Shieldmaiden

Hervor dying after the battle with the Huns. A painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo

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.

According to Nordisk familjebok, shieldmaidens appear also in stories of other Germanic nations: Goths, Cimbri and Marcomanni as well as the Sarmatians. They were J.R.R. Tolkien's inspiration for Éowyn.

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.

According to Saxo Grammaticus, 300 shieldmaidens fought on the Danish side at the Battle of Bråvalla, in the year of 750.

	Norse mythology
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This page was last modified 00:01, 19 March 2007 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikipedia. Based on work by Wikipedia user(s) Aciram, Neddyseagoon, Berig, Walgamanus, PoccilScript, Helios, Bobo192, Joke dst, Xanzzibar, YurikBot, Jwy, Izalithium, Glenn, Briangotts, Agentsoo, JustSomeKid, A Train, Wiglaf, Anárion, Neg and Jallan.
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	Norse mythology
	List of Norse gods \| Æsir \| Vanir \| Giants \| Elves \| Dwarves \| Troll \| Valkyries \| Einherjar \| Norns \| Odin \| Thor \| Freyr \| Freyja \| Loki \| Balder \| Týr \| Yggdrasil \| Ginnungagap \| Ragnarök
	Sources: Poetic Edda \| Prose Edda \| The Sagas \| Volsung Cycle \| Tyrfing Cycle \| Rune stones \| Old Norse language \| Orthography \| Later influence
	Society: Viking Age \| Skald \| Kenning \| Blót \| Seid \| Numbers
	People, places and things