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Shieldmaiden
A shield-maiden ( ) was a female warrior from Scandinavian folklore and mythology. The term most often shows up in fornaldarsögur such as '' Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks''. However, female warriors are also mentioned in the Latin work ''Gesta Danorum''. Both the fornaldarsögur and Gesta Danorum were written after the Viking Age and are considered fictional. Earlier reports of fighting women occur in some Roman sources from Late Antiquity. They are often associated with the mythical Valkyries, which may have inspired the shieldmaidens. They may have also been inspired by accounts of Amazons. Etymology and meaning The term Shield-maiden is a calque of the . Since Old Norse has no word that directly translates to warrior, but rather drengr, rekkr and seggr can all refer to male warrior and bragnar can mean warriors, it is problematic to say that the term meant female warrior to Old Norse speakers. Judith Jesch researched the word in an attempt to find its origin. While she found th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Veborg
Webiorg, Wigbiorg or Veborg (died 750), was a legendary Scandinavian shieldmaiden who, according to the sagas, participated in the Battle of Bråvalla, which occurred in Sweden in approximately 750. She was of Swedish or Danish origin. The battle was between King Harald Hildetand of Denmark and Sweden, and his Viceroy King Sigurd Hring of Sweden; Sweden was during this age several little kingdoms, but Harald Hildetand had been elected king over most of them. King Sigurd had plans to unite all these kingdoms under one crown permanently, while King Harald wished to keep the possibility of electing different kings to each one, and the battle was therefore between unionists and separatists. It is said that both sides drew mercenaries from Russia, England, Germany and Ireland, and three hundred female soldiers, so-called Shieldmaidens, were on Harald's side; the most famous one, besides Visna and Harald's own daughter, Princess Hed, was Veborg; these three women are described as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brynhildr
Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( , , or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess and queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shieldmaiden or valkyrie, who appears as a main character in the and some Eddic poems treating the same events. In the continental Germanic tradition, where she is a central character in the , she is a powerful Amazon-like queen. In both traditions, she is instrumental in bringing about the death of the hero Sigurd or Siegfried after he deceives her into marrying the Burgundian king Gunther or Gunnar. In both traditions, the immediate cause for her desire to have Siegfried murdered is a quarrel with the hero's wife, Gudrun or Kriemhild. In the Scandinavian tradition, but not in the continental tradition, Brunhild kills herself after Sigurd's death. Richard Wagner made Brunhild (as ) an important character in his opera cycle . The majority ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brunhild (Postkarte), G
Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( , , or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess and queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shieldmaiden or valkyrie, who appears as a main character in the and some Eddic poems treating the same events. In the continental Germanic tradition, where she is a central character in the , she is a powerful Amazon-like queen. In both traditions, she is instrumental in bringing about the death of the hero Sigurd or Siegfried after he deceives her into marrying the Burgundian king Gunther or Gunnar. In both traditions, the immediate cause for her desire to have Siegfried murdered is a quarrel with the hero's wife, Gudrun or Kriemhild. In the Scandinavian tradition, but not in the continental tradition, Brunhild kills herself after Sigurd's death. Richard Wagner made Brunhild (as ) an important character in his opera cycle . The majority o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Brávellir
The Battle of Brávellir or the Battle of Bråvalla was a legendary battle, said to have taken place c. 770, that is described in the sagas as taking place on the Brávellir between Sigurd Hring, king of Sweden and the Geats of Västergötland, and his uncle Harald Wartooth, king of Denmark and the Geats of Östergötland. Sources The battle is recounted in several sources such as the Norse sagas '' Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks'', ''Bósa saga ok Herrauðs'' and '' Sǫgubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum'', but it is most extensively described in the nationalistic Danish history ''Gesta Danorum'' by Saxo Grammaticus. Cause Harald had inherited Sweden from his maternal grandfather Ivar Vidfamne, but ruled Denmark and East Götaland, whereas his subordinate king, Sigurd Hring, was the ruler of Sweden and West Götaland. According to legend, Harald realised that he was now old and might die of old age and therefore not go to Valhalla. He consequently asked Sigurd if he would let him leav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagertha
Lagertha, according to legend, was a Viking ruler and shield-maiden from what is now Norway, and the onetime wife of the famous Viking Ragnar Lodbrok. Her tale was recorded by the chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, Saxo in the 12th century. According to the historian Judith Jesch, Saxo's tales about warrior women are largely fictional; other historians wrote that they may have a basis in tales about the Norse deity Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa, Thorgerd. Her name as recorded by Saxo is . It has also been recorded as Lagertha, Ladgertha, Ladgerda or similar. Life according to Saxo Grammaticus Lagertha's tale is recorded in passages in the ninth book of the ''Gesta Danorum'', a twelfth-century work of Danish history by the Christian historian Saxo Grammaticus.Latin original) According to the ''Gesta'' (¶ 9.4.1–9.4.11), Lagertha's career as a warrior began when Freyr, Frø, king of Sweden, invaded Norway and killed the Norwegian king Siward. Frø put the women of the dead king ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hervarar Saga Ok Heiðreks
''Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks'' (The Saga of Hervör and Heidrek) is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas in Germanic heroic legend. It tells of wars between the Goths and the Huns during the 4th century. The final part of the saga, which was likely composed separately from and later than the rest, is a source for Swedish medieval history. The saga may be most appreciated for its memorable imagery, as seen in a quotation from one of its translators, Nora Kershaw Chadwick, on the invasion of the Huns: The text contains several poetic sections: the '' Hervararkviða'', on Hervor's visit to her father's grave and her retrieval of the sword Tyrfing; another, the '' Hlöðskviða'', on the battle between Goths and Huns; and a third, containing the riddles of Gestumblindi. It has inspired later writers and derivative works, such as J. R. R. Tolkien when shaping his legends of Middle-earth. His son, Christopher Tolkien translated the work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gesta Danorum
("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history. It is also one of the oldest known written documents about the history of Estonia and Latvia. Consisting of sixteen books written in Latin on the invitation of Archbishop Absalon, describes Danish history and to some degree Scandinavian history in general, from prehistory to the late 12th century. In addition, offers singular reflections on European affairs in the High Middle Ages from a unique Scandinavian perspective, supplementing what has been handed down by historians from Western and Southern Europe. Books The sixteen books, in prose with an occasional excursion into poetry, can be categorized into two parts: Books 1–9, which deal with Norse mythology and semi-legendary Danish histor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hervor
Hervör (Old Norse: ''Hervǫr'') is the name shared by two female characters in the Tyrfing Cycle, presented in ''Hervarar saga, The Saga of Hervör and Heidrek'' with parts found in the ''Poetic Edda''. The first, the Viking Hervör, challenged her father Angantýr's ghost in his gravemound for his cursed sword Tyrfing. She had a son, Heidrek, father of the other Hervör. The second Hervör was a commander killed in battle with her brother. The two are thought by some academics to be the same character, duplicated. Hervör, daughter of Angantyr Childhood Hervör was born after her father Angantyr died during a duel against the Swedish hero Hjalmar. Her mother was Svafa, who was daughter of a Jarl Bjarmar. Rather than take on sewing or be raised as a Bondmaid, bond-maid like other girls, Hervör proved to be as strong as the boys and learned archery, swordsmanship, and Equestrianism, horse riding. She dressed like a man, fought, killed and pillaged under her male surname ''Hjö ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bósa Saga Ok Herrauðs
''Bósa saga ok Herrauds'' or ''Saga of Bósi and Herraud'' is a legendary saga, relating the fantastic adventures of the two companions Herrauðr, Herraud (Old Norse language, Old Norse ''Herrauðr'') and Bósi. It is first attested in three manuscripts from the 15th century, AM 343 a 4to, AM 577 4to, and AM 586 4to. Summary This summary recounts the story of the older of the two main recensions of ''Bósa saga'', which is the one that is usually edited and translated. The setup The story begins with King Hring (''Hringr'') of Östergötland, who is said to be son of King Gauti son of King Odin of Sweden and half-brother to King Gautrekr the Generous, who appears as king of Västergötland in ''Gautreks saga''. But chronology is flattened so that Hring is made a contemporary of Harald Wartooth, King of Denmark and Sweden. Hring's wife is Sylgja daughter of Jarl Sæfara ('Seafarer') of Småland. Sæfara also has two sons, named Dagfari ("Dayfarer") and Náttfari ("Nightfarer"), wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heiðr
Heiðr (also rendered Heid, Hed, Heith, Hetha etc, from the Old Norse adjective meaning "bright" or the noun meaning "honour") is a Norse female personal name. Several individuals by the name appear in Norse mythology and history. A seeress A seeress and witch (''völva'') named Heiðr is mentioned in one stanza of ''Völuspá'', related to the story of the Æsir-Vanir war: :Heith they named her :who sought their home, :The wide-seeing witch, :in magic wise; :Minds she bewitched :that were moved by her magic, :To evil women :a joy she was. : ::—''Völuspá'' (22)Bellows’ translation The general assumption is that here, "Heiðr" is an alternate name for the witch Gullveig, mentioned in the previous stanza, who, in turn, is often thought to be a hypostasis of Freyja. But it is sometimes argued that the ''völva'' who recites the poem refers to herself. Heiðr is also a seeress in several works such as ''Landnámabók'' ( S 179 / H 45), '' Hrólfs saga kraka'' (3) and '' � ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tyrfing
Tyrfing, also rendered as Tirfing or Tyrving, was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which features in the Tyrfing Cycle, which includes a poem from the ''Poetic Edda'' called '' Hervararkviða'', and the Hervarar saga. The name is also used in the saga to denote the Goths. Description As described in its legends, Tyrfing wasthe keenest of all blades; every time it was drawn a light shone from it like a ray of the sun. It could never be held unsheathed without being the death of a man, and it had always to be sheathed with blood still warm upon it. There was no living thing, neither man nor beast, that could live to see another day if it were wounded by Tyrfing, whether the wound were big or little; never had it failed in a stroke or been stayed before it plunged into the earth, and the man who bore it in battle would always be victorious, if blows were struck with it. Certain stories seem to imply that Tyrfing is capable of deicide, as shown when King Heidrek recognizes t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
