Book Review: Valkyrjur, Servant or Master? by Sif Brookes
- Rebecca Kime
- May 5
- 2 min read
By Sam Stoker
I've been looking forward to reading and reviewing this book for actual months now, but to do it the justice it rightly deserves I have held off until my chaotic life has allowed me the time to sit and absorb its pages.
Published by The Three Little Sisters and released December 2024, I have had my copy tutting quietly at me for not having picked it up, but finally I can pour words onto a screen while covered in cats about just exactly why it is that you should buy and read this book.
Valkyrjur, Servant or Master? is a self-styled-by-Sif ‘infodump’ on the Valkyries - though some would more professionally call it an essay.
I'll preface this by saying I'm possibly the target audience - a non academic pagan with an interest in Norse mythology and Heathenry but lacking any deep knowledge on the subject - and I was able to implicitly trust the author’s words. With a critical thinking hat on, I know Sif Brookes to be progressive, moral, and well-researched, so I expected the same of the book.
I was not disappointed. The text itself I found readable enough to a non academic; where I have previously been tripped up by having to look up words in a Hutton tome, this was well written but utilised uncomplicated language, making it pleasantly accessible to those of us without a current master's in theology or mediaeval studies.
The research put in is outstanding. I can honestly say that I've never seen a page of a book before that is 50% footnotes - I have now. I once saw Sif speak on the Valkyries at an arts festival for the Pagan Federation and her passion for these possibly-winged women exuded from her - the same can be said from her words on paper. She has looked at multiple translations of mediaeval texts to compare, and provides an impressive bibliography involving everything from the Eddas to modern scholarly papers and even video games.
In this book the author explores themes of gender, magic, death, and hierarchy, and the issues around record-keeping from the time are outlined and included in the points made. The patriarchy having its own effect on the view of these supernatural beings is debated as Sif reminds us how much of what we know is from white men long after the oral stories of the Valkyries had faded. Feminism is a strong concern herein and other deities are compared to these fascinating women and vice versa.
Are Valkyries goddesses in their own right? Do they weave fate or are their fates determined by someone else? What is their actual role?
Delve into questions such as these and more - go buy this book now! Essential reading for the Heathens among you, and an excellent addition to any Pagan bookshelf (or coffee table, because the art is pretty too).
You can buy the book online at major bookstores and direct from the publisher at:
And find Sif Brookes online at:
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