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Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World

Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World

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  • Create Date：2021-07-31 08:51:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir
  • ISBN：1350230308
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Summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE

Valkyries: the female supernatural beings that choose who dies and who lives on the battlefield。 They protect some， but guide spears， arrows and sword blades into the bodies of others。 Viking myths about valkyries attempt to elevate the banality of war – to make the pain and suffering， the lost limbs and deformities， the piles of lifeless bodies of young men， glorious and worthwhile。 Rather than their death being futile， it is their destiny and good fortune， determined by divine beings。 The women in these stories take full part in the power struggles and upheavals in their communities， for better or worse。

Drawing on the latest historical and archaeological evidence， Valkyrie introduces readers to the dramatic and fascinating texts recorded in medieval Iceland， a culture able to imagine women in all kinds of roles carrying power， not just in this world， but pulling the strings in the other-world， too。 In the process， this fascinating book uncovers the reality behind the myths and legends to reveal the dynamic， diverse lives of Viking women。

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Reviews

Mythlee ，

For the most part， the author carefully marshals and weighs evidence and notes how little we know for certain。 She tries to observe the limits of what we can know from archaeology， runestones， and myth and sagas reduced to writing much later， by Christian scholars。 She also regularly speculates that Viking women must have been just like us and felt or done or experienced X - often something a bit simplistic and obvious。 So ultimately， while it was fun to see discussion of familiar characters and For the most part， the author carefully marshals and weighs evidence and notes how little we know for certain。 She tries to observe the limits of what we can know from archaeology， runestones， and myth and sagas reduced to writing much later， by Christian scholars。 She also regularly speculates that Viking women must have been just like us and felt or done or experienced X - often something a bit simplistic and obvious。 So ultimately， while it was fun to see discussion of familiar characters and scenes from various sagas， the overall effect， for me， was not deeply satisfying。 As a side note， I was a little disappointed not to see， in the discussion of old age and death， any discussion of one of my favorite passages from Laxdæla Saga。 Olaf Hoskuldsson is his father's illegitimate son by a very favored slave-girl/concubine， Melkorka， who happens to have been an Irish princess by birth。 Olaf confirms his mother’s royal lineage and then accompanies his maternal grandfather to Dublin。 Inevitably， “the news that the king was accompanied by his grandson， the son of his daughter who had been taken prisoner at the age of fifteen years， caused great stir。 No one was more affected by the news than Melkorka’s nurse。 Despite being bedridden with old age and illness she rose and went， without the aid of her stick， to meet Olaf。 [。。。] Olaf received her with open arms， set her upon his lap and told her that her former charge was living in comfort in Iceland。” （Laxdæla Saga 309-10）。 “Tears of joy came to her eyes” on recognizing Melkorka’s tokens， and “her happiness was doubled by seeing this outstanding young son” （310）。 Moreover， even though Olaf and the king do not remain in Dublin， but go off fighting， “The old woman enjoyed good health for the rest of that winter” （id。）。 In this regard， I'd note Friðriksdóttir does， in fact， discuss Olaf's mother Melkorka （who is certainly worth discussing！）。 While I don't fault her for not including Melkorka's unnamed old nurse， I do think it's a lovely story that shows a tender relationship between a promising young warrior and an ailing old woman he has never met， a woman surely of little importance socially， who are united in their mutual affection for his mother。 。。。more

Colin ，

A really excellent examination of what is known about women in the Viking world - really worth reading for those with an interest in Norse history！

E M ，

Despite its focus more on the mythic than the archaeological， Valkyrie does an excellent job of exploring the role of women within Viking culture， the expectations of gender roles within the culture， and the extensive bibliography gives the reader many resources to continue personal research into the topic。 This book is aimed at the general reader， not academic readers， and therefore is invaluable as a starting point into the study of women's roles within Viking society because of its readabilit Despite its focus more on the mythic than the archaeological， Valkyrie does an excellent job of exploring the role of women within Viking culture， the expectations of gender roles within the culture， and the extensive bibliography gives the reader many resources to continue personal research into the topic。 This book is aimed at the general reader， not academic readers， and therefore is invaluable as a starting point into the study of women's roles within Viking society because of its readability。 Recommended。 。。。more

