Leif Erikson was the poster boy of Viking exploration, putting Vinland on the map. His sister, Freydís Eiríksdóttir, put it under new management, one axe swing at a time. She hacked through history like Jack Nicholson through a bathroom door (really an ‘all sailing and no slaughter makes Freydís a dull girl’ kind of situation.)

Born in Iceland around 965 to Erik the Red, she inherited his fondness for violent problem-solving. When their settlement was attacked, Freydís watched her so-called warriors scatter like spooked chickens, leaving her alone. At the time, she had a bun in the oven – fully baked and ready to pop.

Even with a bouncing baby Viking on the way, she grabbed a dead man's sword, slashed one of her exposed breasts, and frightened her pursuers away. Hardcore!