The Real Valkyrie

The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women

By: Nancy Marie Brown

Narrated by: Lu Banks

Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

In the tradition of Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra, Brown lays to rest the hoary myth that Viking society was ruled by men and celebrates the dramatic lives of female Viking warriors.

In 2017, DNA tests revealed to the collective shock of many scholars that a Viking warrior in a high-status grave in Birka, Sweden was actually a woman. The Real Valkyrie weaves together archaeology, history, and literature to imagine her life and times, showing that Viking women had more power and agency than historians have imagined.

Nancy Marie Brown uses science to link the Birka warrior, whom she names Hervor, to Viking trading towns and to their great trade route east to Byzantium and beyond. She imagines her life intersecting with larger-than-life but real women, including Queen Gunnhild Mother-of-Kings, the Viking leader known as The Red Girl, and Queen Olga of Kyiv. Hervor's short, dramatic life shows that much of what we have taken as truth about women in the Viking Age is based not on data, but on 19th-century Victorian biases. Rather than holding the household keys, Viking women in history, law, saga, poetry, and myth carry weapons. These women brag, "As heroes we were widely known-with keen spears we cut blood from bone." In this compelling narrative, Brown brings the world of those valkyries and shield-maids to vivid life.

©2021 Nancy Marie Brown (P)2021 Tantor

Amazing book; completely redefines the way we see the “Vikings”

Not my favorite audio performance, but the book is well worth the read (and reread). I purchased a physical copy to look through the pictures, see the names/quotes, and read the footnotes. Highly recommend this to anyone interested in Scandinavian or ancient history!

A Shieldmaiden’s tale

A well researched work revealing an aspect of dark age life. A must read for the ladies and a great read for the gentlemen. Skol.

Great Background Noise

This book was interesting, but difficult to stay focused on due to the soothing voice of the narrator. It is a great background book for driving if you do not want to stay focused the entire time.

A fantastical tale

This was a fun, and sometimes frustrating, listen. It took what was previously known about Viking women, added in some new discoveries, and threaded a plausible tale in the mix to create a fascinating tapestry that kept your attention and imagination. The frustrating bits usually come from the reminder of just how set we are in what we think we know what is "true" when we really know very little about certain eras of our past, whether because of lack of documentation about the subject, misrepresentation based on biases, or false or misunderstood writings about such subjects that have persisted throughout time, sometimes to our detriment as a race. I'm really glad I listened to this because it reminded me that we are still making discoveries about our histories and that we shouldn't be so certain about what we know, because it can always change once new things come into the light.