The Old Norse Sagas mention the Finnic Vikings from Estonia (Vikingr fra Esthland). The largest island of Estonia called Oesel (or Saaremaa) was home to the Oeselians, fierce warriors who sailed ships called piraticas which dragon or snakehead prows and quadranguar sails. One saga mentions a fierce battle off the coast of Saaremaa between Oeselians and Icelandic Vikings in 972 AD. The Livonian Chronicle mentions how they were surrounded by the sea and never fear strong armies as their strength is in their ships. In summers they oppressed surrounding lands by raiding both Christians and pagans. A fleet of Oeselians ravaged southern Sweden and forced Danish King Valdemar I to mobilize his entire fleet to stop them. Oeselians most famous raid was an attack on the former Swedish capital and Viking city of Sigtuna. The head god of the Oeselians was Tharapita (associated to Thor) who was born on a forested mountain in Estonia and flew to Saaremaa. This co-incided with a major meteor disaster in 660 BC that formed a huge crater on the island.

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