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Writer's pictureJaya Julienne Ashmore

Freedom from assumptions


Interesting to notice how much and how long we can ignore hints about surprising truths.

A wealthy Viking warrior--with arms stronger than those of modern athletes, more than 1,000 years ago--was a woman.

For decades--since the 1880s-- scientists "unquestioned"--the archaeological site of an "‘ideal’ Viking male warrior grave" was all about a man. It was a Viking warrior grave, but not for a male.

I love when false assumptions get dissolved--a relief that ripples through the now slightly freer-ranging mind and culture. Not that all new role models need to be warrior women, but it is cool to see how culture starts to enjoy and allow this small truth to come to light.

"Viking lore had long hinted that not all warriors were men. One early tenth-century Irish text tells of Inghen Ruaidh (“Red Girl”), a female warrior who led a Viking fleet to Ireland. And Zori notes that numerous Viking sagas, such as the 13th-century Saga of the Volsungs, tell of 'shield-maidens' fighting alongside male warriors.

"But some archaeologists had considered these female warriors to be merely mythological embellishments—a belief colored by modern expectations of gender roles."

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/09/viking-warrior-woman-archaeology-spd/?utm_source=NatGeocom&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=inside_20171125&utm_campaign=Content&utm_rd=652823020


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