Sweden: The royal warship Wasa
by Eva Schough Tarandi, Sweden
As the 17-year-old king
Gustavus Adolphus ( Gustaf II
Adolf) succeeded his father Karl
the IX to the Swedish throne
1611, Sweden was at war
against Denmark, Russia and
Poland. “Even if there was a
peace treaty in 1617, the war
with
Poland
continued
throughout the whole reign of
Gustav II Adolf. He had a
heavy program for expanding
Swedish territory. His policy
was to make the Baltic Sea his
“mare nostrum”. He was
initiating
the
Swedish
intervention in the thirty years’
war, protecting his interests in
ports and commerce in northern
The Wasa (photo: Andreas Thiel)
Germany but also facing the
catholic threat, the expansion of
the Habsburg and the Emperor. In Germany there was a prophecy of “der Löwe aus der Mitternacht, since
the 14th century, connected to the prophecies from the old Testament talking about God’s punishment of
Roman Babylon. To the protestants this prophecy was of renewed actuality and Gustav II Adolf, as the
representative of the protestant North, was “the Lion from the North”, the protector of the protestant faith
against the mighty catholic church. He was aware of this and used it in his propaganda, posing himself as
a lion with a crown disembarking in Germany, fighting the catholic opponents sometimes pictured as a
hydra. The decoration consists of many symbols of Power and Glory; the Coat-of-Arms of the Vasa
family, lions, a young Hercules and an experienced Hercules, king David, king of the Jews and the killer
of Goliath. It also consists of grotesque heads, Tritons and Nereids, innumerable warriors in Roman or
15th century armours and last but not least of twenty Roman emperors starting with Tiberius. The reason
for not including Augustus is simple. By creating an anagram it is easy to see that the greatest Roman
emperor was thought to have been reborn in the 17th century Swedish king, Gustavus.
Sweden was always at war these days and Gustav II Adolf modernized and renewed the Swedish fleet. In
1625 four new warships were ordered to be built by the Dutch shipbuilder Henrik Hybertsson and his
brother, who lived in Stockholm and built ships on a contract basis at the Royal Shipyard in Stockholm.
The ships were to be built within four years. The two larger ships were Wasa and Three Crowns. Ships
were normally named after symbols of the reign like “the Apple”, “the Sword” etc. The “vase” is a corn
sheaf, the symbol of the Vasa family, their coat-of-arms. The keel was laid in spring 1626, 38 meters
long. The total length was 61 meters including the beak-head. The total height was 52 meters. The ship
was a “double decker “, i.e. it had two gun decks, probably the first of its kind in Sweden. Unfortunately,
this novel invention proved disastrous. On the 10th of August 1628, when the Wasa was ready for her
maiden trip, she set sails and after a few gusts of wind she went to the bottom just outside Stockholm
harbour.
At first attempts to lift the ship were made but nothing was achieved except righting her in her keel. For
50 years efforts were made to salvage the treasures, and some bronze cannons were actually rescued. Soon
the Wasa was left and forgotten. In 1920 the historian Nils Ahnlund found facts about the fate of the
flagship, e.g. letters to the king describing the event and other documents in the archives, and wrote an
article in one of the largest national newspapers, Svenska Dagbladet. He had theories about its location
but it was the amateur marine archaeologist Anders Franzén, probably inspired by the article, who located
it 36 years later and lifted the Wasa in April 1961 in cooperation with the private company Neptunbolaget
and the navy.
1. Short selection from the panegyric work by Clemens, Venceslaus, Gustavis, Bohemia, 1589-1636.
At LEO nunc veniat! Veniet LEO tempore fixo.
Vae tibi! Vae BABYLON1 scelerata, tuisque Cynaedis2!
Vae tibi! Vae Meretrix3!
( Gustavis 2, p.32)
1. Babylon: ” the great whore of the
Revelation”; 2. Cynaedus, -i m. (
cinaedus-a-um): unchaste, impudent,
shameless, pervert; 3. meretrix, -icis
f.: whore, prostitute;
Imprimisque videt, quam sit labor arduus Hydram
vincere , ab Ausoniis4 flammas quae ructat5 in Orbem.
