New Viking archaeology studies in Sweden have found that a original grave including weapons, horses and even a board game belonged to a woman warrior, and in turn, it has helped re-define their role in history.
It is the interesting premise for the Hakon Hakonsson Lecture which is always eagerly anticipated and is one of the highlights of the Viking Festival.
The event has been running every year since the festival formed in 1980 with the very first lecture hosted by the late Mastermind tv presenter Magnus Magnusson who was the first patron of the festival.
The lecture is organised by Largs & District Museum & Historical Society, and this year's talk concerns how Viking women lived in early Scotland: re-examining the evidence.
The lecturer is Dr Steven H Harrison of the University of Glasgow, a lecturer in archaeology.
Dr Harrison's research interests focus on the archaeology of Early Viking Age Ireland and Britain, Viking Graves and Burial Rites, Viking Weapons (particularly shield bosses and spearheads), Viking Fortifications (Longphuirt) and Viking Women
He said: "I use interdisciplinary approaches to study Viking Age and Medieval Ireland History and Archaeology of Viking Age and Medieval Dublin The Battle of Clontarf (1014) - Landscapes and Seascapes
"In addition, I am developing research on the Viking Graves of Scotland."
Dr Harrison has also been a co-writer for a number of books on Viking history including Viking Graves and Grave-Goods in Ireland. Series: Medieval Dublin Excavations 1962-81, and The Vikings in Britain and Ireland.
In the lecture, Dr Harrison examines the long held perceptions of Viking women by academics, and finds that new archaeological discoveries have helped re-tell the story.