War is a woman's business: DNA analysis confirms the existence of female Vikings (4 photos)

Viking Age legends of fearless female warriors fighting alongside men have long raised suspicions that women may have dominated the battlefield during this era. Due to a lack of evidence, this idea has long remained controversial and was considered a figment of popular imagination. But now, for the first time, scientists have confirmed the existence of a female Viking, using DNA extracted from a 10th-century skeleton buried in the Swedish Viking town of Birka.





Experts say this woman was a high-ranking commander who led troops into battle.

"This is the first official genetic confirmation of a female Viking," said Professor Mattias Jakobsson of Uppsala University.

The remains were first discovered in the 1880s. Despite morphological features suggesting the skeleton belonged to a woman, the grave itself led some experts to believe it was a man.



Weapons, including a sword and arrows, two horses, and a board game were found in the grave, indicating that the deceased Viking was well-versed in tactics and strategy, and a high-ranking individual.

In a study published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, experts sought to confirm the gender of the discovered Viking. They analyzed a tooth root and a forearm bone.





DNA analysis showed that this Viking had two X chromosomes and no Y chromosome, or, more simply, that the warrior was a woman.

"The game set is symbolic and suggests that she was a kind of officer, someone who could master tactics and strategy, and therefore command troops in battle," said Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonsson, who led the study. "What we have before us is not a mythical Valkyrie, but a genuine military leader, who happens to be a woman."



"This is actually a woman, over 30 years old and quite tall—around 170 centimeters," added Hedenstierna-Jonsson.

Despite its military role, the skeleton showed no signs of injury.

Experts say the new study will settle the long-running debate about the existence of Viking women.

"Written sources occasionally mentioned female warriors," said Neil Price, a professor at Uppsala University, "but now there is compelling evidence of their existence."