Get Access The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History Of Viking Warrior Women Written And Illustrated By Nancy Marie Brown Accessible As Hardcover

this subject was fascinating and had me locked in from just the title, I found this a struggle to read, The research is there. The history is laid out and discrepancies touched upon, The facts as shown are very interesting, However, that being said, the writing is lackluster and tedious, It didn't flow well at all, At least not for me, It was hard to even want to pick this up and continue on,

If this is a subject that interests you, don't let my lack of enthusiasm persuade you to pass it up.
This may be one that wows you as it has so many other readers,

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a review copy, All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone,."engrossing, immersive, speculative" !!!

Honorable Mention Read

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and St, Martin's Press for an ecopy, I am providing my honest review, This was released in August,

This book was a delight to read, Ms. Brown has taken newly found information of a burial of a Viking warrior that has been misgendered, She names this warrior Hervor and we are taken on an absolutely thrilling journey and guided into herstory through a reexamination of Viking sagas, historical thought and archaeological findings.
Ms. Brown creates a plausible interpretation of what it was like to be a female warrior in preChristian Viking times circath toth century.


Ms. Brown takes on a thrilling journey of what a possible life was this female warrior and she explores the history of Scandinavia, Ireland, Estonia and deep into Central Asia.
She describes the weaponry, food and customs, We learn about both industrial and domestic arts and the roles of the royalty, warrior class and peasantry, She does not shy away from the brutalities, cruelties and slave trading as well as the revelry and family structures, The tapestry is woven and we begin to see that this brutal harsh life was also exciting, thrilling and full of adventure.


An absolutely exciting and educational read, Thanks for all your efforts Ms, Brown !

I would love to have the knowledge and understanding of Viking history that this author is comfortable with, Nancy Marie Brown is talking TO the reader, not AT them, She breathes life into one particular littleknown scientific phenomenon: the discovery that one of the most honored graves of a Viking warrior contains female bones.
This discovery turned history and scientific research on its heels, The longestablished belief that all Viking warriors were men must now be completely reevaluated, and Ms, Brown presents her theory of what this Vikings life and times may have been like,
We meet Hervor and understand how her childhood was, how she moved from one region to another how she evolved into a fierce warrior who was respected and honored.
This study is based on scientific facts and data, but by giving life to one Viking, Ms, Brown creates a tangible and interesting woman one whose bones defied years of misunderstanding,
Viking history is constantly evolving based on new discoveries, and this finding was a major gamechanger, The Viking lifestyle was merciless, demanding, ritualistic and deep, Like them or not, the Vikings made a lasting impact on the evolution of Man and Woman, teehee,
Sincere thanks to St, Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review, The publishing date was August,,

This is the only book I have been able to read this month, and it was very interesting and good.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, Thank you!

In, DNA analysis was used on the bones found in an important burial site previously unearthed in Birka, Sweden.
These bones are believed to be those of a Viking warrior due to the weapons and other tools found within the grave.
Scholars were then shocked to learn that these bones belonged to a female, The Real Valkyrie does a fantastic job of using science and archaeology to show that Viking women had more agency than we have previously believed.
Brown does an excellent job imaging what the life of the warrior found in Birka, who she names Hervor, might have been like.
She uses her expansive knowledge of Viking history and sagas to bring theth century Viking world and society to life, The Real Valkyrie shows how modern assumptions and biases have shaped what we think about Viking women more than

real data and facts have.


This is a wellresearched and thought provoking book, While discussing what Hervor's story may have been, Brown shows off her incredible storytelling skills as well, This is an aspect of the book that I really enjoyed, She images how Hervor's life might have intersected with other amazing Viking women such as Queen Gunnhild MotherofKings, Queen Olga, and other figures.
It's very enjoyable and engaging to read through, I recommend it to anyone interesting Viking society and history, as well as the history of women, It provides great insight into the subject and makes you wonder what else have historians gotten wrong in the past, Informative, engrossing and extensively researched!

