shield maidens
Female Viking fighters
Shield maidens are female warriors in Norse mythology and Viking legend, women who fought alongside men in battle.
The term evokes images of armored women bearing swords and shields: The shield maiden defended her village from raiders.
Whether historical shield maidens actually existed remains debated, but the figure appears in sagas and has become a popular archetype in fantasy fiction and media depicting Viking culture.
- valkyrieChooser of the slain
- Norse mythologyScandinavian pagan religion
- Viking AgeScandinavian maritime expansion era
- warriorOne skilled in combat
- NorseAncient Scandinavian civilization
viking · battle · battle cry · sword · armor · Freya · braids · fierce · spear · longship · Valhalla · Odin · helm · chainmail · saga · legendary heroes · berserker · sworn oath
- NordicNorway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland
- VikingsViking, longships, longship, raiding, Norse settlers
- warrior culturesamurai, knights, warrior, gladiators, berserkers
- warriorsfighter, knight, footsoldier, barbarian, samurai
- Nordic HistoryViking Age, Viking raids, longships, runestones, Great Northern War
- Norse VikingsVikings, Thor, Odin, Loki, Valhalla
shield maidenscaptives
People held by force
slaves · prisoners of war · war brides · plunder · spoils of war
shield, maiden, shields, shielded, shielding, maidens, maid, maids