The TV series, Vikings, had shield maidens, bands of female warriors, as part of its stable environment. The fact of the matter is that evidence for the existence of shield maidens is as scanty as their dress. In fact, the mainstream are at present championing the case of discovering ONE Viking female warrior:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-reaffirm-famed-ancient-viking-warrior-was-biologically-female-180971541/
https://www.livescience.com/64816-woman-viking-warrior-burial.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birka_female_Viking_warrior
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/10273366/viking-warrior-woman-facial-reconstruction/
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/viking-warrior-woman-0012813
“THE FACE of a 1,000-year-old Viking warrior women has been reconstructed by scientists. The amazing reconstruction is complete with a gruesome battle wound on her skull and layered skin. British scientists brought the Viking woman to life using facial reconstruction technology. They based their work on a skeleton found in a Viking graveyard in Solør, Norway, which is now preserved in Oslo's Museum of Cultural History. The female warrior was buried surrounded by deadly weapons but was not initially considered to be a warrior because of her gender. She was buried with a hoard of weapons including arrows, a sword, a spear and an axe but the dent in her head was a bigger clue about her past. The dent in her skull was consistent with a sword wound and she was placed in her grave with her head resting on a shield. Experts are unsure whether the head injury is what caused the Viking woman's death. However, archaelogist Ella Al-Shamahi told The Guardian that this is "the first evidence ever found of a Viking woman with a battle injury". She added: "I’m so excited because this is a face that hasn’t been seen in 1,000 years… She’s suddenly become really real."

