NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Shieldmaiden

A shieldmaiden was a virgin who had chosen to fight as a warrior in Scandinavian mythology. They are often mentioned in sagas such as Hervarar saga and in Gesta Danorum. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1252x788, 57 KB) Hervor was a shieldmaiden in the cycle of the magic sword Tyrfing, presented in Hervarar saga and of which parts are found in the Poetic Edda. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1252x788, 57 KB) Hervor was a shieldmaiden in the cycle of the magic sword Tyrfing, presented in Hervarar saga and of which parts are found in the Poetic Edda. ... Hervor dying, a painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo Hervor was a shieldmaiden in the cycle of the magic sword Tyrfing, presented in Hervarar saga and of which parts are found in the Poetic Edda. ... The Huns were a confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads. ... Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831â€“1892) was a Norwegian painter, who specialized in painting historical motifs and images from Norse mythology. ... In Roman times, Vestal Virgins were strictly celibate or they were punished by death. ... Norse mythology, Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people. ... The Norse sagas or Viking sagas (Icelandic: Íslendingasögur), are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, about migration to Iceland, and of feuds between Icelandic families. ... Hervarar saga ok Heidhreks is a fornaldarsaga from the 13th century using material from an older saga. ... Bishop Asgar, etching by the Danish-Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe (1857â€”1945) Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes) is a work of Danish history, by 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus (Saxo the Grammarian). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark. ...

According to Nordisk familjebok, shieldmaidens appear also in stories of other Germanic nations: Goths, Cimbri and Marcomanni. They were J.R.R. Tolkien's inspiration for Éowyn. The Owl Edition Nordisk familjebok (en. ... Invasion of the Goths: a late 19th century painting by O. Fritsche, is a highly romanticized portrait of the Goths as cavalrymen. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cimbrian War. ... The Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Suebi or Suevi. ... Tolkien redirects here. ... Ã‰owyn (T.A. 2995â€“F.A. ?), a shieldmaiden of Rohan, is a character in J. R. R. Tolkiens fantasy universe of Middle-earth who appears in his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. ...

Examples of shieldmaidens mentioned by name in the Norse sagas include Brynhild in the Volsunga saga, Hervor in Hervarar saga, the Brynhild of the Bósa saga ok Herrauds, the Swedish princess Thornbjörg in Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar and Hed, Visna and Veborg in Gesta Danorum. In Norse mythology, Brünnehilde was a shieldmaiden and a Valkyrie. ... The Ramsund carving in Sweden depicts 1) how Sigurd is sitting naked in front of the fire preparing the dragon heart, from Fafnir, for his foster-father Regin, who is Fafnirs brother. ... Hervor dying, a painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo Hervor was a shieldmaiden in the cycle of the magic sword Tyrfing, presented in Hervarar saga and of which parts are found in the Poetic Edda. ... Hervarar saga ok Heidhreks is a fornaldarsaga from the 13th century using material from an older saga. ... BÃ³sa saga ok Herrauds (Old Norse BÃ³sa saga ok HerrauÃ°s) Saga of BÃ³si and Herraud is an Old Norse saga written around 1300 preserved in three 15th century manuscripts relating the fantastic adventures of the two companions Herraud (Old Norse HerrauÃ°) and BÃ³si. ... HrÃ³lfs saga Gautrekssonar is a Scandinavian legendary saga which was put to text in Iceland in the 13th century. ... Bishop Asgar, etching by the Danish-Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe (1857â€”1945) Gesta Danorum (Deeds of the Danes) is a work of Danish history, by 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus (Saxo the Grammarian). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark. ...

According to Saxo Grammaticus, 300 shieldmaidens fought on the Danish side at the Battle of Bråvalla. Saxo, etching by the Danish-Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe (1857 â€“ 1945) Saxo Grammaticus (estimated. ... The Battle of BrÃ¡vellir or the Battle of BrÃ¥valla was a legendary battle that took place on the BrÃ¡vellir between Sigurd Ring, king of Sweden and the Geats of West GÃ¶taland, and Harald Hildetand, king of Denmark and the Geats of East GÃ¶taland. ...

