage war (a navy, in other words).
Please note, a longship is not automatically a warship. The vessels themselves were of course used for warlike purposes (I-Viking, a norse term for raiding and the likely origin of our current descriptor Viking) but were also used for trade (which introduces another contender for the origin of Viking, from the latin vicus- meaning village; a reference norse travel to difference villages to trade. IIRC a good example would be that a small Buddha statue was excavated from a 5th century site in what is now Sweden, indicating that trade goods from as far away as present day India were reaching the north. The ships themselves were also used as transports for new settlements and exploring expeditions, settling Iceland, Greenland and Vinland (most likely what is now known as Newfoundland in Canada). AFAIK, the ships which could sometimes be gathered together in large numbers dependent on need or the influence of a charismatic leader were themselves owned individually or in small groups. As such, when whatever cause or event would cause a fleet of such vessels to gather was over, the vessels would then disperse to be used however the separate owners wished. This in effect would mean that there was no continuity or organization such as would be found in something like a navy.
-Cheers
I know all this, I´m an expert on the subject. There were different wessels, some for war and some for trade but, irrespectively of ship type, you could of course always seize the moment if an opportunity arose. Also, the Norvegian/Danish ships were larger than the Swedish since the Swedish operated in the baltic sea and were also used for travelling along the russian rivers. You had to drag the Swedish ships along the cataracts. As I said earlier, there were no roads in Sweden at that time and the only way to travel was by boat/ship - so you can assume that the fleet/navy is ancient.
When discussing this topic we are in the border between historical sources (written) and archeology. Also, most that is written in this subject is in Swedish, so you have a hard time finding the latest on Internet and in english. A relatively new book, "in the traces of the kings men", that takes in the latest from Swedish historical and archeological research shows that Sweden was very well organised in ancient times, i.e.viking age and earlier.
I suggest that you all read the theses "The Birka warrior" before we continue, this discussion. It is well worth reading, a golden nugget for those of you that are interested in ancient warfare.
Most of the early written sources are not from Sweden if you exclude the runic stones. The oldest Swedish written sources are from the 13th century but they do refer to older sources and then there are the archeological findings that can be dated.
Other sources are:
Germany, Vita Anskarii that tells you about Birka in Sweden about 840 AD -
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/Birka.shtml
Icelandic (Heimskringla)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimskringla
Russian (i.e.
true russian from Kiev that is) - the Nestor Chonicles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestor_Chronicle
English - Beowulf
Novgorod - the Novgorod chronicle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novgorod_Chronicle
In the Vita Anskarii, you see that the "hundreds" organisation already exists 840 and that the society is very well organised. The town Birka, thought to be Swedens first, had a permanent garrison with professional warriors.
Here you can read about the "Birka warriors" - it´s a theses from Stockholm University.
http://www.diva-portal.org/diva/getDocument?urn_nbn_se_su_diva-1272-2__fulltext.pdf
This is the conclusion:
As Birka should be regarded as the central point of a greater complex of
fortified structures incorporating water-traffic barricades and possibly other
structures laid out in strategic locations in the Lake Mälar region, it is likely
that the warriors at times circulated around other positions within the complexe.
Apart from their martial activities, the warriors’ daily life included
activities typical for men of high social standing. Within the Garrison area
there was a controlled production of keys, locks and bronzed weights, indicating
a control-function that possibly could even be extended to water
supply.
To regard the warriors of the Garrison as a stationary troop with the sole
function of guarding and defending Birka town, would be to diminish their
scope and field of activities. They should be seen in the same light as their
contemporary Northern counterparts elsewhere, as evident in the written
sources. This means long-term campaigning, strategic and tactical knowledge,
and an order of command and system of rank. They were well-trained, functionally equipped, skilled warriors and the strong foreign influences in
the material culture point to long-running foreign influences and experiences.
The weaponry and equipment show contacts with both western and
eastern military cultures, and the warriors seems to have adapted their fighting
technique to warfare on different fronts.
Summarising what this study has established about the Birka Garrison
warriors, it is possible to conclude that the archaeological material reveals a
standing troop of approximately 40 warriors. The Garrison was manned all
year round, but there are also signs of long-term campaigning abroad, and
knowledge of extensive contacts with warriors of other cultures. The Birka
warriors worked somewhere in the border-zone between honour and profession,
standing with one foot in the fervour and motivation of the warrior
and the other in the professionalism and standardisation of the soldier. The
communal character of weaponry implies a general supplier of equipment,
but the diversity of types indicates that this was not sufficient all the way.
The strong religious presence and the indications of ritual feasting imply a
warrior ideal manifesting in the group, providing motivation and mentally
preparing the warriors for battle. The archaic structure of the warrior’s hall
building and the emphasis on pagan values reflected in the depositions and
the manufacture of amulets, indicates a positioning against Christianity and
possibly against the political power which the new religion represented.
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I think the situation then and today is not that different. There were a permanent standing army. The ones that were not on "active" duty could do other things like raiding in other countries. Today, you can work for Blackwater
