Recommended listening: Icelandic folk music
Story
The winter of 1000 AD was a bitter one in Herjolfsnes. The settlement on the southern coast of Greenland had suffered badly from illness and men lost to the snow. Gudridr Thorbjarnardottir and her father Thorbjarnar Vilifsson were new arrivals, finding safe haven in the hall of Thorkel when their ship arrived from Iceland with half the crew dead from plague. Gudridr was only fifteen, and her foster-mother Halldis was among those who didn't survive the journey. While she and her father recovered their strength and recouped their losses, the rest of the settlement grew worried about the harsh winter. In their time of crisis, the people of Herjolfsnes turned to Thorkel to find out whether the gods planned to relieve them of their sufferings. And so, around the beginning of winter, with the fate of the Norse Greenlanders weighing on his shoulders, Thorkel invited Thorbjorgr Litlvolva to his home.
Thorbjorgr was called "litlvolva", or "the little seer". The last surviving daughter in a family of gifted prophetesses, she travelled around Greenland in the winter, offering her services to each lord who invited her to his hall. She practiced seiðr, a powerful brand of magic so strongly associated with women that even the god Odinn was mocked by Loki as unmanly for his mastery of it. Thorbjarnar, Gudridr's father, was so opposed to being in the presence of a pagan seeress that he left Thorkel's hall, but Gudridr stayed behind in spite of her Christian faith. She helped prepare a great meal for Thorbjorgr, who arrived in a gem-studded mantle with an iron wand clutched in her practiced hands. A cushion of hen feathers was set down for her on Thorkel's high chair, and she cut her food with a knife of walrus ivory. Thorkel was eager to know what she thought of his farm, but she declared she must sleep at least one night in the place before saying anything of it. And then, as related in The Saga of Eirik the Red, Gudridr got drawn into the solemnities...
Late the following day she was provided with things she required to carry out her magic rites. She asked for women who knew the chants required for carrying out magic rites, which are called ward songs. But such women were not to be found. Then the people of the household were asked if there was anyone with such knowledge.
Gudrid answered, “I have neither magical powers nor the gift of prophecy, but in Iceland my foster-mother, Halldis, taught me chants she called ward songs.”
Thorbjorg answered, “Then you know more than I expected.”
Gudrid said, “These are the sort of actions in which I intend to take no part, because I am a Christian woman.”
Thorbjorg answered: “It could be that you could help the people here by so doing, and you’d be no worse a woman for that. But I expect Thorkel to provide me with what I need.”
Thorkel then urged Gudrid, who said she would do as he wished. The women formed a warding ring around the platform raised for sorcery, with Thorbjorg perched atop it. Gudrid spoke the chant so well and so beautifully that people there said they had never heard anyone recite in a fairer voice.
The seeress prophesied that the hardships would soon pass and that Gudridr would marry in Greenland but travel before putting down roots back home in Iceland. Both came to pass: the spring came quickly that year, and Gudridr would go on to travel further than any Norse woman had ever gone before, to the distant Vinland across the sea...
Thorbjorgr was called "litlvolva", or "the little seer". The last surviving daughter in a family of gifted prophetesses, she travelled around Greenland in the winter, offering her services to each lord who invited her to his hall. She practiced seiðr, a powerful brand of magic so strongly associated with women that even the god Odinn was mocked by Loki as unmanly for his mastery of it. Thorbjarnar, Gudridr's father, was so opposed to being in the presence of a pagan seeress that he left Thorkel's hall, but Gudridr stayed behind in spite of her Christian faith. She helped prepare a great meal for Thorbjorgr, who arrived in a gem-studded mantle with an iron wand clutched in her practiced hands. A cushion of hen feathers was set down for her on Thorkel's high chair, and she cut her food with a knife of walrus ivory. Thorkel was eager to know what she thought of his farm, but she declared she must sleep at least one night in the place before saying anything of it. And then, as related in The Saga of Eirik the Red, Gudridr got drawn into the solemnities...
Late the following day she was provided with things she required to carry out her magic rites. She asked for women who knew the chants required for carrying out magic rites, which are called ward songs. But such women were not to be found. Then the people of the household were asked if there was anyone with such knowledge.
Gudrid answered, “I have neither magical powers nor the gift of prophecy, but in Iceland my foster-mother, Halldis, taught me chants she called ward songs.”
Thorbjorg answered, “Then you know more than I expected.”
Gudrid said, “These are the sort of actions in which I intend to take no part, because I am a Christian woman.”
Thorbjorg answered: “It could be that you could help the people here by so doing, and you’d be no worse a woman for that. But I expect Thorkel to provide me with what I need.”
Thorkel then urged Gudrid, who said she would do as he wished. The women formed a warding ring around the platform raised for sorcery, with Thorbjorg perched atop it. Gudrid spoke the chant so well and so beautifully that people there said they had never heard anyone recite in a fairer voice.
The seeress prophesied that the hardships would soon pass and that Gudridr would marry in Greenland but travel before putting down roots back home in Iceland. Both came to pass: the spring came quickly that year, and Gudridr would go on to travel further than any Norse woman had ever gone before, to the distant Vinland across the sea...