Klissia ，

Grade 3。5 A good book about the "way of life" of women in viking age， changed my view of some misconstructions that I've had about this topic in History and what is shows in popular culture。 Still seems at times vague and a bit frustating to know more than is offered in book。 Overall a good work of Ms Friðriksdóttir。 Grade 3。5 A good book about the "way of life" of women in viking age， changed my view of some misconstructions that I've had about this topic in History and what is shows in popular culture。 Still seems at times vague and a bit frustating to know more than is offered in book。 Overall a good work of Ms Friðriksdóttir。 。。。more

Marci ，

I want to be clear that this book is really good。 It's really well constructed and the author's research is overall excellent。However！ There are moments in which the saga-material is taken out of its internal context to make it better fit her particular thesis。 I want to be clear that this book is really good。 It's really well constructed and the author's research is overall excellent。However！ There are moments in which the saga-material is taken out of its internal context to make it better fit her particular thesis。 。。。more

Karla ，

Excellent book。 Re-adding this because I originally added it on my phone and it appears to have disappeared？ I also love the fact that the runes on the cover spell out "Smash the Patriarchy"。 :） Excellent book。 Re-adding this because I originally added it on my phone and it appears to have disappeared？ I also love the fact that the runes on the cover spell out "Smash the Patriarchy"。 :） 。。。more

Carol Palmer ，

This book was an informative overview of women during the Viking Age according to evidence found in graves， runestones， and the mainly on the various sagas。 It was a bit of a dry read。 It was hard to keep track of the various names from the sagas。

Carrie Ann ，

Awesome book。 Well written。 Good information。 Excellent references。 However I do not prefer the organization of the writing。 I would have much preferred organization by saga rather than by life cycle。

Trinity ，

What an informative look into what life was like for women in the Viking Age。 I was enthralled by Johanna's writing style and really enjoyed getting to know the myths vs realities of living in this society。 What an informative look into what life was like for women in the Viking Age。 I was enthralled by Johanna's writing style and really enjoyed getting to know the myths vs realities of living in this society。 。。。more

Carlos Vargas ，

I bought this book for the info， but i felt I was reading an essay or a scientific paper。

Toni Kely-Brown ，

I didn't like this as much as I thought I would。 It's well written and I understand the need to refer to Viking mythology and the sagas about how women may have been viewed at the time but I preferred when she used archaeological evidence to draw conclusions about what the lives of women may have been like。 I also found some sections not as enjoyable as others so overall I thought it was ok （hence 2 stars） compared to other non-history books I've read。 I didn't like this as much as I thought I would。 It's well written and I understand the need to refer to Viking mythology and the sagas about how women may have been viewed at the time but I preferred when she used archaeological evidence to draw conclusions about what the lives of women may have been like。 I also found some sections not as enjoyable as others so overall I thought it was ok （hence 2 stars） compared to other non-history books I've read。 。。。more

David ，

Very solid overview of the subject matter。

Zoe Attenbrorough ，

Thoroughly enjoyed this read。 I have been wanting to read more Norse related fiction or non fiction for some time。 This is a beautiful rendition of various real world facts and sagas from the past mainly highlighting the plight and tales of viking women from both the revolutionary new religion of Christianity and the heavy Heath/pagan days。I found this incredibly insightful as to how viking folk potentially lived and breathed in their time。 The way this book is written with its little sub chapte Thoroughly enjoyed this read。 I have been wanting to read more Norse related fiction or non fiction for some time。 This is a beautiful rendition of various real world facts and sagas from the past mainly highlighting the plight and tales of viking women from both the revolutionary new religion of Christianity and the heavy Heath/pagan days。I found this incredibly insightful as to how viking folk potentially lived and breathed in their time。 The way this book is written with its little sub chapters on various categories from children， marriage and death really broke down what life could have been like for the women of its time。 The writing i found was not at all dull and was quite fresh to read something factual that was not going to make me fall asleep or loose interest entirely。 The references to some modern day， films， tv shows， plays， operas and books really showed how we still relate to the vikings of old。I was wow'ed by the lengths some of the females discussed in this ， would go to for vengeance， blood feuds， power， sex， love and family。 I believe we can relate to some of the tales told in this more than we realize especially given our ever fluctuating society， much like the vikings exploring and plying trade from around the world ！ 。。。more

