She went with her father to Scotland when he was forced to flee the wrath of Harald Finehair Their son, Snorri Thorfinnsson, was the first European child to be born in North America.Įarrings in the VKNG Collection Aud KetilsdottirĪud Ketilsdottir, also known as Aud the Deep-Minded, was the daughter of Ketil Flatnose of Norway. When her husband died in North America, Gudrid married his business partner Thorfinn Karlsefni and worked with him to establish the first permanent Viking settlement in the new world. She was the wife of one of Lief Erikson’s brothers, Thorstein, and accompanied her husband on expeditions to Vinland. Gudrid is also said to be among the women that explored North America. Whether these latter stories are true, or Freydis has simply been vilified over time as a woman who broke social norms, we will never know. She is said to have often gone back on her word, and even to have accused her business partners of rape in order to justify having them killed and keeping their share of the booty. However, Freydis also has a reputation for being underhanded. One night, when a group of natives attacked the Viking camp, while the other Vikings are said to have run off in shock, Freydis stayed behind and fought of the natives single-handedly while seven months pregnant (though much of her success was down to the natives’ shock in seeing her). While there, she is said to have shown ferocious bravery. She was able to orchestrate the Battle of Svolder, in which Olaf was killed.įreydis was the daughter of Erik the Red and the sister of Lief Erikson, who is credited with the Viking discovery of North America.Īfter Leif set up a camp in Vinland, a number of his brothers and other Vikings also led expeditions to the new land.įreydis wanted the same success and prestige as her brothers, so she also organized an expedition to the new land. She used these to get revenge on Olaf Tryggvason, who had slapped her in public when she refused to convert to Christianity.
Nevertheless, she did eventually marry Sweyn Forkbeard to gain his connections and power. This, apparently to discourage any future suitors. But rather than give up her power, she invited both men to her hall, got them drunk, and then burned down the hall with them inside. Sigrid was courted by both Harald Grenske or Norway and Vissavald of the Kievan Rus Vikings. When he died, she decided that rather than marry quickly to secure a new king for the country, she would rule alone. Sigrid, also known as Sigrid the Proud, was the wife of the Swedish king Erik the Victorious. Rings in the VKNG Collection Sigrid Tostadottir There is a memorial stone for Thyra at Jelling in Denmark, which describes her as the Pride of Denmark. On at least one occasion she is described as leading the warriors of Norway in an expedition against the Germans. She is said to have been just as ferocious as her husband on the battlefield and the real brain behind the throne (her husband not generally considered to be very intelligent). Thyra was the wife of King Gorm the Old of Denmark and the mother of Harald Bluetooth. But it seems that Lagertha was unwilling to leave her own lands to follow Ragnar to Denmark, and the two separated.īut later, when Ragnar needed help to quell a civil war, it was Lagertha that came to his aid with 120 ships or fearsome Vikings, which she led herself. Ragnar was understandably smitten, and the two married for a brief period. She is said to have turned the tide of the battle with her ferocity. She was one of a group of women that volunteered to fight alongside him to avenge the death of his grandfather. Lagertha is famous as the woman that saved the great Ragnar Lothbrok, twice. Let’s celebrate ten of these women with very short notes on how they made a name for themselves in history. This historiographic tendency makes the Viking women who did manage to make a name for themselves in the history books even more impressive. But the fates are none of the female goddesses are recorded. Even the stories of the goddesses are lost.įor example, surviving versions of the Ragnarok prophecy record the fates of most of the male deities and giants, down to Hel’s guard dog Garm. In patriarchal societies with histories written by men about men, we often lose sight of the roles of women, grand and humble. It is a sad truth that until recent generations, most women have been obscured from history.
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