You're Dead to Me Viking Women: wives, weavers and warriors
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Aug 29, 2025 
In this entertaining discussion, historian Eleanor Barraclough and comedian Chloe Petts dive into the often-overlooked lives of Viking women. They debunk the macho Viking myth, revealing the daily realities of these women as wives, weavers, and warriors. The conversation explores intriguing topics like the societal roles, marriage customs, and the agency of women in Viking society. With humor, they uncover the complex stories of figures like Gudrun and challenge stereotypes, shedding light on both the struggles and strengths of Viking women.
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Viking Age: Dates, Geography, Conversion
- The Viking Age spans roughly late 8th to around 1100 and originates in Scandinavia before huge expansion across the North Atlantic and into Eastern Europe.
- Conversion to Christianity around year 1000 reshaped beliefs and social practices across that period.
Women's Labour Kept Viking Expansion Afloat
- Viking society depended on women's labour for textiles, sails, food preparation and child-rearing to enable voyages and settlement.
- Without women's work there would be no clothes, sails or next generation to continue expansion and colonisation.
Childhood And Labour In Textile Spaces
- Archaeology shows children participating in textile work early, including chewing birch 'gum' found among weaving spaces.
- Evidence also suggests selective female infanticide may have occurred, though proving it remains difficult.