Viking legends don't lie: Valkyries really existed

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In Scandinavian mythology, there are stories about beautiful immortal warlike maidens - Valkyries. At first, they were portrayed as cruel and sinister angels of death, who took pleasure in contemplating bloody wounds on the battlefield and deciding the fate of warriors. After some time, the image of the Valkyrie was romanticized and they turned into golden-haired white-skinned virgins, the shield-bearers of the god Odin, who served the chosen fallen warriors in Valhalla. But did the Valkyries really exist and what did they look like? Scientists also asked these questions when they discovered a very interesting archaeological find.

All the stories about female warriors until now were considered just romantic medieval myths. Poems were written about the Valkyries, pictures were painted, their images were repeatedly exploited by the cinema. But no one admitted the thought that they could actually exist. Have a very real prototype. For centuries, the gender superiority of men over women has been implanted. The weaker sex all the time had to prove that he was not so weak. Of course, whether it was worth it is a moot point. Let's leave it for personal consideration. But it is impossible to deny reliable historical facts about women who left their mark on history not as husbands' wives. The stories about Viking women, reflected in the ancient Scandinavian epic, where they became the prototype of the Valkyries, have long agitated minds.

The burial of a warrior was discovered at the Viking cemetery in Birka (Sweden) in 1889. The burial was separate, on a hill and very well preserved. The grave was attributed to the burial of a high-ranking military leader who lived in the 10th century AD. Full military equipment was found next to the body of the warrior: a sword, a battle ax, armor-piercing arrows, a combat knife and two horses. On the Viking's lap was a chess-like board game known as hnefatafl, or King's Table. This artifact suggested that he was not just a warrior, but a Viking commander. For almost 130 years, scientists by default considered the deceased warrior a man.

The results of the research amazed scientists - the body turned out to be female. Anna Kjellström, an osteologist at Stockholm University, noted that the remains suggest that the warrior was a woman. DNA testing confirmed her belief. Archaeologists have found burials of female warriors before. Only none of them had such artifacts with them, testifying to such a high rank.

Scientists with the help of modern computer technology have managed to recreate the face of the warrior. It turned out to be exactly like the image of the legendary Valkyrie - snow-white skin, golden hair! Recently, the remains of warriors, which scientists identified as female, were also discovered at the Viking cemetery in Solor (Norway). Experts say the remains are about 1,000 years old and the skull clearly received a terrible blow, possibly in battle. Archaeologist Ella Al-Shamakhi, in an interview with the Daily Mail, said: "I am so excited because this is a face over 1000 years old - and she suddenly became very real."

For decades, women were supposed to take part in the battles. This latest find proves that the warrior really took part in the battle. Initially, when the remains were found in such a large Viking burial site, no one suspected that she was a warrior for the sole reason - she was a woman. It is very difficult for a gender-oriented scientist to come to terms with this. Although this burial site is very important for archaeologists and researchers, it is far from the only Viking grave found in Norway. Neil Price, professor and consultant in archeology, said he wouldn't be surprised to find more female warriors.

Dick Harrison, a historian at Lund University, called the discovery "the latest chapter in a great wave of rethinking the Viking Age from a female perspective." He also stated that many of the Vikings' prejudices were formed in the 19th century. “What has happened in the past 40 years thanks to archaeological research, driven in part by feminist research, is that women have been recognized as priestesses and leaders,” he said. "It made us rewrite history."

Despite all this politics, the concept of a woman warrior was reflected in pop culture. For example, the sensational television series "Vikings". Ella Al-Shamakhi shot a National Geographic documentary about this. In the film, she travels around Norway, showing viewers various Viking burial sites. Explains various methods of visualizing and reconstructing their content. The artifacts found are now on display at the History Museum in Oslo, and of course they will always resist the notion that women were on the battlefield. Motivated by a lack of physical strength. Indeed, in order to successfully defeat the enemy, especially in the Viking Age, of course, remarkable strength was required. But women very often, by their achievements in archery, or the use of a spear on a horse, refute the assumption that they are not capable of fighting. And now, with the reconstructed face of a female warrior, there is evidence that at least some women fought alongside their men shoulder to shoulder.

If you are interested in the topic of women warriors, read our article on Valkyries of Russian epics. Based on materials