(INTENSE MUSIC)
Narrator: IN THE DARK AGES,
SEABORNE RAIDERS LEFT THEIR SCANDINAVIAN HEARTLAND,
SPREADING TERROR ACROSS THE COASTS OF EUROPE.
FEARSOME VIKING WARRIORS HAD A REPUTATION
AS RUTHLESS PAGAN PILLAGERS WHO LEFT THEIR WIVES BEHIND.
BUT NEW ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
REVEAL A STARTLING TWIST TO HISTORY,
VIKING WARRIOR WOMEN.
FOR CENTURIES, HISTORIANS BELIEVED
ALL VIKING WARRIORS WERE MEN.
UNTIL A SMALL ISLAND IN CENTRAL SWEDEN
GAVE UP AN ASTONISHING SECRET
THAT IT HAD BEEN HIDING FOR OVER 1000 YEARS.
THE ISLAND WAS HOME TO BIRKA,
THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT VIKING TRADING TOWN.
AROUND ITS GARRISON,
OVER 4,500 VIKING GRAVES WERE DISCOVERED.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: HERE WITHIN EYESIGHT FROM THIS
HILL FORT RAMPART AND THE GARRISON JUST BELOW IT,
THERE IS A GRAVE OF A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT WARRIOR.
Narrator: BURIED WITH THE BIRKA WARRIOR WERE TWO HORSES,
A SWORD, AN AX AND SPEARS.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: OTHER THINGS WITHIN THE GRAVE INCLUDE
A BUNCH OF ARMOR PIERCING ARROWS.
SO IT IS THIS COMPLETE SET OF ALL THE WEAPONS
THAT WE WOULD EXPECT FROM A PROFESSIONAL WARRIOR.
Narrator: BUT RIGOROUS FORENSIC,
SCIENTIFIC AND DNA TESTING REVEALED A STARTLING FACT,
THIS WAR CHIEF WAS A WOMAN.
THE DISCOVERY CHALLENGED CENTURIES
OF ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT VIKINGS.
BASED ON THESE REMARKABLE, NEW ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDINGS,
WE TELL THE STORY OF A FICTIONAL VIKING WARRIOR NAMED SIGNE,
WHO GOES ON AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
AS AN EXPLORER, AND RAIDER.
(INTENSE HORN MUSIC)
IN THE MID-10TH CENTURY,
20-YEAR-OLD SIGNE IS THE ONLY DAUGHTER OF A VIKING CHIEF.
SHE HAS GROWN UP HUNTING FOR FUR AND FOOD
IN THE DENSE FORESTS OF CENTRAL SWEDEN.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
TOUGH AND FEARLESS,
SIGNE IS PART OF A MALE-DOMINATED WARRIOR SOCIETY.
Gardela: FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF THEIR CHILDHOOD,
CHILDREN WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO SEEING
ALL ASPECTS OF WAR AND MILITARY ACTIVITIES.
AND THIS IS ALSO CLEAR FROM ARCHEOLOGY.
WE HAVE SMALL WEAPONS.
WE HAVE MINIATURE SHIELDS.
THEY ARE TYPICALLY MADE OF SILVER.
AND THEY’RE BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED WITH SPIRAL MOTIFS.
AND WHAT I HAVE HERE IS A MINIATURE AX,
OFTEN BURIED WITH YOUNG BOYS.
BUT THIS PARTICULAR EXAMPLE
COMES FROM A FEMALE GRAVE FROM NORWAY.
Narrator: SIGNE AND HER FATHER’S MEN
ARE ON THEIR ANNUAL TRIP TO TAKE THEIR PRECIOUS FURS
TO THE VIKING TOWN OF BIRKA.
BIRKA WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MARKET TOWNS
IN THE VIKING WORLD,
WITH A PROTECTED INLAND HARBOR THAT CONNECTED IT
TO THE BALTIC SEA.
CLUES TO THE LIFESTYLE OF OUR IMAGINED HERO
ARE PROVIDED BY THE WARRIOR WOMAN FOUND BURIED AT BIRKA.
HER REMAINS ARE KEPT IN STOCKHOLM.
Kjellstrom: THE SKELETON IS RATHER POORLY PRESERVED,
SO WHEN I TRIED TO DO A SEX ESTIMATION,
THERE WEREN’T THAT MANY FEATURES THAT I COULD LOOK AT.
BUT THERE IS THIS PART OF THE HIP BONE,
THAT IS VERY BROAD AND OPEN.
AND THEN YOU HAVE A SCAR, THE PREAURICULAR SULCUS,
SO THIS SUGGESTS THAT IT’S A FEMALE.
WE TOOK SAMPLES FROM HER MOLARS.
SINCE THE TEETH DEVELOP DURING OUR CHILDHOOD,
WE CAN SEE IF PEOPLE HAVE MOVED.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: SHE’S NOT A LOCAL TO THE BIRKA CONTEXT,
SHE’S PROBABLY FROM THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE VIKING WORLD,
THE SOUTHWESTERN PARTS.
SO, SHE’S LIVED THIS KIND OF MOBILE LIFE
THAT WE WOULD ALSO EXPECT FROM SOMEBODY
VERY HIGH UP IN SOCIETY.
Narrator: AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL HUNT,
THE CHIEF IS PLEASED WITH HIS DAUGHTER.
(SOMBER STRING MUSIC)
Gardela: AXES PLAYED A VERY SYMBOLIC ROLE
IN THE VIKING WORLD.
