The real Vikings

misslily Maiden Power (playful) * *Idea 14:*

misslily The legendary shield-maidens of history

misslily The symbolic authority of the keys

misslily Legal rights ahead of their time

misslily Aud the Deep-Minded and the settlement of Iceland

31m ago

misslily We are through! We are through! Witnesses at the bed, we are through!

misslily The legendary shield-maidens of history

Fun Fact

Power of keys: Viking women wore heavy iron keys on their dresses as a public symbol of their absolute control over the household.

misslily The symbolic authority of the keys

Glossary

shieldmaiden (noun)
A female warrior in Norse mythology and folklore. In 2017, DNA analysis of a Birka grave confirmed a prominent Viking warrior was biologically female.

Quiz

What did DNA testing in 2017 reveal about the famous Birka warrior grave in Sweden?

Gossip

Who had the toughest job on a Norse farm?

Quiz

What are the legendary female warriors of Norse sagas called?

Quiz

Who was the powerful Norse matriarch who led a settlement expedition to Iceland?

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What legal right did Norse women have that was rare in medieval Europe?

Quiz

Why would a Norse woman declare a divorce in front of witnesses?

Quiz

What item, representing household authority, was commonly buried with Norse women?

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Under Norse law, what happened to a woman's dowry if she divorced her husband?

Quiz

What role did a Norse wife play when her husband went abroad?