Clan of the Horses: Shieldmaidens

- WELCOME -

The bestselling novel Clan of the Horses/Hestenes klan, was published in Norway in 2010 and is out in it's fifth print. The novel is also available in German under the title "Zwischen Himmel und Erde".

In this blog you can read omitted elements from the book. You can also read about women and horses as they are described through written mythological and historical records, but more importantly you are invited to read excerpts of a completely different story: A story that women have preserved through the centuries solely by oral traditions.

In Bonnevie's enchanting story, she speaks of the pitfalls related to the common human error of trying to live up to the expectations of others - and thus losing one's innate intuition and wisdom. Bonnevie speaks of the search for your inner, true voice - and the journey of becoming who you are meant to be.

lørdag 27. februar 2010

Shieldmaidens

A SHIELDMAIDEN (Norse: Skjoldmøy) was a woman who had chosen to fight as a warrior. They are frequently mentioned in sagas in Norse folklore and mythology. Shieldmaidens also appear in stories of other Germanic nations: Goths, Cimbri and Marcomanni. The Valkyries might have been based on the shieldmaidens and they were also known to be J.R.R. Tolkien's inspiration for Éowyn. :)
There are few historical evidences of Viking Age women taking part in warfare, but it happened for sure on several occasions. Sometimes disguised and sometimes in the open - but not necessarily topless like Brynhildr here. For sure, then people would have noticed...

Source: Wikipedia
Depiction of Brynhildr by Robert Engels (1919)