TO BUILD A BOAT, TO CONSTRUCT A HOUSE, TO PREPARE DINNER.
BUT YOU CAN ALSO USE IT AS A WEAPON.
WE KNOW FROM NORWEGIAN VIKING AGE GRAVES
THAT ON OCCASION WOMEN WERE ALSO GIVEN AXES.
AND THESE AXES SERVED AS SYMBOLS OF STATUS AND POWER.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Narrator: THE ROADS TO BIRKA WERE DANGEROUS.
THIEVES WOULD PREY ON THE TRADER’S GOODS.
(THIEVES SCREAMING)
(WOMAN SCREAMING)
(INTENSE MUSIC)
AS SHE WATCHES IN HORROR,
SIGNE CAN TELL BY THE LEADER’S DISTINCTIVE OUTFIT
THAT HE IS A SLAV FROM ACROSS THE BALTIC SEA.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
VIKINGS WITH NO MEANS OF INCOME
COULD TURN TO BANDITRY ON LAND AS WELL ON SEA.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
ALL ALONE, SIGNE HIDES HIS BODY FROM WILD ANIMALS.
SHE IS THE CHIEF’S ONLY CHILD.
ACCORDING TO VIKING TRADITION,
SHE MUST NOW SAVE THE FAMILY HONOR
AND AVENGE HER FATHER’S SLAUGHTER.
A MASSIVE TASK LIES AHEAD OF HER.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
Ramirez: VIKING SOCIETY IS RIGIDLY STRUCTURED
ON POINTS OF HONOR.
SIGNE HAS A DUTY TO MAKE THE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE LED TO HER FATHER’S DEATH
PAY FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE.
Narrator: REVENGE AND HONOR KILLINGS
HAPPENED ALL OVER THE VIKING WORLD,
BUT NOWHERE WERE THEY BETTER RECORDED THAN IN ICELAND.
THE UNYIELDING LANDSCAPES AND DARK WINTERS
INSPIRED MANY STORIES OF REVENGE.
Ward: IN ICELAND YOU HAVE VERY MANY SMALL VALLEYS
LIKE THIS WHERE PEOPLE AND NEIGHBORS WOULD LIVE
CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.
THEY ALL KNOW EACH OTHER FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND THIS COULD LEAD TO LOTS OF DIFFERENT DISPUTES.
Narrator: DURING THE LONG WINTERS,
VIKINGS WOULD LIVE IN COMMUNAL SPACES
WHERE MANY STORIES OF CONFLICT WERE TOLD
THAT WERE LATER RECORDED.
THESE HAVE BECOME KNOWN AS THE ICELANDIC SAGAS.
Ward: FROM THE ICELANDIC FAMILY SAGAS,
WE HAVE A SET OF RULES OF HOW REVENGE
IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE.
THERE IS NO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.
THERE IS NO POLICE YOU CAN CALL.
SO, IF A FATHER IS KILLED, IF THE BROTHERS ARE KILLED,
THEN IT WILL FALL TO OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS
TO MAINTAIN THE FAMILY HONOR AND TO SEEK REVENGE.
BUT IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU’RE FAR FROM HOME
THEN THAT OBLIGATION WOULD ALWAYS BE PRIMARILY YOUR OWN.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Narrator: BEREFT AND DESTITUTE,
SIGNE ARRIVES AT BIRKA.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Hedenstierna-Jonson: BIRKA IN THE 10TH CENTURY
WOULD BE A FULLY BLOOMING VIKING TOWN.
IT WAS A VERY, VERY WEALTHY PLACE.
IT GATHERED RICHES, BOTH IN TERMS OF SILVER,
BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF EXOTIC OBJECTS AND KNOWLEDGE.
SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH DEFENDING.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Narrator: AS THE LARGEST EASTERN PORT
OF THE VIKING HEARTLAND,
BIRKA SPECIALIZED IN TRADE TO THE EAST.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: THAT’S VERY CLEAR FROM THE ARCHEOLOGY
THAT THEY HAD
AN EASTERN WAY OF DRESSING.
THEY HAD EXOTIC OBJECTS FROM THE EAST.
Narrator: COLORFUL BEADS FROM INDIA,
THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA WERE FOUND IN THE GRAVES
OF THE BIRKA VIKING ELITE.
THEY WERE A RARE LUXURY ITEM.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: WHAT THE TOWN DOES, IS TO REFINE THINGS.
ADVANCED CRAFTS.
THERE’S A LARGE PRODUCTION OF TEXTILES ON THE ISLAND.
IT TAKES RAW MATERIAL.
IT TAKES EXPERTISE IN ONE PLACE AND THAT BECOMES THE TOWN.
Narrator: EXHAUSTED BY HER LONG JOURNEY,
SIGNE SEEKS AN AUDIENCE WITH THE POWERFUL CHIEF OF BIRKA.
Ward: A VIKING AGE LEADER HAD TO BE BEYOND REPROACH.
SOMEBODY THAT PEOPLE REALLY GENUINELY ADMIRED.
IT WASN’T JUST BASED ON YOUR TITLE OR YOUR RANK.
YOU ALWAYS HAD TO BE PROVING YOUR WORTH AS A LEADER.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Ramirez: VIKING CHIEFS WOULD’VE LIVED UNDER THE SAME ROOF
AS THEIR CLOSEST WARRIORS.
THIS IS A CONTAINED WORLD OF THE HALL.
SIGNE AS AN OUTSIDER WOULD HAVE FOUND IT VERY HARD
TO GET THE ATTENTION OF THIS IMPORTANT MAN.
