Kærasta, -n = Darling, loved one, female form. Typically translated as girlfriend.
Norwegians don't have words for boyfriend and girlfriend; instead, the words are combined into 'Kjreste' (Girlfriend/boyfriend or 'Kjresten' (The girlfriend/boyfriend).
Etymology. From Old Norse friðill (“lover, gallant”), from Proto-Germanic *fridilaz.
What is a Viking lady called? A Viking lady was called a valkyrie and fought in Norse literature alongside men. There were several types of female warriors in the Viking age, but valkyries were perhaps the most celebrated and feared.
Sif. The name Sif comes from the Old Norse word sif, meaning “wife or bride”.
While Vikings rarely married for love, that doesn't mean they didn't have courtship rituals in place to help create tighter bonds between wives and grooms. There were two phases in most Viking courtship rituals, starting with betrothal, when Viking men would woo and get to know their brides.
Compared to women elsewhere in the same period, Viking women had more freedom. However, there were limits to this. Even if women had a relatively strong position, they were officially inferior to men. They could not appear in court or receive a share of the man's inheritance.
Did female Vikings go to Valhalla? Female Vikings could go to Valhalla. Viking culture and mythos were not free of bias against women, but the gods cared about the method of their dying, not the details of their life.
In the Norse belief system, valkyries were supernatural women who determined who lived and died on the battlefield.
On the other hand, women were respected in Norse society and had great freedom, especially when compared to other European societies of that era. They managed the finances of the family. They ran the farm in their husband's absence. In widowhood, they could be rich and important landowners.
To say I love you in Norwegian, say jeg elsker deg.
From Middle English trig, tryg, from Old Norse tryggr (“loyal, faithful, true”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (“loyal, faithful, true”).
to fight quotations ▼ to slay, to kill.
Freyja, (Old Norse: “Lady”), most renowned of the Norse goddesses, who was the sister and female counterpart of Freyr and was in charge of love, fertility, battle, and death.
One of the best known symbols of ancient Norse mythology, the Valkyrie symbol is a sign of female power and prestige and represents the Norse way of life. In particular, it represents their views on death, destiny and fate.
The Valkyrie Queen Sigrun is the leader of the nine Valkyries that you can fight as an optional boss in God of War. The Valkyrie Queen Sigrun can be summoned at the Council of Valkyries located near the Shores of Nine, but only once all other Valkyries have been defeated.
Freyja and Gondul are both mentioned as strong Valkyries who drive the myths forward.
Lagertha. Thanks to Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum, we know of a legendary female Viking known as either Lagertha or Ladgerda. This incredible woman was part of a larger group of female warriors who volunteered to help renowned hero Ragnar Lothbrok avenge his grandfather's death.
The faces of men and women in the Viking Age were more alike than they are today. The women's faces were more masculine than women's today, with prominent brow ridges. On the other hand, the Viking man's appearance was more feminine than that of men today, with a less prominent jaw and brow ridges.
Some men would have two to three wives, but the Norse sagas say that some princes had limitless numbers. “So raiding was away to build up wealth and power. Men could gain a place in society, and the chance for wives if they took part in raids and proved their masculinity and came back wealthy.
Polygyny was common among Vikings, and rich and powerful Viking men tended to have many wives and concubines. Viking men would often buy or capture women and make them into their wives or concubines. Concubinage for Vikings was connected to slavery; the Vikings took both free women and slaves as concubines.
Sagas and runic inscriptions show that families were formed by monogamous marriages. A man may have had relationships, and children, with several women, but when he died, only one wife was acknowledged.
Viking women married young—as early as 12 years old. By the age of 20, virtually all men and women were married. Life expectancy was about 50 years, but most died long before reaching 50. Only a few lived to 60.
Women tended to marry between the ages of 12 and 15, and families negotiated to arrange those marriages, but the woman usually had a say in the arrangement. If a woman wanted a divorce, she had to call witnesses to her home and marriage bed and declare in front of them that she had divorced her husband.