Viking Women Research Paper

When we look at Norse society, they were not entirely unlike other European societies of the time. The Norse society was male dominated and a woman’s place was considered to be in the domestic realm. In fact, during medieval times, women were forbidden to cut their hair short, carry weapons, and to wear men’s clothing. Additionally, similar to most European societies at the time, women were under the authority of her father, and later, her husband. Women were not allowed to be a chieftain, also called a gođi, a judge, a witness, nor could she speak at assemblies, also called

In this time period it was extremely common for a man looking for a wife to hold town events, for the chance to meet the different families and their daughters. Mothers and Fathers went to these events in hopes that their daughters will

Traditional historiographies and archaeological research perceived the Viking world as being dominated by men with the majority of studies being concerned with exploring the life and material culture of the male part of the society. There is no denying that archaeology is a discipline which has traditionally been deeply colored by a predominantly male bias, and the historical dominance of men over women had been accepted to such a degree that it appeared to be the natural order of things . Popular imagination was of male Viking warriors with their long beards, large axes, colorful shields, and bloodied swords. The presence of women was limited within the scope of early works. The historiographical study of women’s rights within the Viking Age is in its early stages. The academic fields of gender and women’s studies gained greater prominence beginning in the 1970’s, coinciding with the feminist movement. Early gender archaeology can be said to have been a search for women in the past, which was closely tied with the second wave feminism of the 60s and 70s . It is not surprising that the earliest practitioners in gender archaeology wanted to show that there were in fact women in the past, and that these women were not just important, they were just as important and integral to the development of cultures as their contemporary men.

The Vikings were known as ruthless pirates who conquered many lands. Although as the cited article mentions:” They were also poets, lawmakers and great artists… at home they lived in an well-ordered society, based on laws and democracy.” Contrary to some beliefs they were civilized people within their communities although they were merciless when it came to gaining controls of lands. In many various cultures women were and still are wrongfully viewed as inferior to men, Though in the Viking culture women held strong positions in their society and were responsible for farms when their husbands were away. The column again states: “The symbol of the powerful housewife was her keys, hung from her gown. If her husband took her keys from his wife, should could divorce him instantly, and keep their shared property.” Therefore women were given power in the their society.

In most cases, the women were actually in charge of gathering materials and then building the homes for everyone. They maintained their homes’ roof, and created new

The "Vikings" were an ancient people that inhabited Northern Europe and Scandinavia known as the Norse (also known as Northmen or Norsemen). The Norse people were spread across Northern Europe, particularly in the regions known today as: Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, and Finland), Germany, Denmark, Poland, Netherlands, the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Ireland, and the surrounding islands), Iceland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

In her work, McLaughlin states that studying perceived gender roles and actual human behavior is necessary to properly understand how the idea of gender roles affect and are affected by experience. Within “The Woman Warrior,” McLaughlin proclaims that active participation in combat is the “quintessential masculine activity,” but the way in which armies were organized granted women a unique access point, who’s expected roles were thought to be centered within domestic activities . Males were trained in weapon skills, strategy, and warfare in a home setting; within this system a female existed within the realm of military strategy and training. Armies consisted of retainers and the warriors within the army resided under the command of the lord and were also in service to the lord’s wife who managed and defended the holdings in the lord’s absence. If women acted as defenders of domestic life in certain circumstances, the gender roles within the society may have allowed women to display altered norms as their assigned economic and political tasks granted them the task of mediators with the world outside of Viking culture. There are a number of widows recorded as warriors, defending their interests and their children’s interests with a weapon in hand. These ideas were expanded upon by scholars such as Judith Jesch and Jenny Jochens. These two scholars showed that women are no longer to be thought of as auxiliary members of a society whose main responsibilities were, domestic in nature, such things as taking care of children, animals, and engaging in cooking or weaving. Instead they were integral figures within the whole of the society. Just as important, and equal to, within the social structures of their society as men. Beyond the discussion of the female role within the household or looking at the

In the late 19th century, archaeologist Hjalmar Stolpe spent years looking in gravesites near Birka. A town on the Swedish island of Bjorko operates as a key center for trading in the viking times. The text “Islamic Ring Found in 9th-Century Viking Grave” it states “In a grave of a woman buried in the 9th-century, his excavations recovered a silver-colored ring with a purple stone, now in the collections of the Swedish History Museum.” Researcher says that the ring is engraved with Arabic script. Which gives us rare physical evidence of the vikings and the Islamic world.

Norse women traveled alongside the men on the Viking long boats. They also played an active

During this post-Civil War era there were many women left home by themselves for long periods of time waiting for husbands, brothers, fathers, and fiancés looking for job opportunities to return. It wasn 't uncommon that women would be unmarried all their lives or a widow at a young age. At this day and age women would be encouraged to marry at the time they were asked. It was considered unnatural and foolish to not marry as a women. They were raised and taught how to fulfill the role of a wife and a mother and were taught to focus less on education, seeing that they wouldn 't really get a job. During the time this story was written the Civil War happened along with the reconstruction of the south, and the industrial revolution. One of the big

An ancient Scandinavian civilisation, known today as The Vikings, explored Europe and Scandinavia by sea, in order to trade, raid, pillage and conquer. During a period referred to as The Viking Age, the Vikings settled and colonised in Greenland, Newfoundland, The Faroe Islands, Iceland, Normandy, Scotland, Ukraine, Ireland, England, Russia and Anatolia. There is evidence that Viking women reached the majority of the Viking World, from Russia in the east to Newfoundland in the west. Although, it is difficult to separate the voices of Viking women from the predominantly male chorus, women played various fundamental roles in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Despite the Viking’s partial endorsement of female rights and gender equality, there

If a woman wanted to get a divorce, she had to call witnesses to her home and marriage bed, and proclaim in front of them that she had divorced her husband. The marriage contract usually stated how the family property would then be divided in case of a divorce.

At one point in time women were under the rule or authority of either their husband or father, which means they didn’t have much freedom or own any property. Women were prohibited from participating in any government activities. At another point in time women were well respected in the Norse society and were given a lot of freedom over a lot of other cultures. They helped with the finances, ran the farms when their husbands weren’t around and if they were widowed they could inherit the land and be rich. They were protected by the law from a lot of different

Viking society and culture was unique because of its social structure, educational system and the role women played in Viking society. Viking society was organized into three socioeconomic classes, and had a system called kingships or Ties. Vikings did not have schools, but received education at home or at the home of a rich persons or family member’s house or a visitor would teach them. Although not equal to men, Viking women had more rights than women in other European societies at the time of the Viking age.

What were the roles of women in the Saga of King Hrolf Kraki? Compare and contrast the various female characters in the story. How were women viewed in Viking culture in general?