Valkyrie
The Women of the Viking World
Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020
Valkyries: the female supernatural beings
that choose who dies and who lives
on the battlefield. They protect some, but
guide spears, arrows and sword blades into
the bodies of others. Viking myths about
Valkyries attempt to elevate the banality
of war - to make the pain and suffering,
the lost limbs and deformities, the piles
of lifeless bodies of young men, glorious and
worthwhile. Rather than their death being
futile, it is their destiny and good fortune,
determined by divine beings.
The fateful agency of woman is widespread
in Norse sources. Norse sagas and Viking
myths tell stories of war and strife, loyalty
and betrayal, murder and revenge, privation
and success. The women in these stories
take full part in the power struggles and
upheavals in their communities and families,
for better or worse. But in some spheres,
women are systematically oppressed or
excluded because of their gender, and the
sagas communicate heartbreaking stories
of girls´ and women´s traumatic
experiences that resonate strongly today.
In Valkyrie, Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir
introduces readers to the dramatic and
fascinating texts recorded in medieval
Iceland. It was a culture able to imagine
women in all kinds of powerful roles,
pulling the strings not just in this world
but in the other-world too. Drawing on the
latest historical and archaeological evidence,
this book uncovers the reality behind the
myths and legends to reveal the dynamic,
diverse lives of Viking women.
Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir
has taught at Yale University, USA, and held
research posts in Reykjavik and at Harvard.
She currently works at the National Library
of Norway in Oslo. Her research focuses on
Vikings, Old Norse-Icelandic sagas, mythology
and poetry, medieval manuscripts and gender.
"Authorative and provocative, bang up-to-date, yet steeped in
historical knowledge, JKF´s Valkyrie is indispensable for all
Viking enthusiasts. Her lively style, profound knowledge and brilliant
insights signal a stunning new voice in the debate about the Vikings."
- Carolyne Larrington, Professor of Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford, UK
"This is the new standard work on women in the Viking Age -
a lively, authoritative and staunchly feminist survey that combines
both textual and material sources in a ground-breaking study of the
female life-course. With this superb book, Jóhanna Katrín
has put Viking scholars in her debt."
- Neil Price, Professor of Archaeology, Uppsala University, Sweden
"Through an excellent insight into both the written, as well as archaeological
sources, the author weaves a clear picture of women´s lives from birth to
death in the Viking Age. Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World is a significant book."
- Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Professor of History, University of Olso, Norway
"What a wonderful book. For the first time readers can understand the importance of the
Valkyries in the Viking Age and see the impact these mythical women had more broadly on culture
and society in the early medieval world. The scholarship is excellent, interpretation thorough,
yet the writing style is accessible. It´s a pleasure to read and be plunged into a world
of sagas, runes, myth and magic."
-Dr Janina Ramirez, University of Oxford, UK
(Bovenstaande tekst komt van de binnenflappen en achterkant van het boek)