Artist's Comments
This picture has taken me a long time to draw! And it was a big challenge! The story of Gudridr and Thorbjorgr is taken from The Saga of Eirik the Red, a 13th-century Icelandic saga. Gudridr features prominently in the two sagas about Vinland, and there were so many different scenes I could have drawn, but from what I gathered by reading The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown, this scene would have taken place in 1000 AD, making it ideal for this project. I might have to draw Gudridr again though, and if I do I can talk more about her later life as the first European woman to give birth in Vinland. But I ultimately settled on this scene because I was absolutely enchanted by the story. I love the figure of Thorbjorgr, a well-respected pagan leader, and the interfaith dialogue she and Gudridr undergo in this scene. The story of Gudridr's reluctance and aquiescence is a great example of how conversion to Christianity in the Middle Ages (and in many other periods) was not a black and white process. Gudridr could have left with her father who refused to engage with Thorbjorgr, but something kept her back. The death of Halldis was still very fresh, and Gudridr must have felt a strong connection to her late foster-mother while singing the songs she'd taught her as a child in Iceland. I suspect the connection to Halldis was part of what changed her mind, demonstrating how much personal relationships influence religious identity in the period.
I was inspired to do Greenland for my next picture in the Women of 1000 AD series by my sister Ellie, who was intrigued when she saw it on a list of places I was considering. Researching this picture was a lot of fun - I could seriously do a whole series just on Scandinavian women of 1000 AD and not run out of ideas! Expect to see some more Norse women in the future - the sagas are full of stories of strong women. Thorbjorgr's wand is based off real examples of völva's wands excavated from Scandinavian burials, which match the description of her wand in the saga extremely well. The interior is a turf house based on the one at Eiríksstaðir in Iceland. I made a lot of mistakes and was frustrated with this picture while I was working on it, but it feels good to have it done. Thanks to Sacha for some good advice about composition and colouring. I did studies of my Norwegian family's faces to prepare for this picture. In particular, Gudridr's face was inspired by my grandmother, and Thorbjorgr's by my great-great-grandmother Gunvor. ~ June 6, 2018
Note: More information is available about this illustration on the Bloopers page!
I was inspired to do Greenland for my next picture in the Women of 1000 AD series by my sister Ellie, who was intrigued when she saw it on a list of places I was considering. Researching this picture was a lot of fun - I could seriously do a whole series just on Scandinavian women of 1000 AD and not run out of ideas! Expect to see some more Norse women in the future - the sagas are full of stories of strong women. Thorbjorgr's wand is based off real examples of völva's wands excavated from Scandinavian burials, which match the description of her wand in the saga extremely well. The interior is a turf house based on the one at Eiríksstaðir in Iceland. I made a lot of mistakes and was frustrated with this picture while I was working on it, but it feels good to have it done. Thanks to Sacha for some good advice about composition and colouring. I did studies of my Norwegian family's faces to prepare for this picture. In particular, Gudridr's face was inspired by my grandmother, and Thorbjorgr's by my great-great-grandmother Gunvor. ~ June 6, 2018
Note: More information is available about this illustration on the Bloopers page!
Resources
Want to learn more about Viking women? Here are some recommended resources.
The Saga of the Greenlanders and The Saga of Eirik the Red
A Penguin Classic translation of the two sagas known collectively as the "Vinland Sagas" because they both address the Viking explorations of North America. Women feature prominently in both sagas.
The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown
Author Nancy Marie Brown visited several archaeological sites associated with Gudridr and writes about her experiences trying to connect to Gudridr in these places.
"The Volva (Norse Seeress) and Seiðr" by Jackson Crawford
Crawford's great video channel on Norse poetry, language, and mythology makes academic expertise very accessible to a general audience while still diving with great depth into a given subject. This video on the Norse stories of women who practiced seiðr includes a discussion of the story portrayed in this image, comparing it to other such stories throughout Old Norse literature.
Hurstwic: Viking Age History website
Great website with lots of photos of surviving Viking archaeology as well as reconstructions to help you visualise what life was like in this period.
The Viking Answer Lady website
A collection of essays treating subjects such as daily life, hygiene and fashion in Viking communities.
The Saga of the Greenlanders and The Saga of Eirik the Red
A Penguin Classic translation of the two sagas known collectively as the "Vinland Sagas" because they both address the Viking explorations of North America. Women feature prominently in both sagas.
The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown
Author Nancy Marie Brown visited several archaeological sites associated with Gudridr and writes about her experiences trying to connect to Gudridr in these places.
"The Volva (Norse Seeress) and Seiðr" by Jackson Crawford
Crawford's great video channel on Norse poetry, language, and mythology makes academic expertise very accessible to a general audience while still diving with great depth into a given subject. This video on the Norse stories of women who practiced seiðr includes a discussion of the story portrayed in this image, comparing it to other such stories throughout Old Norse literature.
Hurstwic: Viking Age History website
Great website with lots of photos of surviving Viking archaeology as well as reconstructions to help you visualise what life was like in this period.
The Viking Answer Lady website
A collection of essays treating subjects such as daily life, hygiene and fashion in Viking communities.