Until recently it was believed that only men were seafarers, but a 2014 study that used mitochondrial DNA found that Viking women joined their mates on numerous voyages to England, Iceland, and the Shetland and Orkney Islands, located off the coast of Scotland. While Vikings were notoriously brutal warriors, they were also expert traders who established routes that ranged across the world as they sailed in their famous longboats to Britain, Europe, Russia, Islands in the North Atlantic, all the way to North America between 8 CE. While this remarkable warrior remains largely mysterious to us, our knowledge of Viking history still adds much to her story. The first nine volumes, which is where Lagertha’s story comes from, largely focus on legendary figures and stories and are believed to be largely fictional. However, only volumes 10-16 concern historical kings. Saxo’s Gesta Danorum is an enormous body of work, consisting of 16 volumes. And Saxo does just that, describing her at one point as: During this time it was typical to portray Viking female warriors as Amazons because that was the thinking of the time. First introduced to the world by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus (1160-1220 C.E.) in his influential work the Gesta Danorum (Deeds of The Danes), it’s thought that this fierce shieldmaiden helped her husband win two decisive battles.īut the Gesta Danorum tells us as much about Saxo (otherwise known as “Saxo the Literate) as it does about Lagertha. “A skilled Amazon, who, though a maiden, had the courage of a man, and fought in front among the bravest with her hair loose over her shoulders.” LagerthaĪnd much of what we believe about Lagertha, is just that - legend.
As portrayed by actress Katherine Winnick, Lagertha, born in the ninth century CE, is just as fearless and skilled as any male warrior and the battles she fought are the stuff of legend.
In the History Channel’s captivating series, Vikings, Lagertha, wife of the legendary king Ragnar Lothbrok, looms large.
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