Saskia Brakenhoff ，

An amazing piece of literature that helped me understand the role of women in the Viking era so much better。 Jóhanna did an amazing job of analyzing stories and patterns across the sagas and shows a realistic image of what we can discern from their lives。 Her writing style is honest and analytic but nowhere near dusty or lectural。 I cannot recommend this book enough！

Duntay ，

A very readable， multidisciplinary account of women's lives in the Viking Age。 Women 's thoughts and feelings are not given much attention in the ultra-male world of the sagas， but both physical and textual evidence is brought together to bring another dimension to women who often had very little control over their lives One very small quibble - I could have done without Game of Thrones references， but they only appear a couple of times A very readable， multidisciplinary account of women's lives in the Viking Age。 Women 's thoughts and feelings are not given much attention in the ultra-male world of the sagas， but both physical and textual evidence is brought together to bring another dimension to women who often had very little control over their lives One very small quibble - I could have done without Game of Thrones references， but they only appear a couple of times 。。。more

Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken ，

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Full review to come。You can find my review on my blog: http://allthebookblognamesaretaken。bl。。。 I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Full review to come。You can find my review on my blog: http://allthebookblognamesaretaken。bl。。。 。。。more

Jane ，

ValkyrieThis is very well-written and meticulously researched。。。。。all the evidence is produced and discussed before conclusione are drawn。 It is a very detailed analysis of what women's lives would have been like in the Viking Age。 One particularly fascinating section was the discussion of exactly what the process of making a sail for a Viking longship entailed。。。。。a very labour-intensive process。 Textiles were entirely the province of women， and making sails was as essential as making cloth。 Th ValkyrieThis is very well-written and meticulously researched。。。。。all the evidence is produced and discussed before conclusione are drawn。 It is a very detailed analysis of what women's lives would have been like in the Viking Age。 One particularly fascinating section was the discussion of exactly what the process of making a sail for a Viking longship entailed。。。。。a very labour-intensive process。 Textiles were entirely the province of women， and making sails was as essential as making cloth。 The illustrations are well-chosen and beautifully riproduce。One correction: THE RIDE OF THE VALKRIES is the opening of ACT III of Wagner's DIE WALKUERE， not the opening of the opera。 Apart from that: well done！ 。。。more

Erika Harlitz-Kern ，

Sometime during the second half of the 11th century， a Swedish woman named Gerlög went to Torbjörn the Skald and asked him to do something for her。 Gerlög’s daughter Inga had recently died， and as Inga’s only living relative， Gerlög came to inherit her own daughter。 To avoid any accusations of having come into her inheritance by unlawful means， Gerlög needed to make a public statement of the course of events that led up to her inheriting Inga。 Torbjörn the Skald was knowledgeable in runes， and t Sometime during the second half of the 11th century， a Swedish woman named Gerlög went to Torbjörn the Skald and asked him to do something for her。 Gerlög’s daughter Inga had recently died， and as Inga’s only living relative， Gerlög came to inherit her own daughter。 To avoid any accusations of having come into her inheritance by unlawful means， Gerlög needed to make a public statement of the course of events that led up to her inheriting Inga。 Torbjörn the Skald was knowledgeable in runes， and this is the message that Gerlög hired him to carve into the bedrock。Interpret， you！ Germund was given Gerlög as his wife when she was a maiden。 Then they had a son， before he （Germund） drowned。 And the son died after。 Then she was given Gudrik as her husband。 He… this… Then they had children。 But only one girl survived; her name was Inga。 Her Ragnfast in Snottsta was given as his wife。 Soon after he died and then the son。 And the mother （Inga） came to inherit her son。 Then she was given Erik as her husband。 Soon after she died。 Then Gerlög came to inherit Inga， her daughter。 Torbjörn the Skald carved the runes。This inscription is known as the Hillersjö Hill （Hillersjöhällen） and is included in Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir’s new book Valkyrie。 The Women of the Viking World （Bloomsbury， 2020）。 Valkyrie is a history of the Viking Age that places the women of the time at the center of the story。The Viking Age is commonly viewed as a time dominated by men where women are barely visible， but Viking society couldn’t function without a tight relationship between men and women。 To run a farm， both men and women were needed， which means that women participated in those supposedly all-male Viking expeditions that invaded and settled all the way from Newfoundland in North America to the shores of the Caspian Sea in Central Asia。 Because without both men and women working together， those settlements wouldn’t have survived and the iconic Viking ships wouldn’t have been able to set sail。Jóhanna’s contribution to the study of Viking history and society is immense。 In her book， she successfully views the Viking Age from the point of view of its women and in doing so， she refreshingly and unapologetically pushes Viking men to the side。Her use of source material is broad。 In addition to using the sagas， she also uses rune carvings， grave goods， and other archaeological artifacts。 Personally， I appreciate the inclusion of the rune carvings seeing as they are the only texts where the Vikings speak to us directly， many of them women like Gerlög。 Rune carvings are mainly found in Sweden and using them as source material broadens the view of the Viking world， which all too often ends up focused on the British Isles， France， and Iceland in translation。Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir’s Valkyrie。 The Women of the Viking World provides a new perspective on old knowledge by letting Viking Age women take center stage and speak to us in their own voices。 。。。more