Narrator: THE UNKNOWN VISITOR IS WATCHED
BY THE CHIEF’S TRUSTED WARRIOR,
AALGUT, COMMANDER OF THE BIRKA GARRISON.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
SIGNE NEEDS THE CHIEF TO PAY FOR A BURIAL
SUITABLE FOR A MAN OF HER FATHER’S STANDING.
ALONE, SURROUNDED BY ARMED STRANGERS,
SIGNE RISKS EVERYTHING FOR HER FAMILY’S HONOR.
IN THE 10TH CENTURY TOWN OF BIRKA,
THE VIKING WOMAN SIGNE FACES A CHALLENGE.
SIGNE DEMANDS THAT THE BIRKA CHIEF BURIES HER FATHER.
NOTICING HER AX, HE REALIZES
THAT SHE MUST COME FROM A HIGH-RANKING FAMILY.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Signe: SIGNE.
Ward: THE PART OF SIGNE’S STORY
THAT I FIND THE MOST COMPELLING
IS THE DESIRE TO HAVE HER FATHER BURIED.
AND TO DO WHATEVER SHE COULD TO MAKE SURE
THAT HE IS TREATED WITH HONOR IN THE AFTERLIFE.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
Narrator: THE CHIEF SENDS HIS SERVANTS
TO RETRIEVE THE BODY OF HER FATHER AND PREPARE THE GRAVE.
ALL SHE HAS LEFT TO OFFER, IS HER FATHER’S SHIELD.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
SIGNE IS NOT THE ONLY MOURNER.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
THE BIRKA CHIEF HONORS HER FATHER
BY PROVIDING COSTLY WEAPONS AS GRAVE GOODS.
Ramirez: MOST ORDINARY VIKINGS
WOULD PROBABLY ONLY HAVE ONE WEAPON.
IT COULD BE A SPEAR, OR A SHORT SWORD, OR AN AX,
BUT TO HAVE A COMPLETE SET OF WEAPONS
DEPOSITED AS GRAVE GOODS WAS ESSENTIAL
FOR A HIGH-STATUS CHIEF.
THOSE WOULD BE THE WEAPONS HE WOULD TAKE WITH HIM
TO THE AFTERLIFE TO VALHALLA,
THAT SPECIAL PLACE WHERE ONLY THE BEST WARRIORS
WOULD FIGHT AND FEAST FOR ALL ETERNITY.
Narrator: BUT THE CHIEF HAS PLANS FOR SIGNE.
NOTHING IS FOR FREE.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
SIGNE IS GRATEFUL.
TOGETHER THEY PRAY TO THE GODDESS FREYA.
Eriksson: FREYA, SHE WAS THE GOD OF FERTILITY.
SHE WAS VERY IMPORTANT.
SHE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE HARVESTS.
AND ALSO WHEN A WOMAN GAVE BIRTH.
BUT FREYA IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH WAR,
BECAUSE DURING A BATTLE HALF OF THE MEN WENT TO VALHALLA
TO THE HOME OF ODIN AFTER DEATH.
BUT THE OTHER HALF WENT TO FREYA AND HER HOME.
SO SHE ACTUALLY TOOK CARE OF THE SOLDIERS.
Narrator: FROM THE 6TH CENTURY,
GAMLA UPPSALA WAS THE BURIAL PLACE OF THE PRE-VIKING KINGS.
WITHIN SIGHT OF THE MOUNDS,
OLD UPPSALA BECAME THE MEETING PLACE OF VIKING LEADERS.
THE SITE HAD A TEMPLE DEDICATED TO FREYA,
PROBABLY IN ONE OF THE GREAT HALLS,
LIKE THE ONE THAT STOOD HERE.
Eriksson: DURING THE VIKING AGE, GAMLA UPPSALA WAS THE ROYAL SEAT
AND IT WAS OFTEN UNDER ATTACK.
THERE WERE ENEMIES COMING TO GAMLA UPPSALA.
AND I THINK EVERYONE, NOT ONLY THE SOLDIERS,
ALL MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN HAD TO GRAB WEAPONS.
Narrator: NEW EVIDENCE FOR WOMEN TAKING UP ARMS
COMES FROM THE EXCAVATED VIKING GRAVES AROUND GAMLA UPPSALA.
Eriksson: WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND CHAIN-MAIL,
THEY’RE ALWAYS IN MALE GRAVES,
BUT WE HAVE TWO EXCEPTIONS HERE IN GAMLA UPPSALA.
RECENTLY ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED TWO GRAVES
WHERE THERE WERE WOMEN BURIED WITH CHAIN MAILS,
AT LEAST THEY THINK THAT THEY WERE WOMEN
BECAUSE IN BOTH GRAVES WERE FEMALE STUFF
SUCH AS GLASS BEADS AND BROOCHES
AND OTHER KINDS OF JEWELRIES.
Narrator: SIGNE IS CALLED TO THE BIRKA CHIEF’S HALL.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
IN RETURN FOR ARRANGING HER FATHER’S BURIAL,
HE HAS A TASK FOR HER.
THE CHIEF HAS IDENTIFIED HER FATHER’S KILLER.
NOW HE SEES AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE HER DESIRE
TO TRACK DOWN THE SLAVIC TRADER.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
BY ELIMINATING THE SLAVIC TRADER,
HE CAN TAKE CONTROL
OF THE MOST LUCRATIVE TRADE IN EUROPE, SILK.
