In my last post I wrote about the archaeological evidence of women Viking warriors, so called shield maidens. Around 30 graves containing women buried as warriors have been found in Scandinavia, so – even though historians still debate it – I believe there really was women warriors in the Viking Age society.
However, the stories and sagas about them are hard to historically verify. Nonetheless I will write about two of the most famous shield maidens, fictional or not.
Probably the most well-known shield maiden today, thanks to the series Vikings, is Lagertha, first wife of legend king Ragnar Lothbrok. The only historical source that mentions her is Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum, written in the 12th century. In it, Lagertha is described as a fierce warrior, who “had the courage of a man, and fought in front among the bravest with her hair loose over her shoulders”.
When Ragnar waged war on the Swedish king, he was joined by a group of shield maidens, and Lagertha’s strength won the battle for him. He fell in love and began courting her. She positioned a bear and a dog to guard her house, and when Ragnar arrived to marry her, he had to fight both animals. He killed them, and as a reward, married Lagertha.
They had two daughters and a son, Fridleif, together. However, Ragnar left her and married another woman, Swedish princess Thora. Thereafter Lagertha disappears for a while in Ragnar’s story, but returned years later when Ragnar’s realm was under threat, and he asked her for help. Once again, the shield maiden saved the day by her courage and strength.
Returning from the battle, she murdered her husband and began ruling in his stead.
The saga of Ragnar Lothbrok is well known and written down in many variations, but Saxo Grammaticus is the only one who mentions the shield maiden Lagertha. Most historians are agreed that Ragnar is not a historical person and never existed. So, unfortunately, I must conclude that Lagertha is also a fictional character.
One famous shield maiden that – probably – is not fictional however, is Freydis Eriksdottir, born around 965. She was the daughter of Erik the Red who founded the first settlements in Greenland, and the sister to Leif Eriksson, who is said to be the first European to sail to Vinland (America). Freydis appears in two Icelandic Sagas. In the first, Erik the Red’s Saga, she is portrayed as a heroine. She and a group of explorers found their way to Vinland, where they were attacked by natives.
Many of the men of the party were killed or fled. Freydis, heavily pregnant, picked up the sword of a fallen comrade, and while the other fled she stood her ground and fought of the attackers.
In the other, the Saga of the Greenlanders, she travelled with her husband and an expedition to Vinland, where she came into conflict with two brothers in their group. She framed them, telling her husband that they abused her and demanded that he killed them to revenge her. Although the brothers were killed, her husband and his men refused to kill the women in the brother’s household, so Freydis took up an axe and killed them all herself.
Whether any of these stories are true are of course impossible to know, but historians at least tend to believe that the people of these specific Sagas really existed. She might not suit the classical idea of a shield maiden in the sense that she did not (what we know) take part in outright battles, but in any case, Freydis was a woman who obviously could use weapons and fight.