Birka 581 from Realm by Allison Burik

An archaeological excavation took place in Birka, Sweden in the late 19th century. They uncovered hundreds of graves of viking warriors, but one in particular, on top of a hill, contained the body of a warrior that was buried with the full honours of a leader. In the grave they found a sword, an axe, two horses, a fighting knife, two lances, two shields, and 25 armour-piercing arrows. The person in the grave was assumed to be male, until a 2017 DNA test revealed that the bones had two X chromosomes, proving that this person was in fact biologically female. This major discovery has shaken the preconceived notions of viking gender roles, and for me, proves that the viking shield maidens of sagas and myth had counterparts in our earthly realm as well. This song features a similar contact microphone setup as track 1.

Tracklist