Women in the Viking Age

They ran the farm, could inherit and divorce – and yet the truth about the Viking woman is more nuanced than modern myths suggest.

By European standards of the time, women in the Viking Age held a remarkably strong position – though not an equal one in today’s sense.

Mistress of Farm and Chest

When the men were at sea or in the field, the lady of the house ran the farm. The mark of her standing was the key to the store-chest, often worn at the belt. Women could inherit, own their own property and, under certain conditions, divorce – rights that elsewhere were long unthinkable.

Weavers and Traders

Weaving was women’s work and of great economic importance: from wool came the cloth for the sails, without which no ship sailed. At markets such as Birka, women are also attested as traders.

The Birka Grave

A richly armed warrior grave at Birka became famous when DNA analysis showed it to be that of a woman. Whether she was actually a warrior, or the weapons indicated symbolic rank, is still debated today – a good example of how carefully finds must be interpreted.

Stories of shield-maidens and valkyries belong to the world of legend; the everyday life of most women was shaped by hard, respected work. Both belong to the truth of this age.

More rights than elsewhere

Women of the Viking Age had more rights than many of their contemporaries in the rest of Europe. They could own and inherit property, divorce and run the farm in the man's absence. This comparatively strong position is well attested – even if it was no "paradise of equality".

The mistress of the farm

A sign of this position were the keys that women often wore on their belt: they stood for responsibility over stores, house and farm. While the men were away on voyages, the household lay in the hands of the women.

Seeresses and workers of magic

Special esteem was enjoyed by the völvas, the seeresses. They mastered seiðr, the magic of prophecy, and were consulted on important decisions. In this spiritual role women could wield great power.

Warriors? A nuanced picture

The richly furnished warrior grave Bj 581 of Birka belonged, as DNA analyses showed in 2017, to a woman. This proves that a woman could be buried as a warrior. Whether women regularly went into battle, however, remains disputed – a single case and the rule are two different things.

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