Viking Women (Lisa Hannett, Thames & Hudson)

Literature academic and speculative fiction author Lisa Hannett has written an evocative account of the varied lives of women during the Viking era. Hannett uses her vast knowledge of Vikings and Viking literature to contextualise the role of women within these societies and draws on her background in creative writing to re-create scenes from their lives. Viking Women is divided into chapters that each use a historical figure’s story as a jumping off point for certain topics. The first chapter, for example, re-creates scenes from the life of Melkorka, the daughter of an Irish king taken captive and sold into slavery in Iceland. The tale is interspersed with an exploration of the Vikings’ practice of slavery, an issue that is underrepresented in popular presentations of the era and of particular relevance to Melkorka’s story—the majority of the women who settled Iceland were captives from the British Isles. Given the unknowability of the inner lives of these women, who are often given few lines in the historical source material, Hannett uses creative license to represent the thoughts and feelings behind their actions. This approach never feels unearned or indulgent; the scenes are handled lightly, and Hannett, who has a PhD in medieval Icelandic literature, fills in their everyday lives with fascinating details. It’s a pleasure to read the work of someone who is so passionate and knowledgeable about their subject, and has found a creative way to bring to vivid life years of historical research. Viking Women stands alone as either an introduction to the era or as a supplement to a some of the more general histories of the subject that have been published recently.

Brad Jefferies is the digital editor of Books+Publishing. Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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