Categories: Nordic folklore | Norse mythology | Viking Age | Viking Age women | Women in war in Scandinavia | Women in European warfare Image File history File links Mjollnir_icon. ... Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... Divided between the Ã†sir and the Vanir, and sometimes including the jÃ¶tnar (giants), the dividing line between these groups is less than clear. ... In Old Norse, the Ã†sir (singular Ãs, feminine Ãsynja, feminine plural Ãsynjur, Anglo-Saxon Ã“s, from Proto-Germanic *Ansuz) are the principal gods of the pantheon of Norse mythology. ... Vanir is the name of one of the two groups of gods in Norse mythology, the other and more well known being the Ã†sir. ... The giants Fafner and Fasolt seize Freyja in Arthur Rackhams illustration to Richard Wagners version of the Norse myths. ... A small forest elf (Ã¤lva) rescuing an egg, from SolÃ¤gget (1932), by Elsa Beskow An elf is a mythical creature of Germanic mythology/paganism which still survives in northern European folklore. ... In Norse mythology, the dwarves (Old Norse: dvergar, sing. ... The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ... In Norse religion the einherjar or einheriar, were spirits of warriors who had died bravely in battle. ... The Norns spin the threads of fate at the foot of Yggdrasil, the tree of the world. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... Thors battle against the giants, by MÃ¥rten Eskil Winge, 1872 Thor (Old Norse: ÃžÃ³rr) is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder in Norse Mythology and more generally Germanic mythology (Old English: Ãžunor, Old Dutch and Old High German: Donar, from Proto-Germanic *Ãžunraz). ... This 19th century representation of Freyr shows him with his boar Gullinbursti and his sword. ... Freyja, in an illustration to Wagners operas by Arthur Rackham. ... This picture, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net. ... Balders death is portrayed in this illustration from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ... TÃ½r, depicted here with both hands intact, is identified with Mars in this illustration from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ... This illustration shows a 19th century attempt to visualize the world view of the Prose Edda. ... In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap (seeming emptiness or gaping gap) was a vast chasm that existed before the ordering of the world. ... In Norse mythology, RagnarÃ¶k (fate of the gods[1]) is the battle at the end of the world. ... The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems from the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. ... The Younger Edda, known also as the Prose Edda or Snorris Edda is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. ... Excerpt NjÃ¥ls saga in the MÃ¶Ã°ruvallabÃ³k (AM 132 folio 13r) circia 1350. ... The Volsung Cycle is the name of a series of Germanic legends based on the same matter as Niebelungenlied, and which were recorded in medieval Iceland. ... The Tyrfing Cycle is a collection of legends united by the magic sword Tyrfing. ... A rune stone in Lund Rune stones are stones with runic inscriptions dating from the early Middle Ages but are found to have been used most prominently during the Viking Age. ... Old Norse is the Germanic language spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300. ... The orthography of the Old Norse language since the introduction of the Latin alphabet in Iceland is a thorny subject. ... Norse mythology provides a rich and diverse source which many later writers have borrowed from or built upon. ... The Viking Age is the name of the period between 793 and 1066 AD in Scandinavia and Britain, following the Germanic Iron Age (and the Vendel Age in Sweden). ... The skald was a member of a group of courtly poets, whose poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry. ... In literature, a kenning is a compound poetic phrase, a figure of speech, substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. ... The BlÃ³t was the pagan Germanic sacrifice to Norse gods and Elves. ... Seid (Old Norse: seiÃ°r, sometimes anglicized as seidhr, seidh, seidr, seithr or seith) was a form of shamanism practised by pre-Christian Norse and arguably other Germanic cultures and continued in modern times by people who practice the reconstructionist beliefs of ÃsatrÃº or heathenry. ... Numbers are significant in Norse mythology although not to the extent which they are in some traditions e. ... Norse cosmology, as it is given us in the source material for Norse mythology recognizes the existence of nine worlds, assigned the ending -heimr (home, realm, or world) or in some cases -garÃ°r (homestead, yard or earth). ... // Places Asgard BifrÃ¶st Bilskirnir Breidablik Elivagar Fyris Wolds Gandvik Ginnungagap Helgardh Hlidskjalf Hvergelmir JÃ¶tunheimr Leipter River Kormet Midgard Muspelheim Nastrond Nidavellir Niflheim Ormet Reidgotaland Slidr River Svartalfheim Utgard Valhalla Vanaheim Vimur Yggdrasil Events Fimbulwinter RagnarÃ¶k Artifacts Balmung Brisingamen Draupnir Dromi Eitr Mjolnir SkÃÃ°blaÃ°nir Gram Gungnir...