SILK WAS AN EXPENSIVE RARITY IN THE NORTH,
COMING ONLY FROM TRADERS DEEP IN WESTERN ASIA.
IF THE BIRKA CHIEF CAN CONTROL THE SILK TRADE,
HE WILL BE RICH.
HE ASKS SIGNE TO JOIN A RAID ACROSS THE BALTIC SEA
TO FIND THE SOURCE OF SILK.
Ramirez: VIKING SOCIETY WAS FOUNDED ON FAVORS.
SO AS A MATTER OF HONOR,
A YOUNG, PENNILESS WOMAN LIKE SIGNE
WITH NO POWERFUL CONNECTIONS IN BIRKA
HAD LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO ACCEPT THIS MISSION
IN ORDER TO REPAY HER DEBT.
Narrator: SIGNE NEEDS A GUIDE TO HELP HER TRACK DOWN
THE SLAVIC TRADER WHO KILLED HER FATHER.
SHE STARTS WITH THE SLAVIC SLAVES IN THE WORKSHOPS.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MALUSHA AND HER FATHER WERE CAPTURED
AND SOLD TO THE WORKSHOP
AS SLAVES BY THE SLAVIC TRADER.
Gardela: HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SLAVIC PEOPLE WAS VERY COMMON
IN THE VIKING AGE.
WE CAN SEE IT IN A VAST AREA SPANNING FROM WHAT IS TODAY
GERMANY ALL THE WAY THROUGH POLAND TO WHAT IS TODAY RUSSIA.
TO THE POINT THAT WE BELIEVE THAT THE TERM SLAVE
DERIVES FROM SLAV, WHICH IS AN ETHNIC TERM.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Narrator: MALUSHA CAN ONLY WATCH IN TERROR
AS HER COLLAPSED FATHER IS TAKEN AWAY.
A SLAVE THAT IS UNABLE TO WORK, WOULD BE SHOWN NO MERCY.
Gardela: WHEN YOU BECOME A SLAVE, YOU BECOME A COMMODITY.
YOU HAVE NO IDENTITY.
YOU’RE JUST ONE OF THOUSANDS.
Ramirez: VIKING SOCIETY WOULD NOT FUNCTION WITHOUT SLAVES.
THEY DID SO MANY JOBS, THEY WORKED IN FARMS, IN WORKSHOPS,
AND IN HOUSEHOLDS AS PERSONAL SERVANTS.
OR THEY MIGHT EVEN PROVIDE WIVES AND CHILDREN
FOR UNMARRIED MEN.
IF THEY WERE ILL OR AT THE POINT OF DYING,
THEY MAY SIMPLY JUST BEEN LEFT TO DIE IN THE ELEMENTS.
Narrator: BRAVE AND IMPULSIVE, MALUSHA IS NOW IN TROUBLE.
NO SLAVE HAS THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THEIR OWNER.
AS SHE IS DRAGGED AWAY TO BE BEATEN,
SIGNE REALIZES THAT THE SLAVE GIRL IS KEY
TO FINDING THE MURDERER OF HER FATHER.
IN THE 10TH CENTURY VIKING TOWN OF BIRKA, LIFE IS CHEAP.
BUT A BEATEN SLAVE GIRL MAY BE ABLE TO GUIDE
A VIKING RAID TO ITS TARGET.
SIGNE AND AALGUT ARE LED TO THE SLAVE QUARTERS.
SIGNE BELIEVES THE SLAVE MALUSHA MAY BE THE KEY
TO FINDING HER FATHER’S MURDERER.
IN THE BRAVE SLAVE GIRL,
SHE SEES A KINDRED SPIRIT WHO ALSO LOST HER FATHER.
LIKE HER, MALUSHA WOULD LIKE TO TAKE REVENGE
ON THE SLAVIC TRADER.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Signe: AALGUT
Narrator: AALGUT BUYS MALUSHA FOR THE MISSION.
Ramirez: FOR A SLAVE LIKE MALUSHA
THERE WERE WAYS IN WHICH SHE COULD MOVE HER WAY UP
THROUGH VIKING SOCIETY.
IF SHE WORKED REALLY HARD, IF SHE SHOWED GREAT LOYALTY,
SHE COULD IN FACT BE TAKEN IN ALMOST LIKE A FAMILY MEMBER.
SHE COULD MOVE UP THROUGH SOCIETY
AND PERHAPS EVEN BE FREED.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Narrator: WITH THEIR SLAVIC GUIDE
AND TRANSLATOR ON BOARD,
THE RAIDING PARTY IS READY TO DEPART.
UNDER COMMANDER AALGUT,
THEY PREPARE THEIR BOATS TO CROSS THE BALTIC SEA.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: THE BIRKA WARRIORS WOULD HAVE BEEN ACTIVE,
EVEN TRAVELLING ALONGSIDE THESE TRADING GROUPS,
DEFENDING THEM AND LOOKING AFTER THEIR INTERESTS.
Ward: WE KNOW IN THE VIKING WORLD
THAT WOMEN WERE PARTICIPATING
IN EXPLORATION AND IN TRADE,
AND SO IT DOES NOT SEEM UNREASONABLE
THAT THEY WOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN RAIDING.
Ramirez: THE VIKINGS WOULDN’T HAVE REFERRED
TO THEMSELVES AS VIKING,
BUT THEY WOULD HAVE USED THIS TERM
IN REFERENCE TO THE ACTION OF ’GOING A VIKING,’
THAT IS TO GO OUT ON THE WATERWAYS
AND DEPENDING ON WHO THEY ENCOUNTERED,
THEY COULD EITHER RAID OR THEY COULD TRADE.
