Have you thought about the female characters you love to read? Or the ladies of the silver screen you like to watch again and again? Why do you love them so much? Vikings have that effect on me, whether male or female characters. Sure, my inner history nerd acknowledges Vikings were at times brutal raiders. Yet, I also see some of history’s strongest women and most fair-minded people. I keep going back to them whether I’m reading...

In the Viking miniseries running this month on the History Channel, I truly hope some of the most powerful, influential members of Viking society are portrayed correctly: the women.   When I researched my Viking historical novel, God’s Daughter, I kept running into powerful women in the sagas.   Women like the pagan volva, who acted as tribal high priestesses and soothsayers. They also wielded the power of life and...