A viking leader from the mid-10th century, originally believed to be a man, was actually a woman, a study conducted by archaeologist Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson of Uppsala University has revealed.
Speaking to The Local (via New York Post) Hedenstierna-Jonson said the remains, which were discovered and excavated in the late 1800s by Swedish archeologist Hjalmar Stolpe, are of a woman over 30 years old and about five and a half feet tall.
According to Hedenstierna-Jonson, the warrior had "most likely planned, led and taken part in battles." In addition to having a complete set of equipment buried with her, including "a sword, an axe, a spear, armor-piercing arrows, a battle knife, shields, and two horses," she also had "a board game in her lap, or more of a war-planning game used to try out battle tactics and strategies, which indicates she was a powerful military leader."
Stockholm University osteologist Anna Kjellström discovered a few years ago the skeleton had hip bones and cheekbones that were more feminine. DNA analysis of the remains was then conducted and confirmed they are indeed of a woman. The findings were published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and according to Phys.org, this is now the first genetic evidence there were indeed female viking warriors.
Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @alexcosborn.
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