She Was A Powerful Viking Queen During The Tenth Century, And Researchers Learned More About Her Through Rune Stones

Whenever I think of Vikings, which isn’t often, I must admit, I picture big, burly men with long beards and cool battle armor.

But did you know that there are stories of a powerful Viking queen that stood out from the rest?

That Viking queen was Queen Thrya, and her story, which was written on engraved stones, shows that she was a very impressive and honorable woman.

Historians know a lot about Viking-age Denmark through their use of special rune stones, stones with inscriptions that memorialize or tell stories of Vikings from many years ago.

In recent years, scholars have analyzed rune stones that mention Queen Thrya by name and describe her as the “strength” of Denmark. 

To be mentioned on a rune stone during the Viking ages was a pretty big deal, as only important people were mentioned on them.

This is why Queen Thrya, who was alive during the 10th century, was presumed to be very important. Her husband, King Gorm, is the one who commissioned one of her rune stones. Later, her son, King Harald, also commissioned one for her.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of reliable primary sources, there isn’t a whole lot known about exactly what Queen Thrya did throughout her life to make her such an honorable queen.  

It is believed that Queen Thrya had a very maternal and guiding presence among her people. While Viking culture is known for being primarily male-dominated, this proves that there were certain women who “ranked” and made their mark.

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.