Maine writer takes deep dive into the history of rope

PORTLAND, Maine — You may think that because you've obsessively watched every episode of "Game of Thrones," you know something about life in a cold and pitiless medieval world.

Well, here's a fact from history, not fiction, that you've probably never heard. The Vikings, according to Tim Queeney of Cape Elizabeth, made ropes out of walrus skin. They'd slice the skin into strips, weave it into rope, and end up with a product that was highly prized.

"It was very good to prevent abrasion," Queeney explained. "People in mainland Europe loved to get their hands on this Viking rope because it was so good."

As a lifelong sailor, Queeney has spent plenty of time hauling lines and tying knots. That experience, as well as a job as editor of Ocean Navigator magazine, left him well-suited to write