The News
The News
Wednesday 29 of November 2023

Scientists Say DNA Tests Show Viking Warrior Was Female 


Viking attire and jewelry from the VIKING exhibition at the National Museum of Denmark,photo: Wikimedia
Viking attire and jewelry from the VIKING exhibition at the National Museum of Denmark,photo: Wikimedia
The idea had previously been dismissed despite other accounts supporting the existence of female Viking warriors

BERLIN – Scientists say DNA tests on a skeleton found in a lavish Viking warrior’s grave in Sweden show the remains are those of a woman in her 30s.

While bone experts had long suspected the remains belong to a woman, the idea had previously been dismissed despite other accounts supporting the existence of female Viking warriors.

Swedish researchers used new methods to analyze genetic material from the 1,000-year-old bones at a Viking-era site known as Birka, near Stockholm.


Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson of Uppsala University said Monday the tests show “it is definitely a woman.”

Hedenstierna-Jonson said the grave is particularly well-furnished, with a sword, shields, various other weapons and horses.

Writing in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, the researchers say it’s the first confirmed remains of a high-ranking female Viking warrior.