Samantha McGarvey ，

A wonderful modern academic-based work that discusess women in old Norse culture。 There are many interpretations of feminism in Viking culture， most of it measured by today's standards and expectations。 The sagas leave a lot open for debate as to what being a woman was like in Viking culture。 I read Jenny Jochens' 'Old Norse Images of Women' and this is very much in the same vein。 I recommend both books， and I believe Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir references Jochens in this work。 A wonderful modern academic-based work that discusess women in old Norse culture。 There are many interpretations of feminism in Viking culture， most of it measured by today's standards and expectations。 The sagas leave a lot open for debate as to what being a woman was like in Viking culture。 I read Jenny Jochens' 'Old Norse Images of Women' and this is very much in the same vein。 I recommend both books， and I believe Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir references Jochens in this work。 。。。more

The Shakti Witch ，

Johanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir provides a well researched scholarly but accessible text on the lives of women in ancient Viking society。 The author draws her knowledge from the Sagas and archeological finds and expertly gives the reader a vivid vision of life from birth to death。 Covering all aspects of status Friðriksdóttir also includes transgender societal norms and expectations。 A fascinating read for fans of Norse mythology， Viking culture and Neil Gaiman fiction。 *eARC provided by the publi Johanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir provides a well researched scholarly but accessible text on the lives of women in ancient Viking society。 The author draws her knowledge from the Sagas and archeological finds and expertly gives the reader a vivid vision of life from birth to death。 Covering all aspects of status Friðriksdóttir also includes transgender societal norms and expectations。 A fascinating read for fans of Norse mythology， Viking culture and Neil Gaiman fiction。 *eARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley 。。。more

L。A。 ，

It somehow seemed fitting that while I was reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman， I was offered an Advance Review Copy of this。 It almost seemed like fate。 Perhaps the Norns were at work！This is an impressively scholarly treatise about a fascinating topic。 The author begins with the same mythological sources that Gaiman's tales are based on: the Elder （or Poetic） Edda and the Younger （or Prose） Edda。 She draws from them what they have to tell us about the way the writers viewed the women of the It somehow seemed fitting that while I was reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman， I was offered an Advance Review Copy of this。 It almost seemed like fate。 Perhaps the Norns were at work！This is an impressively scholarly treatise about a fascinating topic。 The author begins with the same mythological sources that Gaiman's tales are based on: the Elder （or Poetic） Edda and the Younger （or Prose） Edda。 She draws from them what they have to tell us about the way the writers viewed the women of the viking age， via their portrayal of Valkyries and goddesses。 Later， she mines the sagas and the archaeological evidence to give a picture of the position and lives of women of various social strata。 Much of this is necessarily speculation， as we have no writings from the point of view of the women themselves， but it's thorough and intelligent speculation。 Parts of this book were definitely 5-star， but I've dropped the rating to 4 simply because there is a lot of repetition， which made some sections a bit hard to get through。 But overall， it's excellent， and I recommend it to anyone interested in this topic。 。。。more