Birka, a Viking town located on an island outside of Stockholm, Sweden, is home to overViking graves.
One of the graves was excavated inand the contents led archeologists to believe it was the grave of a Viking warrior.
It was presumed that the warrior was male until,

"In, DNA tests revealed to the collective shock of many scholars that a Viking warrior in a highstatus grave in Birka, Sweden was actually a woman.
"

What was this female warrior's life like

Science and history collide in this book, The author has done extensive research using archelogy, history, and DNA in addition to poems, Nordic fables, and literature to show what life might have been like for women living in medieval times.
Life was not easy back then and Viking women were tough as nails, Viking women carried weapons, they fought, they survived, they lived, they died, The writer informs readers in the beginning of the book that she is using both fact and fiction in this book, She gives the female Viking a name and imagines what her life was like, what did she experience, how she lived,

The author also looks at religion, how history is told, cultural influences and gender, History How is it influenced Who does the telling How are the facts changed How does religion affect history How have societys perception of women, changed how Viking woman have been thought of in history Interesting things to consider while reading this book.


The author also mentions Lagertha, portrayed by Katheryn Winnick in the show Vikings, That show was the reason, I was interested in reading this book, I found this book to be fascinating, beautifully written and researched, I loved her take on what a female Viking's life might have looked like as she met other notable women during her life.
The book is rich in detail and provides food for thought,

Interesting, powerful, and Riveting,

Thank you to St, Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, All the thoughts and opinions are my own,

Read more of my reviews at sitelinkwww, openbookposts. com In, DNA tests showed that the grave of a presumed male Viking warrior was that of a woman, The author uses archeology, literature and history to outline the possible life of this woman, and describe life in medieval times,

I initially wanted to read this book because I was so tickled that the assumption that the warrior was a man was proved incorrect.
But I kept reading the book because it was interesting learning about Viking life, Wow those women were tough as were the men,
While I found the book to be well written it wasn't what I expected, I was expecting something more substantial than just well this could have happened and putting in Norse mythology and poems from thes.
Perhaps someone with a more avid interest in archeology would enjoy this more than I did, So with the thinking that there are a lot more books out there that I would actually enjoy I gave this one up.
Based on just bones, an elaborate grave, and her expansive knowledge of history, Nancy Marie Brown leads her readers through the probable life of of a powerful and successful female Viking Warrior.
Alternating between imagined scenes from the life of this warrior, whom Brown names Hervor, and wellresearched history, Brown discusses theth century Viking world and the way that this warrior would have existed within it.
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of this book is that Brown uses Hervor's story to expose the real role what women played in Viking society, particularly that of the female warrior.
Brown carefully teases apart the fact from Victorian age adaptations and modern assumptions to reveal the very real story of one Viking woman and how she represents an entire group of warriors.


I really enjoyed this book, I went into it expecting a historical fiction and was surprised to find that this was more concrete history than fiction, However, it was a pleasantly surprised, and I found that Brown expertly weaves the history into chapters of Hervor's life, and does so in a way that is highly engaging.
Readers who enjoy history will love this book, and I believe people on the fence about straight history will also be able to enjoy it.


Thank you to St, Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,
The Real Valkyrie is an interesting way to write a history book, In truth, it is history with a bit of historical fiction wrapped around it at times, allowing author Nancy Marie Brown to embellish an actual character from the distant past.
Readers are seldom allowed such a taste of ancient lands and the people who inhabit them,

Ms. Brown questions previous notions of the past, asserting that the customs of those who previously interpreted former eras did so through assumptions based upon their own customs.
The author presents facts to support her claims, that there were female warriors, and more than we thought,

One warrior was excavated in Birka, Sweden, Ms. Brown assigned her the name of Hervor, a person who did live during the Viking Age, Hervor serves as the main character in the historical fiction sections, educating us on how her life might have progressed, Whats very interesting is the way the author uses writings, poetry, odes, and other literary items that have survived, and clothes the life of Ms.
Browns Hervor with historical truths,

This is a wonderful way to learn, and it really made the book a quick read, The Real Valkyrie is filled with supporting documentation, and I couldnt help but appreciate the wonderful method used to present a history book with a story woven throughout.
Highly recommended to history readers and those curious about the Viking past, Five.

My thanks to Net/Galley and St, Martins Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book,
Originally published on my book blog, sitelinkTheBibliophage, com.