Narrator: THE EXPEDITION LEAVES BIRKA
BEFORE THE AUTUMN STORMS SET IN.
Zachrisson: IT WOULD BE NORMAL TO GO OUT WHEN THE WINTER
WAS NOT THAT HARSH AND WHEN THE ICE WAS AWAY.
AND WHEN YOU WERE OUT, YOU COULD STAY OUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
Narrator: PASSING THROUGH THE LAKE MALAREN AREA,
THE BIRKA SHIPS CROSS THE GULF OF BOTHNIA.
THE SIX-WEEK JOURNEY WILL TAKE THEM ALONG
THE SHELTERED COAST OF FINLAND,
DEEP INTO THE RIVER NETWORKS OF THE EAST.
Gardela: THE AREA OF TODAY’S RUSSIA, BELARUS AND THE UKRAINE
IN THE VIKING AGE WAS KNOWN AS RUS.
THE RIVER NETWORK OF THE RUS
CONNECTED THE BALTIC WITH THE BLACK SEA
AND THIS CREATED FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRADE.
Narrator: THE FURTHER INLAND THE BIRKA WARRIORS TRAVEL,
THE MORE UNPREDICTABLE AND DANGEROUS
THE ENVIRONMENT BECOMES.
Gardela: THE NAME RUS PROBABLY REFERRED
TO A GROUP OF SCANDINAVIAN VIKINGS FROM MIDDLE SWEDEN
WHO IN THE COURSE OF TIME STARTED TO ASSIMILATE
WITH THE ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATION.
THERE WERE SLAVS, FINNS, NOMADIC WARRIORS
FROM AS FAR AS ASIA AND REGIONS AROUND THE BLACK SEA.
THEY HAD DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, DIFFERENT LANGUAGES,
AND DIFFERENT LIFE WAYS.
Narrator: THE BIRKA VIKINGS TAKE TURNS
AT ROWING AND RESTING.
UNLIKE THE OTHERS, SIGNE DOES NOT CARE MUCH
ABOUT THE RICHES TO BE GAINED FROM TRADE.
SHE USES THE LONG DAYS OF ROWING
TO BUILD UP HER STRENGTH,
IN PREPARATION FOR THE CONFRONTATION
WITH THE KILLER OF HER FATHER.
OTHER STRONG VIKING WOMEN ARE MENTIONED
BY THE MEDIEVAL WRITER SAXO GRAMMATICUS
WHO RECORDED THE VIKING AGE FOR THE DANISH KING.
Gardela: SAXO GRAMMATICUS TALKS ABOUT VIKING WOMEN.
THEY PREFERRED CONFLICTS INSTEAD OF KISSES.
THAT THEY TASTED BLOOD NOT LIPS.
WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT WOMEN WARRIORS,
HE SAYS THAT THEY ARE AS SKILLED AS MEN IN BATTLE.
HE ALSO MENTIONS THAT SOME OF THOSE WOMEN LED MEN,
AND THEY STOOD IN THE FOREFRONT OF ARMIES.
THEY HAD THE SAME FIGHTING SKILLS.
HE MENTIONS THE FAMOUS LAGERTHA,
A FEMALE WARRIOR WHO FOUGHT WITH FLOWING LOCKS OF HAIR,
FLEW OVER THE ARMIES
AND WAS ONE OF THE BRAVEST ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
Narrator: FURTHER EVIDENCE OF VIKING WOMEN WARRIORS
IS HELD IN THE ARCHIVES OF CONSTANTINOPLE,
CAPITAL OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE.
Ramirez: THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE,
WHO ACTUALLY HAVE QUITE A STRONG RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE VIKINGS, THEY TRADE WITH THEM.
THEY EVEN INCLUDE SOME OF THEM
IN THEIR OWN ARMY AS MERCENARIES.
THERE’S A PARTICULAR SOURCE THAT RECORDS
THAT ON THE DEFEAT OF THE VIKING ARMY
THEY WALKED AROUND THE BATTLEFIELD
AND ALONGSIDE MALE DEAD WARRIORS
THERE WERE IN FACT FEMALE WARRIORS TOO.
Narrator: AMONG THE EXPERIENCED BIRKA CREW
IS A FEMALE FIGHTER.
WEEKS OF TRAVEL IN A CONFINED SPACE TAKES ITS TOLL.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Woman: NAY
Ward: DURING THE VIKING AGE, IF YOU WERE IN A SITUATION
ON A VIKING BOAT,
YOU WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE TO PROVE YOUR WORTH
AND STAND UP FOR YOURSELF.
AND IF A WOMAN WERE ABLE TO DO THAT,
SHE WOULD BE AN EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN
THAT WOULD BE WELL RESPECTED.
Narrator: OVER HALF WAY INTO THEIR 900 MILE JOURNEY,
THE BIRKA VIKINGS REACH THE DNEPR
THAT FLOWS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BLACK SEA.
ALTHOUGH THE RIVER IS VAST,
IT DOES NOT ALLOW AN EASY PASSAGE.
THE DNEPR HAD MANY IMPASSABLE RAPIDS.
LIKE THE RIVER TRADERS THE BIRKA WARRIORS
ARE FORCED TO DRAG THEIR BOATS ACROSS LAND.
THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
THE RAPIDS PROVIDE AN IDEAL OPPORTUNITY FOR AN AMBUSH BY RUS
OR NOMAD WARRIORS THAT PREY ON MERCHANT SHIPS.
