NORSE warrior women will lead the way at an annual Viking festival as the event explores the untold stories of the women of the age.
Visitors to the Jorvik Viking Festival in York will see the Shield Maidens in action during a battle recreation, and joining the March to Coppergate, a parade from York Minster to the Jorvik Viking Centre.
The festival opens on Wednesday, and includes living history encampments, craft demonstrations and workshops, and a Viking feast as well as the Battle Spectacular.
The event draws academics from around the world to a lecture programme built around the theme of Viking women. Marketing manager, Beth Dawes said: “In the last 12 months, we’ve seen huge celebration of women gaining the vote in England, following centuries of having limited rights compared to their male counterparts, but many people will be surprised to learn that Viking women held many rights – including the right to own and inherit land – that were washed away by the Norman invasion, not to be regained for another eight or nine hundred years.
“This year, Jorvik Viking Festival will explore the strong women of the Viking era – queens, explorers and warriors – and the academic debate around female warriors.”
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