Shield-maiden with family ties, but at first does not usually act directly. She is more inclined to incite her male relatives to action than take up arms herself. Guðrún is no shield-maiden, and Brynhildr mocks her for this, saying, "Only ask what is best for you to know. That is suitable for noble women. And it is easy to be satisfied while everything happens according to your desires." In her later marriages, however, she is willing to kill her children, burn down a hall, and send her other sons to avenge the murder of her daughter, Svanhildr. In the world of
Shield-maiden Shield-maiden A shield-maiden (), in Scandinavian folklore and mythology was a female warrior. They are often mentioned in sagas such as "Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks" and in "Gesta Danorum". Shield-maidens also appear in stories of other Germanic peoples: Goths, Cimbri, and Marcomanni. The mythical valkyries may have been based on the shield-maidens. The historical existence of shield-maidens is heavily debated, but scholars including Neil Price, argue that they existed while others, like scholar Judith Jesch disagree, citing a lack of hard evidence for trained or regular women warriors. There are few historic attestations that Viking Age women took part in