Ramirez: THE DNIEPER WAS A VITAL LINK BETWEEN THE VIKING WORLD
AND THE MAINLAND CONTINENT.
BY NAVIGATING ALONG THAT ROUTE, THEY COULD TRADE
WITH THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE, WITH THE ARAB WORLDS
AND COULD EVEN REALLY GET AS FAR AS ASIA AND THE FAR EAST.
Narrator: EXHAUSTED FROM THEIR LONG JOURNEY,
THE BIRKA VIKINGS ARE GETTING CLOSE TO THEIR TARGET.
COMMANDER AALGUT ORDERS THEM TO RESTOCK SUPPLIES
AND REPAIR THE BOATS.
SIGNE NEEDS TO IMPROVE HER FIGHTING SKILLS.
SWALLOWING HER PRIDE,
SHE ASKS COMMANDER AALGUT TO TRAIN HER.
SINCE SHE HASN’T GOT THE UPPER BODY STRENGTH OF A MAN,
HE FOCUSES ON HER MOVEMENTS.
Ramirez: THERE WERE SOME ADVANTAGES TO SMALLER WOMEN
FIGHTING AGAINST GREAT BIG STRONG MEN.
A WOMAN HAS A LOWER CENTER OF GRAVITY,
THEY COULD USE THEIR SIZE AND AGILITY TO THEIR ADVANTAGE.
Narrator: THE FULL SET OF WEAPONS
FOUND IN THE BIRKA WOMAN’S GRAVE INCLUDES A SPEAR,
AX, SWORD AND BATTLE KNIFE,
USED FOR TYPICAL VIKING COMBINATION FIGHTING.
Gardela: WE HAVE NOW ABOUT 30 FEMALE GRAVES WITH WEAPONS,
MOSTLY FROM NORWAY, BUT ALSO FROM SWEDEN AND FROM DENMARK.
IN ADDITION TO THE BIRKA GRAVE THERE IS ALSO A GRAVE
IN NORWAY WHICH APPEARS TO BE A FEMALE GRAVE
WITH A FULL SET OF WEAPONS.
Narrator: IT WAS DISCOVERED
IN THE 19TH CENTURY BY A FARMER.
Gardela: BURIED WITH THIS PERSON WAS A SWORD,
ALSO AN AX, A SPEAR.
AND AT THE WOMAN’S FEET THERE WAS ALSO A HORSE SKELETON.
SO, THIS IS QUITE SIMILAR TO THE CASE FROM BIRKA.
Zachrisson: I THINK THE LIFE STORY
OF THE WOMAN IN THE BIRKA GRAVE
WOULD HAVE BEEN SPECIAL.
NORMALLY IN WARRIOR BURIALS THERE ARE ONLY STALLIONS,
BUT IN THIS BURIAL, THERE IS A MARE AND A STALLION.
BOTH SEXES, THEY IMPLY
THAT IT’S SOMETHING SPECIAL WITH THIS BURIAL.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Narrator: THE BIRKA WARRIORS CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY,
FINALLY REACHING MALUSHA’S HOMELAND
WHERE SHE WAS CAPTURED BY THE SLAVIC TRADER.
AALGUT KNOWS THEY ARE GETTING CLOSE
TO THE SOURCE OF THE EXPENSIVE SILK.
THE VIKING RAIDERS ARE CLOSE TO THEIR DESTINATION.
FOR SIGNE, THE TIME FOR REVENGE IS DRAWING NEAR.
Ward: WITHIN THE SAGAS THEMSELVES
YOU HAVE WOMEN THAT ARE EXPLORERS.
YOU HAVE WOMEN THAT ARE GOING OUT ON EXPEDITIONS.
Narrator: THE MOST FAMOUS VIKING FEMALE EXPLORER
IS FREYDIS, WHO SET OFF WITH HER BROTHER LEIF ERIKSON
FROM GREENLAND TO DISCOVER AMERICA,
500 YEARS BEFORE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.
Ward: FROM THE ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDS IN NEWFOUNDLAND
WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE WOMEN ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING
IN THE EXPLORATION OF NORTH AMERICA.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Ward: FREYDIS IS THE DAUGHTER OF ERIK THE RED
WHO LIVED HERE IN THIS HOUSE.
HERE HE GOT IN FIGHTS WITH HIS NEIGHBORS
AND ACTUALLY HAD TO BE OUTLAWED AND MOVED TO GREENLAND.
ERIK IS KNOWN FOR HAVING A TERRIBLE TEMPER
AND HIS DAUGHTER FREYDIS
APPEARS TO HAVE HAD THE SAME SORT OF REPUTATION.
Narrator: THE EXPEDITION MAKES LANDFALL.
SIGNE SCOUTS AHEAD FOR SILK TRADERS
WHO COULD LEAD TO HER FATHER’S KILLER.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
THEY COME ACROSS A NOMADIC TRADER.
HE CLAIMS TO HAVE NO SILK,
BUT OFFERS EXPENSIVE WEAPONS,
HOPING THAT THE UNARMED SIGNE IS CARRYING VALUABLES.
MALUSHA IS SUSPICIOUS.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
SIGNE OWES HER LIFE TO A SLAVE.
MALUSHA HAS PROVEN HER LOYALTY.
AND THE NOMAD’S LAST WORDS INDICATE
THAT THEY ARE WITHIN REACH OF THE SLAVIC TRADER’S VILLAGE.
