Historical Fiction
One
Viking woman. One God. One legendary journey to North America.
In the tenth century, when pagan holy women rule the
Viking lands, Gudrid turns her back on her training as a seeress to embrace
Christianity. Clinging to her faith, she joins her husband, Finn, on a voyage
to North America.
But even as Gudrid faces down murderous crewmen, raging sickness, and hostile natives, she realizes her greatest enemy is herself--and the secrets she hides might just tear her marriage apart.
Almost five centuries before Columbus, Viking women sailed to North America with their husbands. GOD'S DAUGHTER, Book One in the Vikings of the New World Saga, offers an expansive yet intimate look into the world of Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir--daughter-in-law of Erik the Red, and the first documented European woman to have a child in North America.
Excerpt:
Hellisvellir, Iceland
The gods only accept what is valuable.
Gudrid repeated this to
herself as they hoisted her mother into the tree. Her beautiful mother with the
long shining hair, like her own.
Her cousin, Yngvild,
touched her hand. Not a word was spoken, from anyone. No one could believe a
young mother would die for the required nine-year sacrifice, along with the
expected slaves and animals. But the chieftain had ordered it. And the
chieftain was her father.
Gudrid's aunt hunched
over, sobbing into her sleeves. Uncle Thorgeir did not even look at the tree.
He seemed happy to gain more control of her mother’s family farm.
Gudrid clenched her
fists on her shift, bunching it so tightly she felt she could rip it apart. She
longed to fight the men who would drop the ladder, breaking her mother’s neck.
But interrupting a sacrifice to Thor was punishable by death—the immediate
death of hanging.
The sprawling, twisted
tree loomed like a giant against the gray Icelandic sky, its limbs clutching at
the dangling dead animals and people. Gudrid imagined the tree held them back
from dropping straight into Helheim. Truly, Mother should go straight to
Valhalla for being a willing sacrifice. But only the men who died bravely in
battle got to go there, to drink endless mead for eternity.
Her father blew the
ram’s horn, and a slave kicked the ladder out. For one second, Father’s eyes
glazed over, as if he was far away. Even though he was devoted to Mother, he
believed the only way to restore the bounty of the farm, failing since he had
charge of it, was to give up the one thing he really cared about.
Mother’s face went
slack and lost color. Gudrid was strangely thankful that she did not turn blue,
with her eyes bulging, as some of the slaves had. It meant she died quickly, as
a perfect sacrifice should.
Gudrid looked around,
aware she needed a protector. Even at eleven years old, she understood this.
Father had never wanted a girl. Her aunt was too grief-stricken—she would
barely be able to care for her own children now, after watching her sister die.
Orm’s sad gaze met her
own. He was a neighbor from a nearby farm, on a cliff overlooking the
shoreline. His wife, Halldis, was a volva,
a seeress who knew magic. Gudrid refused to look at her. She did not want to
see the eyes of the woman who had told Father he needed such a significant
sacrifice this year.
The last body was
hanged, and another volva led a chant with the drum. Since many slaves had been
killed, their families began to sing quietly in their own languages. As the
words clashed, each group sang louder and louder. It was the only time they
sang publicly.
Gudrid felt her insides
burning, down to the core, like the volcanoes on this island. Anger and
loneliness forced her from her seat. She hated Thor and anything to do with
him. She groped for her knife before raising it to her throat. Then she charged
straight for her father.
Author Bio:
Heather Day
Gilbert enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Sixteen
years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective,
as well as ten years spent homeschooling her three children. Heather regularly
posts on Novel Rocket about
self-publishing.
You can
find out more about Heather on her website here.
Reviews/Notices/Awards:
5-Star Review from
Kristi Lindsey for Readers' Favorite.
"Gudrid is a
protagonist that any woman can identify with and relate to...God's Daughter is
not a frivolous or blithe novel, but a richly detailed one, a tale meant to be
savored and revisited time and time again." ~ full review
here: readersfavorite.com/book-review/14284
"Vivid, powerful...triumphant. This story took me by the heart."
~ Joanne Bischof, award-winning author of the Cadence of Grace series
"God's Daughter offers a brave, fresh look at a lost way of life and the Vikings who left an indelible mark in history. Author Heather Gilbert weaves a riveting novel with unforgettable characters and circumstances, the first installment in a series sure to resonate with historical fans. The stunning cover is only the beginning!"
~ Laura Frantz, Christy finalist and author of Love's Reckoning
Why did Heather write this novel?
I wrote
God's Daughter primarily because of my interest in my heritage. I am
(allegedly) related to Eirik the Red, and I bought a book of the Icelandic
Sagas to study up on his family. As I read about it, I was fascinated by a
Christian Viking woman named Gudrid, who sailed with her third husband to North
America. I wanted to tell her story'
Tell us something topical, interesting, funny, or something we would not expect about the writing or research of this novel.
As I
researched this book, it became clear to me how powerful women were in Viking
culture. The pagan priestesses wielded power, and yet their practices were more
harmful than helpful (child exposure, etc). I was surprised how Christianity
actually changed the practices of this entire people group for the better, and
I wanted to highlight that.
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