The Viking warrior woman, originally believed to be a male warrior, was buried with elite warrior gear in a chamber grave in Birka, Sweden, dating back to the tenth century. The grave was excavated in the 1870s by archaeologist and ethnographer Jalmar Stolpe as part of his research on the Viking Age site of Birka on the island of Björkö. In 1889, he documented the grave as Bj 581, considering it "one of the most iconic graves of the Viking Age."
The grave was marked by a large stone boulder and situated on an elevated terrace, in direct connection with the settlement. The tomb chamber was constructed from wood, measuring 3.45 meters in length and 1.75 meters in width. The body was discovered in a deteriorated state, seated and adorned in silk clothing with silver thread ornaments. Artifacts found within the tomb included a sword, axe, spear, armor-piercing arrows, a combat knife, two shields, and two horses (one mare and one stallion). For 128 years, it was assumed that the remains belonged to a "battle-hardened man."
In the 1970s, research began to question the assumption that the skeleton was male. Osteological analysis of the pelvic bones and lower jaw of the skeleton in 2014, conducted by Anna Kjellström, a bioarchaeologist from Stockholm University, confirmed that the grave actually belonged to a woman. Some archaeologists remained skeptical, suggesting that the bones may have been mislabeled in the past or possibly mixed with bones from nearby graves.
A significant study conducted by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, published in September 2017, noted that "Kjelström's osteological analysis has raised questions about sex, gender, and identity among Viking warriors." The Hedenstierna-Jonson team extracted DNA from samples obtained from the tooth and bone of a human hand buried in Bj 581. According to Maya Krezvinska, this study conclusively proved that the skeleton belonged to a woman, as it possessed two different X chromosomes but lacked Y chromosomes.
This revelation challenged the long-standing belief that Viking warriors were exclusively male and ignited a debate about the roles of women in Viking society.
The same study also conducted an analysis of strontium isotopes on the skeleton to determine the individual's geographical profile. This analysis revealed that the person had similar markers to modern humans living in regions that were under Viking influence. This raised the question of whether this individual was originally from Birka or if she had settled there later in life.
The study's conclusion was indeed controversial: "the individual in Tomb Bj 581 is the first confirmed female Viking warrior." In response to criticism of their initial research, the authors published a second article in Antiquity, providing additional information about their methodology and reaffirming their conclusion.
An examination of the grave's contents revealed a gaming set with a board and figures, which were believed to be indicative of strategic thinking and suggested that the individual may have been an officer capable of leading troops into battle. The Guardian reported that "the pieces, perhaps from Hnefatafl, a precursor to chess, imply that the female warrior from Tomb Bj 581 was a combat strategist." According to Anna Kjellström, "only a few warriors are buried with gaming pieces, and they signify strategic thinking." Evidence also suggested her belonging to the military caste. The Washington Post reported, "The warrior was, in fact, a woman. And not just any woman, but a Viking woman, a shieldmaiden, akin to the ancient Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones." Archaeologist David Zori noted that "numerous sagas about the Vikings, such as the 13th-century saga of the Völsungs, tell of 'shield-maidens' fighting alongside male warriors."
This discovery challenged traditional assumptions about the roles of women in Viking society and added depth to our understanding of the complexity of gender roles and identities in the Viking Age.