AT DUSK, AALGUT SILENTLY MOVES HIS WARRIORS
CLOSER TO THE VILLAGE.
HE SENDS SIGNE AND MALUSHA TO SCOUT AHEAD
UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE, A LITTLE GIRL FETCHES FIREWOOD.
MALUSHA TRIES TO BEFRIEND HER AND FIND OUT WHAT SHE CAN.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MALUSHA ASKS IF SILK WAS DELIVERED TO THE VILLAGE.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(SOMBER MUSIC)
SIGNE HAS ALL SHE NEEDS TO KNOW.
THE NEXT MORNING THE VIKINGS SURROUND
THE LIGHTLY DEFENDED VILLAGE.
COMMANDER AALGUT HAS DECIDED TO CAPTURE THE SILK
WITH A SURPRISE ATTACK.
SIGNE’S ONLY GOAL IS TO FIND HER FATHER’S MURDERER
AND KILL HIM.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
(MEN SCREAMING)
THE BIRKA VIKINGS FACE LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM THE VILLAGERS.
SIGNE SEARCHES FOR THE SLAVIC TRADER.
SOMETHING IS WRONG.
(MEN SCREAMING)
IT’S AN AMBUSH!
RUS VIKINGS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THEM.
HIDDEN IN THE GREAT HALL.
(MEN SCREAMING)
(INTENSE MUSIC)
THE BIRKA WARRIORS ARE HEAVILY OUTNUMBERED.
EVEN THE GREAT COMMANDER AALGUT
STRUGGLES AGAINST THE OVERWHELMING FORCE.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
KNOWING THE BATTLE IS LOST,
SIGNE HEADS TOWARDS THE GREAT HALL
IN A DESPERATE SEARCH FOR HER FATHER’S KILLER.
BUT SIGNE IS TOO LATE.
THE BIRKA VIKINGS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED
BY MERCENARIES FIGHTING FOR THE RUS VIKINGS.
THE DEFEATED SURVIVORS ARE TAKEN TO THE RUS VIKING CHIEF
WHO SEES VALUE IN THE WELL-TRAINED BIRKA WARRIORS.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WHILE THE BIRKA MEN ARE READY TO BECOME WELL PAID SOLDIERS.
SIGNE REFUSES TO SUBMIT.
HER HONOR WILL NOT ALLOW HER TO JOIN HER ENEMY.
AS SHE REMEMBERS HER FATHER’S FAITH IN HER,
SHE COMES UP WITH A PROPOSAL THAT WILL ALLOW HER TO LIVE
AND TAKE REVENGE.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
THE RUS VIKING CHIEF CAREFULLY CONSIDERS HER OFFER.
BY CUTTING OUT THE SILK TRADER
AND DEALING DIRECTLY WITH BIRKA,
HIS PROFITS WOULD BE FAR HIGHER.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(INTENSE MUSIC)
THE RUS CHIEF TAKES A CHANCE.
WITH HER LIFE SAVED, SIGNE PURSUES HER DEEPEST DESIRE.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
THE RUS CHIEF DECREES THAT SHE HAS THE RIGHT
TO CHALLENGE THE TRADER TO AN ANCIENT VIKING TRADITION,
A DUEL.
Ward: HOLMGANGIR MEANS TO GO OUT,
USUALLY TO SORT OF AN ISLAND.
IT WOULD BE ANY KIND OF CLOSED OFF AREA
WHERE TWO PEOPLE COULDN’T ESCAPE EASILY.
YOU COULD CHALLENGE A PERSON TO A DUEL
IF THEY HAD AFFRONTED YOUR DIGNITY.
AND THERE WOULD BE A POINT SYSTEM
ABOUT WHERE YOU WOULD HIT ANOTHER PERSON.
SO IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY FORMAL,
RITUALIZED WAY TO STAND UP
FOR YOUR OWN RIGHTS AND REPUTATION.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Narrator: BUT SIGNE DOES NOT CARE
ABOUT POINTS AND DIGNITY.
SHE WANTS BLOOD.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
AFTER A 900 MILE JOURNEY,
SIGNE CHALLENGES HER FATHER’S MURDERER TO A DUEL.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
SHE USES HER AGILITY AND DETERMINATION TO FIGHT BACK.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
HER HONOR IS RESTORED.
HER FATHER’S DEATH IS AVENGED.
WITH THE SLAVIC TRADER DEAD,
SIGNE CAN NOW FOCUS ON THE SILK TRADE.
THE RUS AGREE TO OPEN A TRADE LINK WITH BIRKA.
SIGNE IS GRANTED THE RIGHTS TO TAKE SILK, SLAVES AND SILVER,
AND TO RETURN WITH GOODS NEEDED BY THE RUS.
Gardela: DIFFERENT TRADE GOODS TRAVELED FROM SCANDINAVIA
TO THE BLACK SEA AREA AND TO THE DIFFERENT SETTLEMENTS
ALONG THE RIVER ROUTES.
THE TRADERS BROUGHT WITH THEM EXOTIC NORTHERN FURS,
CRAFTS AND MERCENARIES.
Narrator: WITH AALGUT DEAD,
SIGNE IS NOW LEADER OF THE MISSION.
ON THE LONG JOURNEY BACK TO BIRKA,
SIGNE PROVES HERSELF A TRUE COMMANDER.
Gardela: TRADERS RETURNING TO BIRKA FROM THE EAST
WOULD HAVE BECOME VERY PROMINENT
AND VERY HIGH-STATUS INDIVIDUALS,
BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE HAD ACCESS TO EXOTIC GOODS
THAT WERE UNAVAILABLE IN THE NORTH.
