the viking art of death.

Artist Mirosław Kuźma does some terrific illustrations of archaeological grave finds:

The above depicts a find from Birka in the 9th/10th century CE, known as "the lady with a pig's jaw". Much speculation has been projected onto this beheaded woman's jaw being shorn off and a pig's jaw being placed on her chest. From a grimly simple object lesson in silencing her in life by beheading and taking her jaw to ensure she stays silent in Hel with the pig jaw as a shaming/disabling replacement, to the living keeping her jaw as useful totem object that would continue to aid prophecy after her death with her head cut off as a ritual of mythic parity to the disembodied head of wise Mímir and the pig jaw associated with the Vanir who brought knowledge of the Volvas' seidr prophecy magic to the Aesir (though there are no volvic artifacts in this picture like the expected wand, like the one next to the body's arm in the next illustration).

Note the horse's leg across this woman's belly, the animal half-straddling her, the rock at her crossed feet and the disembowled fox, all three of them overlappingly entwined and encircling the stone. The lack of burial ritual helskór, or hel-shoes, meant to allow the dead to walk the long and difficult path to their respective afterlife destinations, is interesting here. We would guess that if she's a Volva perhaps with her powers she doesn't require the usual shoes to overcome the death journey's obstacles, or the provided horse would carry her over them (though that contrasts with the following horse & shoes example), or she's meant not to journey and stay in her estate's burial mound to serve as a resident familial dís, or female ancestral spirit, called upon to aid her present descendants.

The obvious choice here would presumably be a shieldmaiden with her shield, weapons of war, and her mount.

[We would like to praise & acknowledge erudite archaeologist Arith Harger for using the first illustration in a video, which brought this artist to our attention.]

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Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants at age seven. Since then he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the Map of Midgard project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay. If you have employment/opportunities in investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer, do contact him.