What Viking Women’s Graves Reveal About Power and Faith

The Norse sagas and Eddas were, mildly put, written by men, for men. Lucky for us, archaeology gives voice to those who left no written record. Across the north, the graves of Viking women give us insight into their lives. Each one tells its own story, unearthing the many roles women had in society.

I let these tales inspire my Norse romantic fantasy.

For generations, iron keys found in the graves of some Norse women were seen as symbols of authority over the home and storerooms. But keys do not appear in every burial, and archaeologists have also found keys in men’s graves, suggesting a more complex symbolism than once believed. Still, we can assume that when women were buried with them, they were symbols of responsibility, hinting at the woman’s role as the beating heart of the farm.

Other graves reveal different kinds of influence. At Birka, Sweden, a high-status Viking warrior grave once thought to belong to a man was confirmed in 2017 to contain a woman. She was buried with weapons, two horses, and a game board, a symbol of strategy and command. It is only one grave, but it reminds us that Viking women could occupy unexpected and powerful roles.

Drawing of the warrior womans grave at Birka, Sweden. Honored in death, but it makes you wonder, how did she live?

By Hjalmar Stolpe, 1889 (public domain)

Then there are the graves of vǫlur (I just call them Volvas in my book), the seeresses of Norse society. One of the most remarkable examples was found at Oseberg, Norway, and is dated to c. 834. Two women (one is a possible Volva, the other is possibly a family member, servant or slave) were buried together in a richly decorated Viking ship burial, surrounded by expensive textiles and ritual objects. Among them was a wooden staff and a wagon carved with cats (cats are connected to Freya, adding to the Volva theory). They were buried with fifteen horses and 30 kilos of Eiderdown (the soft, fluffy layer beneath the eider ducks feathers). That’s luxury right there.

Also interesting, Cannabis seeds were found in a pouch within the grave, as well as a rune stick with the inscription: “Men know little”. Legends.

One thing is for sure, the Oseberg burial shows a form of sacred authority, where spiritual power was honored with the same grandeur as that of kings and warriors.

It's fascinating to consider the many roles Norse women would have played. Without a doubt, a matriarch would have organized the the home and possibly the farm. I like to imagine those keys clinking softly as she made her rounds at dusk, checking the stores, feeding the animals, calling her children in from the fields.

Also picture a Viking Joan of Arc, inspiring armies into a frenzied state as an avatar of Freya (yes, Freya is goddess of beauty and war, and yes, perhaps I let my imagination wander with this one). The game board could easily signify a deeper layer than simple ritual. Maybe she had a sharp tactical mind that devised bloody strategies.

The Oseberg ship where the two women were buried together, along with vast riches, around 834 near Tønsberg, Norway.

Imagine the role they played in society to be honored in this manner.

Photo: Petter Ulleland, Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Don't even get me started on the vǫlur, like Kilda, the heroine of Talismans of Desire. They might have been friendly, they might have been mysterious, but they were definitely viewed as holy, revered by both men and women. Very little is known of seiðr, the feminine magic, but we know Odin himself learned it from Freya (and Loki ridicules him for it). I’m sure witnessing a Volvas circle performing their ritual would leave us in awe, or dread, if they were sacrificing. Just saying.

Together, these archaeological finds reveal that Viking women shaped their world in many ways. Whether through the keys at their belts, the staves in their hands, or the swords beside them.

Sources:

Women in the Viking Age, Nationalmuseet i København, Copenhagen National Museum

Who were the Oseberg Women?, Oseberg Viking Heritage

Viking warrior women? Reassessing Birka chamber grave Bj.581, by Price, Neil et al. Antiquity, vol. 93, no. 367, 2019, pp. 181–198. Cambridge University Press. (Accessed 24 Oct 2025)