Narrator: THE VIKINGS IMPORTED WARES
FROM MANY DISTANT LANDS.
EVIDENCE OF THEIR WIDESPREAD TRADE WAS FOUND
IN THE GRAVES AROUND BIRKA.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: THE MOST EXOTIC GRAVE GOODS TO ME,
IS A RING WITH A STONE THAT SAYS ALLAH
THAT IS AN IMPORT FROM THE CALIPHATE.
AND IT’S JUST BEAUTIFUL.
Narrator: OVER THE YEARS,
SIGNE BECOMES A WELL-KNOWN EXPLORER,
OPENING UP MORE TRADE WITH EACH OF HER JOURNEYS
TO THE LANDS OF THE RUS VIKINGS.
AS A NEW MEMBER OF THE BIRKA ELITE,
SHE WOULD PLAY BOARD GAMES
WITH EQUALLY IMPORTANT TOWNSPEOPLE.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: GAMES AT THIS TIME
SIGNALED A SOCIAL STANDING.
IT SIGNALED THE LIFESTYLE THAT IS WARRIOR RELATED,
BUT IT ALSO SHOWS THAT YOU WERE PRACTICING
TACTICS AND STRATEGY.
IT’S A WAR GAME.
IT’S A BATTLE GAME.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Narrator: AS A WEALTHY TRADING TOWN,
BIRKA IS UNDER CONSTANT THREAT.
WHEN UNDER ATTACK, SIGNE, NOW AN EXPERIENCED WARRIOR LEADER,
IS CALLED UPON.
BUT DEATH CATCHES UP WITH SIGNE.
IN HER LIFETIME SIGNE HAD BECOME
A PILLAR OF BIRKA’S SOCIETY.
UNLIKE HER FATHER,
SHE IS BURIED WITH THE FULL HONORS OF A VIKING LEADER.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: IT WAS DURING A FUNERAL
THAT YOU SHOWED OFF
YOUR STATUS IN SOCIETY, YOUR WEALTH, YOUR CONNECTIONS.
IT’S VERY MUCH A SHOW FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
Narrator: LIKE SIGNE,
THE BIRKA WOMEN ALSO HAD VERY STRONG LINKS TO THE EAST.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: SHE WAS DRESSED IN GEAR
THAT WAS CONNECTED
TO THE EASTERN ROOT OF THE VIKINGS.
SHE HAD A SPECIAL KIND OF HEAD GEAR MADE OF SAMITAN SILK.
SO SHE CONTINUED THROUGHOUT HER LIFETIME TO MOVE ABOUT.
ON THE LAP OF THE DECEASED PERSON
IS THE GAMING BOARD AND GAMING PIECES.
SO WE FIND GAMING PIECES IN GRAVE MATERIAL
THAT’S QUITE COMMON, BUT TO HAVE A COMPLETE SET,
INCLUDING DICE, IS SOMETHING ELSE.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
IF YOU’RE A PROFESSIONAL WARRIOR YOUR IDENTITY
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
THERE WAS A RITUAL WHERE YOU THREW A SPEAR OVER
OR INTO THE GRAVE,
SIGNALING THIS LINK TO ODIN, THE WARRIOR GOD.
Narrator: IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY
MANY BIRKA GRAVES WERE EXCAVATED
BY SWEDISH ARCHEOLOGIST HJALMAR STOLPE.
THE 581ST GRAVE HE DUG UP, BELONGED TO THE BIRKA WOMAN.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: WHEN IT COMES TO BJ581
IT STANDS OUT BECAUSE
IT’S SO EXTENSIVELY FURNISHED,
BUT EVERYTHING IS LINKED
TO BEING A PART OF A MARTIAL SOCIETY.
NO HOUSEHOLD EQUIPMENT.
IT’S JUST WEAPONS.
Zachrisson: THE WOMAN IN THE BIRKA GRAVE
HAS BEEN GIVEN A RATHER EXTRAORDINARY BURIAL,
HALFWAY BETWEEN THE HARBOR WHERE THE SHIPS AND THE GARRISON
WOULD OF BEEN VISIBLE FROM THE HARBOR
SINCE IT WAS MARKED WITH A GIANT BOULDER,
MORE THAN TWO METERS IN DIAMETER.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
Narrator: BUT THERE IS A FINAL VISITOR TO THE GRAVE.
SIGNE’S LOYAL FRIEND, NOW A SUCCESSFUL TRADER,
PAYS HER RESPECTS TO THE WOMAN WHO ONCE GRANTED HER FREEDOM.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
SURROUNDED BY HER MOST PRECIOUS BELONGINGS,
SIGNE CAN FOLLOW HER VIKING WARRIOR GODDESS FREYA
INTO THE AFTERLIFE.
(SOMBER MUSIC)
Zachrisson: IN A WAY IT’S FANTASTIC
THAT ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC VIKING WARRIOR BURIALS
TURNED OUT TO BE A WOMAN.
Hedenstierna-Jonson: I THINK IT’S TIME TO RECOGNIZE
THE FULL ROLE PLAYED BY WOMEN IN VIKING SOCIETY
AND REWRITE SOME OF THE VIKING HISTORY.
Gardela: WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHO THE BIRKA WOMAN WAS,
BUT THE REINTERPRETATION OF THE BIRKA GRAVE
FORCES US TO REVISIT OUR IDEAS OF THE VIKING AGE.
(INTENSE STRING MUSIC)