most of the time, the prows were carved into serpents.
The head on the front of a Viking longboat is commonly referred to as a "dragon head" or "prows." These ornate prows were designed to intimidate enemies and often featured intricate carvings and decorations. They served both a functional purpose in navigation and a symbolic role in representing the ship's identity and the Viking culture.
carved into a viking ship was a dragon because they believed it would scare people and the evil spirits of the sea
The prow (front) of the ship would often be decorated to look like a dragon's head, to scare away ill-wishing spirits. It was a law in Iceland that dragon prowed ships could not dock, as they would scare away the natural spirits of the land (wights). So, the prows of the ship started to become removable.
in the viking times ...
William Prows was born in 1827.
William Prows died in 1894.
I do not know what ship Leif Erikson sailed on but I can tell you it was not the Santa Maria
They are simply decorations or possibly pictures of their Gods.
Knörr
it was it was
Longboat
His ship was called Centre Thorvald Viking Ship.