Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir – författare

Valkyriorna är gudomliga kvinnoväsen i den fornnordiska mytologin och råder bland annat över liv och död på slagfältet. Denna märkliga och lite skrämmande gestalt – som har inspirerat både Richard Wagner och "Game of Thrones" – kan säkert ha bidragit till bilden av den vikingatida kvinnan som självständig och handlingskraftig och en mannens – och krigarens – jämlike. Och det är sant att den isländska sagalitteraturen låter oss möta en rad starka kvinnor, vilkas genomgrubblade eller ilsket impulsiva beslut kan få nog så dramatiska konsekvenser i berättelserna. Men det kan inte alltid ha varit särskilt lätt att vara kvinna i det på klantänkande, våldsutövning och en rigid hederskultur baserade vikinga­samhället. Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir låter oss i denna lärorika och tanketäta bok följa vikingakvinnans liv från vaggan till graven och komma henne så nära det över huvud taget är möjligt med tanke på de källor som står till buds – sagalitteratur, lagtexter, runstenar, arkeologiska fynd. Men Fridriksdottir visar också på den marginal av frihet som faktiskt fanns och som många kvinnor gjorde sitt bästa för att ta tillvara. Den vikingatida kvinnotillvaron var i själva verket bra mycket mer komplex och intressant än vad den mytomspunna valkyriagestalten ger vid handen. Friðriksdóttirs bok tar oss med till en helt annan vikingatid än den vi oftast får möta. Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir arbetar vid Nationalbiblioteket i Oslo. Hon doktorerade i medeltidslitteratur vid Oxford University 2010 och har bland annat varit verksam vid Yale University och Harvard University. År 2013 publicerade hon "Women in Old Norse Literature: Bodies, Words, and Power".

The first English translation of Magnus the Lawmender’s law code, this book allows students and scholars to interpret, compare and add their perspectives to this crucial source to European legal history.The Laws of the Land are one of the very few law books issued in the Middle Ages which regulated a whole kingdom. It stayed in force until the late 17th century, shaping society, politics and law in Norway and its surrounding regions for over 400 years. This book is separated into three parts. The first is an introduction to the laws written by the translator, Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir. The second and longest section of the book is a complete English translation of the Laws of the Land. The final part is a glossary, which lays out the most important Old Norse legal terms with English translations. The glossary also contains explanations and conversions of religious feast days which are relevant in the law.Providing familiarity with the Laws of the Land, this book is crucial to students and scholars of Medieval history alike to understanding the social, legal, political, and intellectual developments of the Nordic High Middle Ages.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

The first English translation of Magnus the Lawmender’s law code, this book allows students and scholars to interpret, compare and add their perspectives to this crucial source to European legal history.The Laws of the Land are one of the very few law books issued in the Middle Ages which regulated a whole kingdom. It stayed in force until the late 17th century, shaping society, politics and law in Norway and its surrounding regions for over 400 years. This book is separated into three parts. The first is an introduction to the laws written by the translator, Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir. The second and longest section of the book is a complete English translation of the Laws of the Land. The final part is a glossary, which lays out the most important Old Norse legal terms with English translations. The glossary also contains explanations and conversions of religious feast days which are relevant in the law.Providing familiarity with the Laws of the Land, this book is crucial to students and scholars of Medieval history alike to understanding the social, legal, political, and intellectual developments of the Nordic High Middle Ages.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZEValkyries: the female supernatural beings that choose who dies and who lives on the battlefield. They protect some, but guide spears, arrows and sword blades into the bodies of others. Viking myths about valkyries attempt to elevate the banality of war – to make the pain and suffering, the lost limbs and deformities, the piles of lifeless bodies of young men, glorious and worthwhile. Rather than their death being futile, it is their destiny and good fortune, determined by divine beings. The women in these stories take full part in the power struggles and upheavals in their communities, for better or worse. Drawing on the latest historical and archaeological evidence, Valkyrie introduces readers to the dramatic and fascinating texts recorded in medieval Iceland, a culture able to imagine women in all kinds of roles carrying power, not just in this world, but pulling the strings in the other-world, too. In the process, this fascinating book uncovers the reality behind the myths and legends to reveal the dynamic, diverse lives of Viking women.