Valkyrie
eBook - PDF

Valkyrie

The Women of the Viking World

  1. 280 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Valkyrie

The Women of the Viking World

About this book

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE

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 women in these stories take full part in the power struggles and upheavals in their communities, for better or worse.

Drawing on the latest historical and archaeological evidence, Valkyrie introduces readers to the dramatic and fascinating texts recorded in medieval Iceland, a culture able to imagine women in all kinds of roles carrying power, not just in this world, but pulling the strings in the other-world, too. In the process, this fascinating book uncovers the reality behind the myths and legends to reveal the dynamic, diverse lives of Viking women.

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Yes, you can access Valkyrie by Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & European Medieval History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Illustrations
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Language and pronunciation
  9. Introduction: ‘Valkyries decide who dies or lives’
  10. 1 Infancy and childhood
  11. 2 Teenage girls
  12. 3 Adulthood, married life and divorce
  13. 4 Pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood
  14. 5 Widows
  15. 6 Old age and death
  16. Epilogue
  17. Further reading
  18. Notes
  19. Bibliography
  20. Index
  21. Plates