And not just a female warrior but, since she was found with symbolic gaming pieces, someone with strategic responsibilities, an officer, perhaps, or even a general. For more than a century scholars believed this was a male warrior but, in 2017, new DNA and bone analysis revealed that this was in fact a woman of about thirty years old. The individual was found buried with several items of military equipment including, a sword, an axe, a spear, armour-piercing arrows, a battle knife, two shields, and the remains of two sacrificed horses. In 1889, a 10th-century Viking skeleton was discovered in a grave in Birka, near Stockholm, Sweden. They sought, moreover, so zealously to be skilled in warfare, that they might have been thought to have unsexed themselves.” (Extract taken from Dr Cat Jarman’s brilliant new book River Kings) The goddess Freya before her war chariot, which was pulled by two cats He wrote that: “There were once women among the Danes who dressed themselves to look like men, and devoted almost every instance of their lives to the pursuit of war. The 12th-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus certainly believed they were real. But it is very difficult to determine whether women actually fought in the shield wall or whether they were wives, girlfriends, slaves or other kinds of camp followers.įemale warriors feature heavily in the Viking world – for example as shield-maidens in the sagas, and we are told that the goddess Freya, closely associated with the Valkyries, rode into battle in a chariot drawn by cats – but it is difficult to determine whether women fighters are merely mythological fancies. At least one fifth of the bones they left behind were women’s – and possibly more. There is plenty of evidence from skeletons and grave goods such as spindles that women accompanied men on military expeditions, such as with the Great Viking Army which fought in England in the 9th century. Dark Age female warriors are now considered the norm, it seems. I was expecting to have to defend my decision to include a female Viking warrior as one of the main characters in The Last Berserker but, so far, no one has batted an eye about her fighting prowess.
#FEMALE NORDIC WARRIORS SERIES#
My Fire Born series has two heroes: Bjarki Bloodhand, a young Danish man who wants to become a berserker, and his companion, Tor Hildarsdottir, a fiery Svear shield-maiden. with Comments Off on Female Viking warriors: fact or fiction?.Thor, the thunder god, and son of Odin, wields the mighty hammer Mjolinir as the protector of Midgard. They’re referred to in Norse mythology as the “choosers of the slain,” giving them the power to choose who’s admitted to Valhalla and who dies in battle. Valkyries in Nordic mythology - female warriors like Brunhilde, Eir, and Herja - are female helping spirits of the god Odin. This scientific discovery coincides with a mug release coming soon. “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we find more. “There are so many other burials in the Viking world,” he said. The recent findings serve as strong evidence for that. Professor Neil Price, Viking expert and archaeological consultant, believes women played a substantial role in Viking warfare. “She’s suddenly become really real,” she said, adding that the grave was “utterly packed with weapons.”
“I’m so excited because this is a face that hasn’t been seen in 1,000 years,” said Al-Shamahi in All That's Interesting. The historical achievement will be captured by Al-Shamahi in an upcoming National Geographic documentary. It was most recently challenged in 2017 when a DNA test confirmed a warrior buried with weaponry and horses in Sweden had been female. Perhaps the belief that female Vikings weren’t warriors can be finally put to rest now. Archeologist Ella Al-Shamahi believes this is “the first evidence ever found of a Viking woman with a battle injury.” Science was in dispute over her occupational status “simply because the occupant was a woman,” even though her gravesite was filled with an arsenal including arrows, a sword, a shield, a spear and an axe.ģD facial reconstruction gives us a peek at what she might have looked like, battle injury included. Her remains show signs of healing, which could indicate this would to the skull is a much older injury. British scientists believe that the visible wound on her skull came from a sword, however, they are unsure whether or not this was her actual cause of death.
All That’s Interesting points to skeletal remains found in a Viking graveyard in Solør, Norway that has uncovered at least one fierce female buried in the land of ice and snow.įacial reconstruction confirms she was a fighter. The epic battles of history are not exclusive to men being on the forefront. Scientists believe this is “the first evidence ever found of a Viking woman with a battle injury.”
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