First day, and three threads started. Am I eager, or just annoying? Anyway.
My wife wants to play a particular character type. She is inspired by Lagetha from the Vikings series on history. She wants to play a norse shield maiden, unable to go home for -reasons to be determined- and looking for a new home, glory, honor, wealth, and perhaps a truly noble lord to serve.
I'm struggling a little as to how to get her to Salisbury. I don't mind a big backstory, gives me more story threads to tug. I have the Book of Knights and Ladies, Saxons, Land of Giants, and 4th, 5th and 5.1 core books. Seems a Saxon might be easier to get to Salisbury, but I think she would prefer a proper Viking. Any suggestions on getting a Dane or Northman shield maiden to Salisbury?

Trade? She sailed up the Avon with other Danes on some trading expedition and stayed.

She was a Shield Maiden that was captured and taken as a slave by the Saxons, and then brought to England.

She escaped her "owner", perhaps killing him and taking his weapons and armor, and has made her way to Salisbury.

Have her show up during a battle and be *heroic* in some manner or another.

Hope that helps.

And use the Danes information from K&L

Good answers in the preceding posts. Very little to add save that Jutes were driven away by Danes, in the legends. So finding some Danes as prisoners or even raiding after the Jutes would not be too out of place. Or even a Dane Shield Maiden showing up in Salisbury claiming to be in Britain to seek her father's murderer who has sailed to join the Saxons... That should work well with the Battle of Mearcred Creek and the establishment of Essex in 485-7. You can easily make that Murderer into an Essex thegn and stretch that vendetta over the whole of Anarchy, too. In several generations, if necessary.

Dane it is! And these are great ideas. Escaped slave from the Saxons, and I think the idea of staying in Salisbury hunting the Saxon that killed her father would be a great initial motivator for her character. I'll have to make sure the initial session both introduces her to the rest of the characters and gives her at least some basic gear early in. Looting a couple dead Saxons perhaps, or come up with a plausible reason for one of the characters to have a spare shield, smallish mail coat, and a half decent axe or sword with his war gear.

I would think that a trained shield maiden being unrecognized, and treated as if she was just a female slave, would have opportunity to throttle a careless warrior sometime
and if her armor is a bit oversize, eh
Revenge against her father's murderer? sure
Revenge against the entire Saxon nation? go girl!
She cold have two Hates, you know, one specific and one general