The Valkyrie by Kate Heartfield

Book Review

Melody Bowles

Since the slow-burn success of The Song of Achilles, publications of queer and feminist mythical retellings have exploded. The Valkyrie is another of those following this mould. This one centres around the Norse mythical figure of Brynhild, one of the war god Odin’s legendary warrior women, the Valkyries. Brynhild has been exiled by Odin for going against his orders, giving her side of the story a ‘fish-out-of-water’ element as she finds her feet on Midgard/Earth. The other narrator is the Princess Gudrun, whose arranged marriage falls apart when her future husband is murdered before her eyes.

The book takes the form of Brynhild and Gudrun telling each other their life stories. They address each other throughout their perspective chapters (the novel is all in first person) and it becomes clear they have an intimate relationship. I struggled to feel the pulse of their relationship – they find each other impressive, they strive towards a common goal, but there is little in the way of playfulness or lightness between them. For much of the book, they seem more concerned with the fate of the city Vormatia than each other. And equally vexed by Gudrun’s husband Sigurd, who betrays Brynhild by tricking her into a royal marriage with Vormatia’s failing king. Gudrun’s strengths contrast to Brynhild’s. She’s not a physical fighter, but has the power to manipulate small animals and plants via ‘diplomatic negotiations’.

While there is a romantic element, the focus of the book is on the lovingly and evocatively described battle scenes. The first third of the narrative concerns Brynhild and Sigurd teaming up together to kill the lindworm plaguing the land. This is the strongest part of the story for me – it perfectly demonstrates Brynhild’s strengths as a Valkyrie and Sigurd’s as a very human hero. I enjoyed the level of detail and research that went into crafting the logistics of the battles, including armour and weapons.

Read The Valkyrie if you’d like a beautifully written foray into Norse myth with the focus shifted to female perspectives.