( Gustavis 5, p.81)
4. Ausonius-a-um: poet.Italian, Latin,
Roman; 5. ructo 1: belch;
…Arctous6 hic ille est
Alcides7, felix et fortunatus in hostes.
( Gustavis 1, p.1)
…clava est opus Herculis, hamo8
non capitur: clava9 contunditur10 Hercules, ille
deplumet11 captam…..
( Gustavis 2, p.30)
….validis qui fulminat armis
Barbariem contra, Latios et comprimit Angues12…
( Gustavis p.120)
6. Arctous-a-um: northern;
7. Alcides, -is m.: the son of Alceus,
Hercules;
8. hamus, -i m.: hook;
9. clava,–ae f.: cudgel;
10. contundo3: beat, break to pieces;
11. deplumo 3: pluck the feathers of;
12. anguis,-is m.: snake ( here of the
pope and catholic priests)
Questions and Tasks:
1. What symbols from history and mythology are used to justify Gustav II Adolf’s claims to power and
conquests for Sweden?
2. Is there a contemporary parallel where a state or a union of states uses this kind of images to create a
certain picture of the enemy and create heroism on their own side?
2. Ovidius, Metamorphoses, 11, 236- 265: The Myth of Peleus and Thetis
The Metamorphoses of Ovid were read through the Middle Ages and Renaissance but at this time with a
more symbolical and allegorical interpretation. “Ovide moralisé”, a French edition of the texts, was very
popular and much read, with an added moral comment or explanation and a motto or sentence to sum up.
In the case of Peleus and Thetis (Met. XI, 221-265) it was “Labor omnia vincit improbus” “Incessant
work conquers all”, since Peleus does not avoid any hardship to win Thetis. In another myth (Met. XI,
749-795) the noble Aesacus, son of Priamos of Troy, loves the nymph Hesperia. She tries to avoid him
and she is bitten by a snake and drops dead. Aesacus in his despair throws himself into the sea but the sea
goddess Thetis changes him to a loon, spending the rest of his life swimming in the sea. The moral is that
even if you lose what you struggle for, the fight, the tenacity and perseverance will be rewarded through
the intervention of a higher power.
The Myths of Peleus and Thetis and Aesacus from the galleon freeze
(photos: Andreas Thiel)
The ship’s beak (source:
http://hem.bredband.net/johava/foreship2.JPG )
The original
Peleus pursuing Thetis
The original
Aesacus as a loon
The original
...............................quo saepe venire
frenato1 delphine sedens, Theti2, nuda solebas.
illic te Peleus, ut3 somno vincta4 iacebas,
occupat5, et quoniam precibus6 temptata7 repugnas8,
vim parat9, innectens10 ambobus colla lacertis11;
quod nisi venisses variatis saepe figuris
ad solitas12 artes13, auso foret ille potitus14;
sed modo tu volucris15: volucrem tamen ille tenebat;
nunc gravis arbor eras: haerebat in arbore Peleus;
tertia forma fuit maculosae16 tigridis17: illa
fundo fudi fusum 3 pour
pelagus-i sea
fibra-ae f intestine
Fumus-i m smoke
Tus- turis n incense
Adoro1 pray, entreat
Donec until
Carpathius –a-um , of the
Aegian sea
Vates- is m seer, Carpathius
vates = Proteus
Gurges gurgitis m gulf
Aequs aeqoris n sea
thalamus-i m matrimonial bed,
matrimony
peto petivi petitum 3 ask for
Potiere = potieris
Sopitus-a-um slumbering
Ignarus-a-um not familiar, not
knowing
Laqueus-i snare, fetter
Vinclum-i band, fetter
Innecto3 tie
Tenax –cis gripping,holding
fast
Decipio 3 fool, betray
Mentior mentitus sum 3 lie
Figura –ae form, shape
Premo3 press,
Reformo1 change shape
Condo condidi conditum 3
1.
frenatus-a-um reined; 2. Theti:
hide
vocative; 3. ut: with indicative as soon
Admitto
admissum3
let
as;
4. vinctaadmisi
(ppp vinco3)
somno
go, admit,
abl.causae;
5. occupo1: here: seize; 6.
preces,
-um f. pl.: pleas,
requests;
Novus—a-um
here:
last 7.
