I was working with the Academy of Saint Gabriel for consulation purposes, and the below passage is part of their report to me. The Report was #2224. Basically I was looking at a byname to do with female warriors during the Viking Age, and they provided me with some really neat passages.
The singular means “shield maiden, female warrior” [4]. It seems to be an appropriate nickname for your period: It was used almost as a byname for human women in the sagas [5]. Also spelled , the word was pronounced \SKYAHLD-mair\.
[4] Zoëga, Geir T. A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic (Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1987 [1910]), s.v. skjaldmær. The word is also glossed , uncapitalized; we interpret this as the generic use meaning “female warrior” rather than an reference to the mythological Amazons.
[5] Filippusson, Jón Júlíus, “Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda” (WWW: self-published, 1998; accessed 15 Jan 2001). http://www.forn-sed.org/n-text/fornaldars/forn.html
Sögubrot af nokkurum fornkonungum í dana- ok sví aveldi, “Saga fragments of several early kings of Denmark and Sweden”, ch.8. http://www.forn-sed.org/n-text/fornaldars/sogubrot.html
Svá er sagt, at í her Haralds konungs var höfingi sá er Brúni hét. Hann var allra Þeira manna vitrastr, er með honum váru. Hann lét Brúna fylkja liðinu ok skipa höfðingjum undir merki. Stöð merki Haralds konungs í miðri fylkingu, ok var um hans merki hirð hans. Þessir kappar váru með Haraldi konungi: Sveinn, Sámr, Gnepi inn gamli, Garðr, Brandr, Blængr, Teitr, Tyrfingr, Hjalti; Þeir váru skáld Haralds konungs ok kappar. Þeir váru heiman ör hirð Haralds konungs: Hjörtr, Borgarr, Beli, Barri, Beigaðr, Töki. Þar var skjaldmærin Visma ok önnur Heiðr, ok hefir hvártveggi komit með mikinn her til Haralds konungs. Visma bar merki hans. Með henni váru Þessir kappar: Kári ok Milva. Vébjörg hét enn skjaldmær, er kom til Haralds konungs með mikinn her sunnan af Gotlandi, ok fylgdu henni margir kappar. Af Þeim öllum var mestr ok ágætastr Ubbi inn fríski, Bratr írski, Ormr enski, Búi Brámuson, Ari eineygi, Geirálfr. Vismu skjaldmeyju fylgdi mikill Vinda herr. Váru Þeir auðkenndir; Þeir höfðu löng sverð ok buklara, en Þeir höfðu ekki langa skjöldu sem aðrir menn. Ok í annan fylkingararm Haralds konungs var Heiðr skjaldmær með sínu merki, ok hefir hún með sér hundrað kappa. Þeir váru berserkir hennar: Grímr, Geirr, Hölmsteinn, Eysöðull, Heðinn mjövi, Dagr lífski, Haraldr öláfsson. Þar váru margir höfðingjar með Heiði í arminn.
It is said that in king Harald’s host there was a leader who was called Brúni. He [Brúni] was the wisest of all the men who were with him [Harald]. He [Harald] had Brúni draw up the troops in battle array and arrange the captains under their banners. King Harald’s banner stood in the middle of the host, and his bodyguard was about his banner. These champions were with king Harald: Svein, Sám, Gnepi the old, Garð, Brand, Blæng, Teit, Tyrfing, Hjalt; they were king Harald’s skalds and champions. These were from king Harald’s bodyguard at home: Hjört, Borgar, Beli, Barri, Beigað, Töki. There was the shieldmaid Visma and another, Heið, and each of the two had come with a large host to king Harald. With her [Visma] were these champions: Kári and Milva. Vébjörg was the name of the shieldmaid who came to king Harald from south of Gotland with a great host, and many champions followed her. The greatest and most glorious of them all were Ubbi the Frisian, Brat the Irishman, Orm the Englishman, Búi Brámuson, Ari one-eye, Geirálf. A great Wendish host followed Visma shieldmaid. They were of distinguished appearance, they had long swords and bucklers, but they did not have long shields like other people. And in the other wing of king Harald’s army was Heið shieldmaid with her banner, and she had with her a hundred champions. These were her berserks: Grím, Geirr, Hölmstein, Eysöðull, Heðin the slim, Dag the Liflander, Harald öláfsson. There were many captains with Heið in the wing.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks konungs> “The saga of Hervo,r and king Heiðrek”, ch.9. http://www.forn-sed.org/n-text/fornaldars/hervarsaga.htm
Heiðrekr konungr lætr _á efna til veizlu mikillar ok gengr at eiga döttur Garðakonungs. Döttir _eira hét Hervör, Hún var skjaldm{ae]r ok fæddist upp í Englandi með Fröðmari jarli.
King Heiðrek then had a great feast prepared and married a daughter of the Greek (Russian?) emperor. Their daughter was named Hervo,r; she was a shieldmaid and was brought up in England with jarl Fröðmar.
i think you should have more about the amozons. maybe you could have warrior women heroes. you could also have some true life stories. i liked you sight.