Link: “The Stora Hammars 1 image stone, showing the saga of Hildr, undre what may be the rite of blood eagle, and on the bottom a Viking ship [cropped, square],” by Berig (own work), in English Wikipedia … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikings#/media/File:Hammars_(I).JPG … CC BY-SA 3.0 … DESCRIPTION: On left, a Viking boat with four bearded Viking warriors seated, shields at their sides, and swords raised above their heads. They face right. Middle, A woman with long, flowing hair and wearing a long robe stands on the shore and faces the men in the boat; she holds a torch or tree branch overhead. Right: Behind her on the land are three Norsemen standing with shields at their sides and swords raised over their heads … COMMENTS: I take the woman in the center of the tableau to be the Viking mother who keeps the hearth fire and tends the children of the Viking warrior while he is at sea. She welcomes the sea farers home. –Alice B. Clagett