The Viking Shield-Maiden

Shield-maidens appeared in many of the Norse sagas and heroic poems. A shield-maiden was a fierce female warrior. She was wild and determined, proud and honourable, fearless in battle, and in some cases, able to control fate.

One of my favourite examples of a shield-maiden in Norse literature is Hervor.

Hervor was born into a noble family, but she was wild and strong-willed. She refused to live the quiet life. Taking a man’s name, she joined a band of Viking warriors and sailed across the sea. Her purpose was to claim her legacy. You see, her father Angantýr died long ago, buried with a cursed sword named Tyrfing. It was said that the blade brought victory to all who wielded it, but it also brought doom and destruction.

Unafraid, Hervor travelled to the haunted island where her father was laid to rest. In the dark of night, she summoned the dead. Flames erupted from the earth. Angantýr rose from his burial mound and warned his daughter of the sword’s curse. Ignoring his warnings, though, Hervor took Tyrfing.

Now that she had the sword in her possession, she was nigh unstoppable. She quickly became feared and honoured. In some versions of the saga, she even became Queen of Jorvik (modern-day York) in Britain. But eventually, the curse of the Tyrfing struck once more; Hervor was led astray and fell on the battlefield, fighting to the last.

Shield-maidens stand as blazing symbols of unbreakable will, fearlessness, and unwavering honour. They were women who carved their destinies with steel, who strode into the storm of battle with hearts unyielding, and who met danger not with hesitation, but with a war-cry fierce enough to shake the very halls of Valhalla. Their presence was woven into the very fabric of northern identity. Though often treated as myth, the idea of these fierce women is not entirely confined to legend. Historical records, archaeological discoveries, and accounts from neighbouring cultures suggest that some women in the Viking world may have, on rare occasions, taken up arms. So, the idea of a shield-maiden may not just be mere fantasy after all; it may reflect a real, if uncommon, role women held in Viking Age warfare.