temptatus-a-um: besetted, strived for;
Fluctus
–us
m rei:
flow
8.
repugno1
alicui
resist;
denum
at last
9.Tum
vim paro1:
use then
violence,
take
measure;
10. innecto3:
snare,3 entangle;
Ingemescoui- itum
sigh
11. lacertus, -i m. : arm;
Exhibitus-a-um
shown,
12.
solitus-a-um usual,
ordinary;
revealed
13. ars, artis f. : here: method, way,
trick;
14. potior3potitus
sum 4: to get
Amplector
embrace
hold of; 15. volucris –is f.: bird;
Confessus-a-um acknowledge,
admit
16. maculosus-a-um stained, with
spots; 17. tigridis-e of a tiger;
territus Aeacides a corpore bracchia solvit.
inde deos pelagi18 vino super aequora fuso19
et pecoris fibris20 et fumo21 turis22 adorat23,
18. pelagus-i: sea; 19. fundo fudi
fusum 3: pour; 20. fibra-ae f.:
intestine; 21. fumus-i m.:smoke; 22.
tus- turis n.: incense; 23. adoro1: pray,
donec24 Carpathius25 medio de gurgite26 vates27
'Aeacide,' dixit 'thalamis28 potiere29 petitis30,
tu modo, cum rigido sopita31 quiescet in antro,
ignaram32 laqueis33 vincloque34 innecte35 tenaci36.
nec te decipiat37 centum mentita38 figuras39,
sed preme40, quicquid erit, dum, quod fuit ante, reformet41.'
dixerat haec Proteus et condidit42 aequore vultum
admisitque43 suos in verba novissima44 fluctus45.
Now Titan was low in the sky, and, his chariot pointed
downwards,
was close to the western ocean, when the lovely Nereid left
the waves,and came to her accustomed bed. Peleus had
scarcely taken a good grip of her virgin body, when she took
on new forms, until she realised her limbs were tightly
bound, and her arms spread wide apart.
tum demum46 ingemuit47, 'ne' que ait 'sine numine vincis'
exhibita48 estque Thetis: confessam49 amplectitur50 heros
et potitur votis ingentique inplet Achille.
entreat; 24. donec: until;
25. Carpathius –a-um: of the Aegian
sea; 26. gurges gurgitis m.: gulf;
27. vates- is m.: seer, Carpathius vates
= Proteus; 28. thalamus, -i m.:
matrimonial bed, matrimony;
29. potiere = potieris; 30. peto petivi
petitum 3: ask for; 31. sopitus-a-um:
slumbering; 32. ignarus-a-um: not
familiar, not knowing; 33. laqueus, -i
m.: snare, fetter; 34. vinclum, -i n.:
band, fetter; 35. innecto3: tie;
36. tenax –cis: gripping,holding fast;
37. decipio 3: fool, betray; 38. mentior
mentitus sum 3: lie; 39. figura, –ae f.:
form, shape; 40. premo3: press;
41. reformo1: change shape; 42. condo
condidi conditum 3: hide; 43. admitto,
admisi admissum3: let go, admit;
44. novus -a-um: here: last; 45. fluctus
–us m.: flow;
46. tum demum: then at last;
47. ingemesco- ui- itum 3: sigh;
48. exhibitus-a-um: shown, revealed;
49. amplector 3: embrace;
50. confessus-a-um: acknowledge,
admit
Questions and Tasks:
Why was this particular scene from the story of Peleus and and Thetis chosen as an illustration on the
Wasa?
Roman Emperors on the Wasa’s beakhead
(photos: Andreas Thiel)
Sources:
-
Hans Soop: The Power and the Glory. The sculptures of the Warship Wasa. 1986
-
Latin text : Peleus et Thetis: http://www.hsaugsburg.de/~harsch/Chronologia/Lsante01/Ovidius/ovi_me11.html#05
Hans Soop: Flytande palats. 2007
Gustavis , Veneslaus Clemens :Selection made of Professor emeritus Hans Helander in his talk “The
Herculesmotif in the Latin literature in the STORMAKTSTIDEN “at the meeting of the
Barockakademin 20-21 Nov 2008