Viking Warrior Find In Yorkshire

It’s been cited as one of the most remarkable finds of the century, a complete Viking warrior skeleton has been unearthed on the banks of the Aire River in North Yorkshire.

The find has been heralded by Vikingologist Professor Eieur Gunnar from the University of Reykjavík, Iceland as a one of the most remarkable finds of the 21st century. The remains of a Viking skeleton near the village of Cononley nestling in the Yorkshire Dales has excited interest from Nordic academics.

Professor Gunnar says, “This proves beyond doubt that the Vikings penetrated as far south as the district of Craven in North Yorkshire, England. They were previously only known to have penetrated as far south as the former English capital Jorvik (York), but no further.

“The fact that this was a female warrior buried with all her battle dress and weapons – although in fragments - means that we can say for certain that Cononley was a place of special significance for the Vikings.

“We will be checking with our records at the Víkingaheimar (World Viking Museum) in Reykjanesb?r, Iceland to see if she could be the one and only warrior queen Freydis Eiríksdóttir. That of course is dependent on whether we find among the remains of the gold jewellery along precious gemstones bestowed upon her by her clan or ?ttin .”

“Elite fighters like this warrior queen are known to have been laid to rest in spaces of special significance.

“Whether she was brought to Cononley on a Viking longboat that would then have been burnt beside her burial site remains to be seen.

It is possible that she had come up the River Aire to Cononley via the Humber Estuary – well-known for its Viking settlements – and the River Ouse.

“Had it not been for the recent heavy rains eroding the banks of the River Aire we may never have come across this significant burial site.

“For obvious reasons we are not naming the precise site are of the find at the moment because we do not want the site to be tampered with. But we hope, with the support of Historic England, to get planning permission from North Yorkshire Council for a complete archaeological dig to uncover the history of this female warrior,” concludes Professor Gunnar.

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