<P> Burial of ships is an ancient tradition in Scandinavia, stretching back to at least the Nordic Iron Age, as evidenced by the Hjortspring boat (400--300 BC) or the Nydam boats (200--450 AD), for example . Ships and bodies of water have held a major spiritual importance in the Norse cultures since at least the Nordic Bronze Age . </P> <P> Several original Viking ships have been found through the ages, but only a few have been relatively intact and subsequently preserved . The most notable of these few ships includes: </P> <Ul> <Li> Gokstad ship: overall length--approximately 23.3 metres (76 ft) </Li> <Li> Oseberg ship: overall length--approximately 21.5 metres (71 ft) </Li> <Li> Tune ship </Li> <Li> Skuldelev ships </Li> </Ul> <Li> Gokstad ship: overall length--approximately 23.3 metres (76 ft) </Li>

Why did the vikings often have a dragon carved into the bow