Jennifer （JC-S） ，

‘The Women of the Viking World’This book examines the roles that women played in the Viking world。 Ms Friðriksdóttir writes about Valkyries: the female supernatural beings that have the power to choose who lives and dies on the battlefield。 Viking myths about Valkyries seek to make the pain and suffering of war worthwhile。 In these myths， death is not futile， it is divine destiny。But who were the women of the Viking world？ What were their roles， and how can we learn more about them？‘This book wi ‘The Women of the Viking World’This book examines the roles that women played in the Viking world。 Ms Friðriksdóttir writes about Valkyries: the female supernatural beings that have the power to choose who lives and dies on the battlefield。 Viking myths about Valkyries seek to make the pain and suffering of war worthwhile。 In these myths， death is not futile， it is divine destiny。But who were the women of the Viking world？ What were their roles， and how can we learn more about them？‘This book will introduce readers to the diverse and fascinating texts recorded in medieval Iceland。 A culture able to imagine women in all kinds of role carrying power， not just in this world， but as we have already seen， as pulling the strings in the otherworld as well。’Ms Friðriksdóttir draws on historical and archaeological evidence to shed light on the different roles women might have played。 There was more to the ‘Viking Age’ than battle and plunder。 I enjoyed reading about the different sagas and the different archaeological finds， about the diversity of life。 Ms Friðriksdóttir writes a history of women， with chapters reflecting different stages of life。 There are six chapters （as well as an introduction and an epilogue）: 1。 Infancy and Childhood2。 Between Two Worlds: Teenage Girls3。 Adulthood4。 Pregnancy and Childbirth5。 Widows6。 Old Age and DeathAnd， for those who want more， there is an extensive bibliography and several illustrations。I would recommend this book to anyone interested in women’s history， as well as anyone with an interest in the ‘Viking Age’。Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes。Jennifer Cameron-Smith 。。。more

Anne Morgan ，

This was a well-written， carefully researched book on the role of women during the Viking Age。 Whether supernatural Valkyrie or goddess， human wife or crone， women played as essential role in ensuring a successful society- although what we may think of when we hear 'Viking Age' is only men in battle。 Through close examinations of ancient sagas， archaeological finds， and more， Jóhanna Katrin Fridriksdóttir weaves a fascinating history of women， from birth to death， and the various roles the would This was a well-written， carefully researched book on the role of women during the Viking Age。 Whether supernatural Valkyrie or goddess， human wife or crone， women played as essential role in ensuring a successful society- although what we may think of when we hear 'Viking Age' is only men in battle。 Through close examinations of ancient sagas， archaeological finds， and more， Jóhanna Katrin Fridriksdóttir weaves a fascinating history of women， from birth to death， and the various roles the would have （or might have） played in Viking society。 Despite the clearly scholarly research done， the book is written in a way that the average person can access it- understandable and not in an overly scholarly manner。 A book I would recommend to any history lover， those fascinated with Viking history， or women's history in society。I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Melisende ，

This insightful and authoritative work will make an excellent companion to Women in the Viking Age and Women in Old Norse Society: A Portrait。 The author makes extensive use of the mythology， archaeology and sagas to provide a valuable look at how women were perceived in Viking society。 This insightful and authoritative work will make an excellent companion to Women in the Viking Age and Women in Old Norse Society: A Portrait。 The author makes extensive use of the mythology， archaeology and sagas to provide a valuable look at how women were perceived in Viking society。 。。。more

Annarella ，

It was a fascinating and informative read that made me discover new things about the women in the Viking world and made me think。It's well researched， well written and it's an engrossing read。An excellent book highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 It was a fascinating and informative read that made me discover new things about the women in the Viking world and made me think。It's well researched， well written and it's an engrossing read。An excellent book highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 。。。more

Reference

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