Synopsis:
In 834 AD, two ageing, high-ranking women were given a splendid ship funeral at Oseberg in the kingdom of Vestfold, Norway. The women were likely connected to a religious cult. DNA-studies have shown that one or both of these women may possibly have had partial origins in eastern Europe and that the youngest woman may have been aged between forty and sixty when she died. As a child, she must have seen the very start of a new era, where the ancient, Heathen and “barbarian” Norse customs of Scandinavia were first challenged by the surrounding world.
We are back at the very dawn of the Viking Age; The age of Charlemagne, Empress Irene and Harun al-Rashid, Ragnar Lóðbrok, King Sígurð Ring and Queen Ása. Most of Scandinavia is Heathen, tribal land, divided into several kingdoms and tribal confederations. The Viking (pirate) Rus have only recently settled in Aldeigjuborg (Staraya Ladoga) by the river Volkhov, and have begun harrying the neighboring lands for slaves and other trading goods to sell to the Khazars and the Arabs. Thorbjörn, the last living member of the Thunder Priest clan, persecuted by the Svear kings, has found sanctuary in the Baltic river lands and begotten a daughter, Thordís, who is to carry on the legacy of their secret knowledge about Thunder. Then the Vikings arrive… Orphaned, Thordís, the last Thunder priestess, embarks on a quest to save her half-sister Zivah from rape and slavery, befriending the most rogue and ruthless pirates in the known world.
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2018
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2014
In fact, as do many, I have only ever read two books completely; Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Now there are three!
Reviewed in Germany on October 22, 2014
I have followed Maria Kvilhaug on Youtube for a while now and she has rekindled my interest in heathen spirituality. She is amazingly knowledgeable and articulate and the living proof that Our roots are sexier and more exciting than all the religions foisted upon us from the middle east! A must-read for everyone interested in germanic lore, written by a true Völva.
Heiði hana hétu
hvars til húsa kom,
völu velspáa,
vitti hon ganda;
seið hon kunni,
seið hon leikinn,
æ var hon angan
illrar brúðar.
Gracing the shelves of The Three Little Sisters, we are excited to announce that all FOUR of the Blade Honer series will be published in 2020 as well as a limited collectors edition for people who might want to have all four in one! Watch for more news coming soon on these amazing books and dive into the world of Blade Honer by Maria Kvilhaug