Archaeology, runic inscriptions, onomastics, foreign historical sources, art history, and Old Norse literature and mythology illuminate different aspects of women's lives in the Viking age - on the farms and in the trading centres of Scandinavia, abroad on Viking expeditions, and as settlers in places such as Iceland or the British Isles; the study is therefore a valuable corrective the usual view of the Scandinavian raider-warriors and merchants who emerged on the European scene in the late 8th century. Archaeological evidence brings us into close physical contact with Viking age women, their dress, work and daily life. Runic inscriptions and literary texts allowing us to hear the authentic voice of women in the Viking age are studied in detail. History, art, myth and literature further demonstrate the differing perceptions of Viking age women by their male contemporaries in Scandinavia and in the countries affected by Viking activity, as well as the romantic myths of medieval Iceland