The History of Lagertha & Shield Maidens

Shield Maidens: Did the Vikings Have Women Warriors?

This find certainly seems to lend credence to stories the Norse skalds have long told – that it was not only Norse men who could become Viking warriors, but also Norse women.  Traditionally-minded or otherwise cautious experts were quick to point out that just because the individual was buried with the tools of war did not make her a warrior.  At the same time, it would be highly unusual to bury her so if she were not.  The discovery raises the question of how many other times archeologists have made this mistake.  

 So archeology has not been able to confirm or refute the legend of the shield maiden; but new DNA/genome techniques soon may.

What we know of Lagertha

            Lagertha is one of many Viking heroines described as a shield maiden.  This list of valiant fighting women includes Aslaug’s mother, Brynhildr, whose Vǫlsunga Saga It is clear from these stories that the Vikings did not see the battlefield in strictly masculine terms.

            The shield maidens of the Viking Age have left us with many clues and many questions, but few firm answers.  We do not know definitively if they existed; or – if so – how common they might have been.  We do not know if they would have been used reactively to defend hearth and home, or if they might have also been involved in Viking raids and expeditions.  What we can see from the evidence is that Norse women may have been far less constrained by their society than they have been constrained by modern researchers. Norse women were more than nurturers who stayed at home tending the children and the animals.  They were respected voices in their communities and brave colonists ready to start lives from scratch in hostile lands. They could be able rulers, and may also have been fearsome warriors.  They were Vikings.

Contributing author:

David Gray Rodgers is a career fire officer who holds a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in business administration. He has published several books, including Sons of Vikings: A Legendary History of the Viking Age (which of course we believe is one of the best Vikings books available) and The Songs of Slaves: A Novel of the Fall of Rome. 

Photo Credits:

The popular 'Vikings' TV series has resurrected a love and interest in all things Viking, including their characters who are loosely based on historic Vikings and Shield Maidens such as Lagertha.

References

1. Greshko, M. Famous Viking Warrior Was a Woman, DNA Reveals. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/09/viking-warrior-woman-archaeology-spd/  Published September 12, 2017. Accessed November 10, 2017
2. Viking Dig Reports., BBC History. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/dig_reports_01.shtml Published 2014. Accessed November 10, 2017
3. Brownworth, L. (2014). The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings. Crux Publishing, Ltd. United Kingdom.
4. McCoy, D. The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion. Columbia. 2016
5. Waggoner, B. The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok. Troth. 2009
6. Saxo Grammaticus. The Danish History, Book Nine. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1150/1150-h/1150-h.htm . Circa 12th century. Accessed November 10, 2017.
7. Tacitus. Annals, Book XIV. Retrieved from  http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/tacitus/annals/14b*.html Published 1937. Accessed November 10, 2017
8. Gregory, I. A., Yeats, W. B., and Boss, C., A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend & Folklore (Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry / Cuchulain of Muirthemne). New York, Avenel Books. Published 1986.
9. Trowbridge, B., Meeting Grace O’Malley, Ireland’s Pirate Queen. The National Archives. Retrieved from http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/meeting-grace-omalley-irelands-pirate-queen/. Published June 16, 2016. Accessed November 10, 2017.