Shieldmaidens: Women of the Norse World
Shieldmaidens: Women of the Norse World is a monthly podcast that takes a deep dive into the lives of women in the Viking Age, exploring their roles, experiences, and contributions to Norse society. Hosted by fiction authors Johanna Wittenberg and K.S. Barton, each episode explores the fascinating stories of Norse women from historical accounts, sagas, and archaeology. From shieldmaidens and queens to farmers and priestesses, we'll uncover the varied and complex roles that women played in Norse culture. Join us as we explore the rich and often overlooked history of Viking women.
Episodes
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. answer more questions from K.S. book club! In part one, we talked about the historical aspects of our writing. In this part, we delve more into our writing process and indie publishing.
Links:
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk to YouTuber and podcaster Rebecca Hill of Valhalla Conversations! We discussed Rebecca's love of Norse mythology, and particularly Valkyries, her journey to become a podcaster and YouTuber, and her foray into the academic world.
Links:
Rebecca Hill - @soulchaserbecky
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk with author, history teacher, and podcaster, C.J. Adrien. C.J. is the author of The Saga of Hasting the Avenger and the co-host of the Vikingology podcast. We talked about the Vikings and the Bretons, chevalresses, and more!
Links:
C.J. Adrien - cjadrien.com
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. answer questions posed by K.S.'s book club! They had questions about how the world and people of the Viking Age are different from our modern world, how we approach misconceptions about the Viking Age in our books, and much more. This is the first part of two.
Links:
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. were guests on Valhalla Conversations, the YouTube channel and podcast of Becky Hill (@soulchaserbecky). She was also joined by Sif Brookes, a historian who studies Valkyries. We had a great conversation all about Valkyries!
Links:
Becky Hill - @soulchaserbecky
Sif Brookes - sifbrookes.com
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk to Juliette Friedlander about using linguistics to analyze the Norse sagas, particularly when it comes to women in the sagas and how much influence the Christians had over the stories.
Links:
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk with Gunhild Haugnes, the historical fiction author of the Daughters of Freyja series.
Links:
Gunhild Haugnes - gunhildhaugnes.no/
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk with historian and YouTuber, Irina Manea about undead women from the Norse sagas. And much more!
Links:
Irina Manea - YouTube channel
Johanna Wittenberg - johannwittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and I talk about their year of 2025 and look forward to 2026. It's an informal chat with discussions of the guests they had on during the year, their books, books of others, their writing, and lots more!
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. welcome back archaeologist Margrethe Havgar! Margrethe talks in detail about her fascinating work on the Oseberg tapestries. It's always a pleasure to chat with Margrethe!
Links:
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. join the hosts of the Vikingology podcast as guests on their show. We talked about writing, podcasting, research, and lots more!
Johanna Wittenberg: johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton: ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk to archaeologist and fellow podcaster, Margrethe Havgar, about the Oseberg ship and the Oseberg tapestry. Margrethe is doing some fascinating work with the tapestry, so it was a fascinating discussion!
Links:
Johanna Wittenberg - www.johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - www.ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk about the real shield maiden, Lagertha, and how she was portrayed on the TV show, Vikings. We also delve into the character of Aslaug, her saga story, and her story on the show.
**Spoiler Alert!**
*Spoilers: 22:07-44:08
Back to history: 44:08-1:00:26
*Spoilers: 1:00:26 until the end
Links:
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk with historian Pamela D. Toler, author of the book Women Warriors: An Unexpected History, among many others. We discuss her research for Women Warriors, including her finds that women have been warriors all around the world and in all time periods. We also talk about the controversy surrounding the "Birka Woman" (BJ581).
Links:
Pamela D. Toler - pameladtoler.com
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawitt...
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk to Megan Formanek, author of the Viking Trading Lands series. We discussed the Eastern trading routes of the Vikings, the Rus, and how those of us in the U.S. and Australia can identify with the adventurous Viking spirit. And much more!
Links:
Megan Formanek - meganformanek.com
YouTube - @Megan.Formanek
Instagram - meganformanekauthor
Johanna Wittenberg - johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton - ksb...
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. interview bestselling author Melanie Karsak! She's recently released the second book in her Vinland to Valhalla series, Sword of a Valkyrie, about Freydis Eriksdottir. Join us as we discuss her books, research, writing process, and much more!
Links:
Melanie Karsak - Melanie Karsak Instagram - karsakmelanie
Facebook - AuthorMelanieKarsak
Johanna Wittenberg - Johanna Wittenberg – Powerful women of...
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. discuss how they take what they've learned in their research and weave it into their novels. They also talk about getting inspiration from some unusual places.
Johanna Wittenberg: johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton: ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk with science writer Heather Pringle. In addition to many publications, Heather has written about Vikings in two issues of National Geographic, the most recent in March 2025. We had a fantastic conversation about her recent book The Northwomen and all things Viking women.
*At one point, Heather discusses female slaves. You will be warned before that section occurs. We know that it can be upsett...
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk to Niina Niskanen, a Finnish writer, artist, and folklorist. We chat with Niina about Sami culture and mythology.
Niina Niskanen: @fairychamberart
Johanna Wittenberg: johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton: ksbarton.com
In this episode, Johanna and K.S. talk with Nancy Marie Brown, author of The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman, The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women, and many more!
Links:
Nancy Marie Brown: www.nasw.org/users/nmb
Johanna Wittenberg: www.johannawittenberg.com
K.S. Barton: www.ksbarton.com
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