Nancy Marie Brown combines history and imagination in her upcoming book, The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women.
If you follow me, you know that I love books about Vikings and Norse people, And this is the best Ive ever read, It covers a wide range of topics, instead of just focusing on who fought who for what pieces of land, Once it publishes in late August, Ill add a hard copy to my shelf,

Brown centers her narrative around one specific ancient grave in a Swedish town named Birka, Here lies a Viking warrior, Archaeologists originally assumed the warrior was a man, but their methods improved over time, Now we know the warrior is a woman,

We also know her approximate dates of life, By examining her bones, scientists determine where she lived as a child, So, Brown takes the hard science, combines it with all the surviving goods in the grave, and imagines a life for this warrior.
She names her Hervor.

By telling Hervors story, or more accurately, her imagining of the story, Brown explains multiple aspects of Viking culture, When she explains the weapons found in the grave, we learn how they were made and used, While we think of Vikings using broadswords, they also were master archers, They also used axes for many purposes beyond just the battlefield,

And because weapons were different in various cultures of the time, we can determine where Hervor traveled, This is the gateway into information about what cultures the Vikings influenced, The coins in this grave and many others also have distinct origins, So again, Brown delves into various monetary systems from Scandinavian countries to those of Asian locales further East,

Viking Craftsman
In addition to all these battle related items, Brown also talks in detail about the kinds of craftsman in Viking culture.
For example, Hervors grave had a distinctive silver piece consistent with a type of hat worn along the famous Silk Road in Asia.
Some scraps of fabric show a particular type of work known to be common in that same area,

Brown doesnt just say, “this came from there, ” Instead, she describes how women learned the art of weaving, embroidery, and sewing, In the context of Hervors youth, we see how some girls moved into typical home arts and others leaned towards the life of trading and marauding.


As she describes these craftspeople, Brown also makes clear that they were highly respected, In some cases, the Queen of a given region would be in charge of the craftsmen, This was particularly true of fabricrelated tasks, but not limited to them, Providing fabric meant planning an entire manufacturing process, so it was no small responsibility, The best quality fabrics were made to trade, And the least quality went to the household slaves,

Viking Traders and Slavers
Yes, Vikings had slaves, And they traded slaves along with all the other goods they sold throughout their part of the world, Usually, slaves were people captured as one tribe conquered another, They were often from two regions of the same country, or from two adjacent countries, So, its quite different from how we think of slaves as being stolen from an entirely separate continent, Brown devastatingly lays out the values of various types of slaves, She explains how archaeologists know where the markets were, This section was the hardest part of the book to read, But its a hard, cold truth, Slavery didnt begin inbut has been a tragic fact of life for centuries,

Mythology and Religious Beliefs
Rather than separate the Norse mythology, stories, and poetry into a separate section, Brown weaves them throughout her narrative.
In fact, many of her explanations are rooted in these stories, This means that the line between fact and fiction is blurred, but Brown makes it as clear as possible,

History happens alongside the writings in some cases, And in others, the writing happens hundreds of years after the events it purports to describe, In that case its heavily influenced by the Christian Church, Its here that we see the role of Viking warrior women erased, Because the Church wasnt served by the idea of strong women, They preferred forcing women into a specific kind of life, And thats why Hervors grave was originally assumed to hold the remains of a man, But Brown proves the patriarchy wrong by combining scholarship and imagination,

My conclusions
This book is everything I hoped Arthur Hermans sitelinkrecent book would be but wasnt.
Its full of heart, chutzpah, and reveals the fullness of a Viking womans life, Brown is both teacher and storyteller, Her deft combination of all aspects of this story paints an inspiring picture, Most of what Hervor and her companions achieve makes me proud to have Norwegian DNA, Except the slavery, which is heartbreaking no matter how common,

After watching all seasons of The Vikings on the History Channel, my favorite character is Lagertha, She a fierce shield maid, mother, farmer, and battle worn woman, I loved Browns shout out to her,
But even more, I want a show about my new heroine, Hervor, In the meantime, Ill just keep revisiting this book and delving into Browns other work about the Viking culture, Im also glad for her extensive bibliography, since it offers considerable opportunity for continued learning,

Anyone curious about the fiercely feminist aspects of Norse culture should read this book, I highly recommend it.

sitelinkPair with sitelinkKristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, which is fictional, based in Norway and about the details of a womans life.


Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, St, Martins Press, and the author for a digital advanced readers copy in exchange for this honest review, .