Copyright scotsman
For Alice Jamieson, being a trailblazer runs in the family. “My father was the first Jarl to change the shield design from the raven to something different,” she said. “It’s in my blood.” The former military nurse made history last year after being appointed as the first female Jarl on Shetland’s second largest island, Yell. Different regions across the isles select a Guizer Jarl - a most noble warrior in Norse mythology - to lead a squad during the archipelago’s annual Up Helly Aa festival. The event, which starts in January, sees a series of fire festivals held on the inhabited Shetland islands, celebrating Viking heritage with a large torchlit procession and the burning of a replica Viking longship. Traditionally, the Jarl position, which is held for the full year, was given to a man. However in the last ten years, two women have been chosen to lead squads, including Alice. Now, after almost a year heading the Cullivoe squad on Yell, and with just two months to go before celebrations start up again, the 35-year-old has officially handed over her duties. “It feels a peerie bittersweet because I am gutted my year is over,” Alice said. “But then again it all went so well. “And we’re already going at full pelt with things to do for the new Jarl for next year.” One major part of the annual festival is, of course, the outfits. Traditionally, costumes, which include a helmet, shield and an axe, were handed down through the years. More recently, however, each Jarl and their squad make bespoke ensembles every year, which they do in the months leading up to the festival. “There are so many parts to the festival,” Alice said, whose squad was made up of 22 people, including her six-year-old son, Henry. “There is so much that goes into it from the outfits to the building of the galley boat. “It really gets the community together, the old and the young. The festival goes a lot deeper than other folk realise.” For Alice, her design was a nod to her time being a naval nurse, during which she was flown out to Afghanistan to help soldiers. “I took inspiration from the Valkyries for my outfit,” she explained. “In folklore, the Valkyries were known to collect the dead from the battle fields and took the souls to Valhalla,’ (hall of slain warriors in Norse mythology). “When I spoke about that story, I heard from someone that the Valkyries were often depicted as the northern lights and I loved that too for the colour scheme; the green of the northern lights and the dark night. “Our emblem was based on the Valkyrie wings and a logo from being a naval nurse.” For the Cullivoe squad, the incumbent Jarl traditionally chooses the next one. The selection process varies in different regions of Shetland. Alice chose local crofter and friend Stephen Saunders. “I knew before I even became Jarl that I would pick him,” she said. “It’s all about how passionate you are about the community and about the festival.” She added: “For me, being Jarl isn’t about gender. “Do I love Up Helly Aa? Yes. Do I love this community? Yes. Do I want the best for it? Yes. “When you pick a Jarl, you pick someone who has shown dedication to the festival, who is part of the community and who loves it. “I know Stephen is exactly that. “It’s interesting to see already that he’s doing things so differently. Different Jarls have different takes.” Further details on the design for the next squad remain a top secret until celebrations begin again in 2026. When asked if she had experienced any pushback to being the first female Jarl on her home island, Alice, who is one of three, said: “Pushback? No, not really. “There were the odd comments. “Mainly from brothers,” she joked. Pointing to the positives that have come out of her role, Alice said: “What I like is this change in language I am hearing. “Peerie lasses are saying ‘when’ I am Jarl, not ‘if’ I were Jarl. “When I was peerie, I never heard that, I just thought it was just what men did. “So being in this role and hearing that makes it really special.” Alice, whose father, Robert, was the Jarl in 1981, said she looks forward to the festival continuing and maybe seeing her son or brothers take on the lead role in the years ahead. Up Helly Aa celebrates the long Norse period in Shetland, which lasted some 600 years after the first Vikings landed on its shores between 800 and 850 AD with the islands part of the Kingdom of Norway until the 15th Century. Some say the ritual echoes the cremation of great Norse leaders and religious ceremonies to mark the Sun’s return to those longest, dark winter nights in the far north. However, Up Helly Aa in its current form is a relatively modern festival. The earliest known written account of the gatherings similar to what is performed today dates back to the 1820s in Lerwick. The Lerwick Up Helly Aa is perhaps the most widely know today, given it is the most populated area of Shetland. In 2023, women were allowed into the town’s main torchlit procession for the first time. The move followed a long-running campaign, which had been active since the 1980s, to relax the usual gender roles surrounding the celebration. Squads across other regions in Shetland have been more relaxed about mixed genders, though a female Jarl is still a rare sight. Lesley Simpson became Shetland’s first ever adult female Guizer Jarl at the South Mainland Up Helly Aa in 2015.
