Viking Women

In the history of Scandinavia, the period that experienced the greatest transformation was the Viking Age (AD 750-1100).

Women played a large part in the voyages of raiding, expansion, trading and settlement.  This provided women with new opportunities and gave them authority in the most important matters of daily life.

Norse women had an unusual degree of freedom for women of their day and age.  They could own property, request a divorce and reclaim their dowries if their marriages ended.  If the man of the household was absent or deceased, the wife had complete authority to run the farm and trading business.

There is evidence that Viking women played an active role in Viking colonization and travelled with the men on Viking boats sailing to Europe and arriving in England in the 860s and 870s; as well as to Russian and North America; and, in the late 9th century, the first settlers were Norwegian Vikings.

Valkyries, or shieldmaidens, are an important part of old Norse literature. Some women in Viking society fought in battle. Lagertha, the shieldmaiden, fought alongside King Ragnar Lothbrok in a battle against the Swedes. Ragnar later married Lagertha because he was so impressed by her courage. There are historical records of women fighting with Varangian Vikings in a battle against the Bulgarians in AD 471, or in the battle of Bravellin in the mid 8th century.

In Norse mythology, the Valkyries decided the destiny of men; who would be slain in battle, and who would live. In some cases, they might even determine the outcome of the battle. They would take their chosen half to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla. The goddess Freyja, would take the other half of the slain to ´the field of the warriors.´  Freyja was the mythological role model for the Valkyrie, and a war goddess.

In Old Norse poems, Valkyries were likened to Ravens and understood the speech of birds, they were considered to be wise.  Like Odin’s Huginn and Munnin, two ravens who flew around the world and collected information for Odin, they represented thought and memory, and Odin gave them the ability to speak.

Some writings suggest that because the Viking mind was a product of a militarized culture, they imagined women warriors, which can be seen in their art and mythology.  Medieval history was written by men, for men; therefore, few historical records mention the role of women in Viking warfare, but there is evidence that Viking women took up arms and fought to protect their land and homes when necessary.

The Volva, or the Norse witch, were predominantely women, and might be the equivalent of a shaman. Volvas belonged to the highest level of society and were nurtured throughout history by German tribes. They served Freyja, also known as the mythological Goddess of Love in Asgard, and Odin, the God of Wisdom, Poetry and War. Volva was the Goddess of Love in Midgard, or on earth, but she was not harmless and used a wand as a weapon.

In the poem ´The Prophecy of the Volva,´ a volva divines the entire history of the universe from beginning to end.  As the poem is spoken by the witch, this means that the entire poem is an example of a séance, the art of oracular divination, or connection to the Gods through ritual.

The Volva would perform High Seat Ceremonies, during which the community would gather and inquire about important matters. The idea was that information is transformation, so the ceremonies were meant to send the Volva to a certain place where answers to their questions could be found. Being able to resource information from the Gods was very valuable to their people and communities.

Both Freyja and the ancient volva, created the ancestral path of the witch and her magical arts.

In the course of Christianization in the 10th century, the Goths were the first Germanic tribe to convert to Christianity and persecute their witches. The Christian Church enacted laws against them, and they were killed. However, in Norway, Christianization was slow, and in Bergen there is evidence that as late as the 13th century, Norse mythology was still followed and practiced. In Iceland, the literary works ‘Edda,’ which contained material from the Viking age and Norse mythology, begins with ‘The Prophecy of the Volva,’ and was first written in the 13th century.

In 1066, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the last Viking incursion ended. King Haraldr of Norway was killed and his troops driven back when he attempted to reclaim a portion of England. The Viking age ended as the raids ended; they were no longer profitable and not in keeping with the principles of the Christian Church.

Times changed, but the Vikings were not conquered, instead they became Swedes, Danes, Norwegians and Icelanders.