The Female Grave of Nordre Kjølen
Near the Nordre Kjølen farm in Solør, a Viking female grave from the second half of the 10th century AD was discovered. The Viking woman in this grave was a warrior from an aristocratic family. She was buried with various weapons, a sword, axe, arrows, bow, spear and shield. With this blog, we want to emphasize the diversity of her life. That's why we've put together a fitting 10th-century outfit that she would have worn outside of battle.
The young lady from Solør died at 18-19 years of age and found her final resting place at a prominent location, clearly marked as her grave. Traditionally, when weapons are discovered in a grave, it's assumed to be the grave of a man. Furthermore, physical remains are often absent in such graves, making it difficult to determine gender through DNA analysis. For a long time, it was thought that the weapons in her grave had ceremonial significance. However, the wound on her forehead is a crucial indicator of the impact of an enemy axe that even caused damage to her skull. From this we can conclude that this Viking woman absolutely did not use her weapons solely for ceremonial purposes.
For practical reasons, women probably preferred to fight in men's clothing rather than women's clothing. According to Anglo-Saxon chronicles, Æthelflæd of the English kingdom of Mercia wore men's clothing during the war against the Vikings. But outside of combat, this young woman wore noble women's clothing as depicted in the tapestry found in the Oseberg ship burial.
At Nordre Kjølen, no traces were found of objects that women were traditionally buried with. This blog therefore presents an artistic impression.
Grave Reconstruction
Curious about the reconstruction of the actual grave?
Viking Women's Clothing
Undergown
The undergown was the foundation of Ingibjorg's clothing and was essentially a long tunic. She also slept in it.
Dress
Ingibjorg wears a luxurious dress with embroidery. There is little evidence of Viking embroidery found, though clothing was likely decorated with gold and silver thread.
Hangeroc
Ingibjorg wears a red hangeroc, which must have been an enormous status symbol. Textiles could be dyed red with madder, a plant that did not grow in Scandinavia. The hangeroc is trimmed with an embroidered edge to emphasize her wealth.
Viking Shoes
Ingibjorg wears Viking shoes that are based on finds from the ship burial at Oseberg.
Belt
The belt held the clothing together and was used to hang various practical objects.
Shield Brooches + Accessories
The shield brooch or tortoiseshell brooches were used to pin the shoulder straps of the hangeroc to the fabric. About half of the women's graves from Birka contained shield brooches, suggesting they may have been worn only by certain wealthier classes or free women (women with full legal status).
Various practical items and jewelry could be hung from the shield brooches. This was possible by using small hooks.
Ingibjorg used the pick and nail cleaner for her personal hygiene. She may also have used an ear spoon, which is comparable to the modern cotton swab.
A needle case was also essential for a wealthy Viking woman. Although Ingibjorg was skilled in the art of warfare, she likely also mastered traditional women's crafts such as sewing, embroidery and weaving.
Knife
A knife was essential in the daily life of every Viking. Ingibjorg would therefore always have carried one.
Cloak
Various depictions of Viking women show short cloaks or shawls. These were probably made of wool and could be fastened at the throat with a brooch.
Brooch
The so-called ring fibula was developed by the Celts in the late Roman period. The design was further developed by Vikings from the Irish Sea area into the thistle brooch or thistle fibula, named after the ends that resemble the head of a thistle. These brooches were made of silver and were absolute status symbols, consistent with Ingibjorg's important aristocratic status. The original of this brooch dates from the middle of the 10th century.
