Lesson 13.c - Women in the Viking Age, Part III: Were Women “Vikings”?

Komið þið sæl,

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The modern world longs for a place in our history in which women were not bound by the struggles they have faced for so long. The Viking realm has been no exception to this desire. The women in the Viking Age have presented us with an interesting situation. There is a significant amount of strong, warrior women in Old Norse literature, yet this takes on a different tone. A tone of co mmentary, not one of historical record. Nonetheless, there is a significant amount of hype surrounding “Viking” women. So, we will answer this question: were women “Vikings”?

In short, they were not “Vikings.” But, that is not the end of their story.

Contents:

1. Mythological Foundation
   
2. Representation in Literature
   
3. Interpreting the Realities
   
4. Archaeological Evidence
5. Bringing Everything Together

Mythological Foundation

Many who are familiar with Norse Mythology will quickly note that there are many women who are extraordinary. The Valkyries and Freyja are most definitely not to be challenged nor taken lightly. This description of Freyja in the Prose Edda gives a clear foundation for the possibility of warrior women:

“Freyja is the most splendid of the goddesses. She has a home in heaven ca lled Folkvangar [Warrior’s Fields]. Wherever she rides into battle, half of the slain belong to her. Odin takes the other half, as it says here: (Prose Edda, 35)

Folkvang it is called
and there Freyja decides
the choices of seats in the hall.
Half the slain
she chooses each day,
and half belong to Odin.
(The Lay of Grimnir, 14)”

Here we have a woman who has just as much authority in those that die in battle than Odin does. That is nothing to shy away, either. Mythology shows clear favor for strong women and it does not admire weak women.

Does this mean that women were warriors in days long since past? Not exactly. Even though the myths favor strong women, many goddesses still behave as one might expect. Freyja is definitely notable, but she is also a bit unique. It is also likely that such an image was done for the men themselves. I am quite sure a “Viking” would have enjoyed women taking him to the afterlife. Yet, still, the point here is that there does seem to be some level of acceptability of strong women.

Representation in Literature

This is where the lines begin to blur. We must move away from vague mythological interpretations and into the earthly representations of women. Old Norse literature seems to be covering a transition between the cultural norms of their myths and Christianity. There is noticeable tension. Yet, it is also clear in many sagas that women as “Vikings” was an anomaly. It was not supported and therefore the woman needed to be “saved” or “converted”, returning back to their acceptable social role. This is when we truly realize that the myths were not likely taken so literally. Here is a prime example:

“Among them was Lagertha, a skilled female warrior, who, though a maiden, had the courage of a man, and fought in front among the bravest with her hair loose over her shoulders. All marveled at her matchless deeds, for her locks flying down her back betrayed that she was a woman. 

Ragnar, when he had justly cut down the murderer of his grandfather, asked many questions of his fellow soldiers concerning the maiden whom he had seen so forward in the fray, and declared that he had gained the victory by the might of one woman. Learning that she was of noble birth among the barbarians, he steadfastly wooed her by means of messengers, she spurned his mission in her heart, but feigned compliance. (In other words, she rejected him, but played along). 

…Thus he had the maiden as the prize of the peril he had overcome. By this marriage he had two daughters, whose names have not come down to us, and a son Fridley…” (Viking Age Reader, 95-96)

Lagertha is a popular “Viking” woman in our modern age, yet in this literature from wh ich she “originates,” she is merely a prize to be won. An obstacle to overcome. It is sad to mention that even their daughters were not cared enough for in the eyes of history to be remembered. Although women appear as strong and as warriors, this does not mean that is was approved. Instead, women as “Vikings” in literature simply acts to personify a battle between freedoms and a the coming of a new age.

Interpreting the Realities

There is a middle ground, though. As we have now seen, women as warriors is acceptable in mythology, but not in society. Yet, there are many ways in which a woman can be strong and influential. The majority of literature reveals women to be strong when acting within their limitations. Women often pushed men to act, and those men often benefited from their counsel.

“Thorgils (a chieftain) said he was not obligated to take up a case that concerned Haflidi’s thingmen. She (Bjo rg) pressed him very hard, and when Thorgils saw that, he said that she was in a hard predicament (he husband was killed by Haflidi’s nephew, he is also a chieftain and was her husband’s legal connection - obvious bias).” (Miller, 241)

Thorgils eventually helps Bjorg. It turned out that Thorgils profited greatly for representing her. Here a woman remains in her social role, but can be very influential and authoritative. She was able to convince another chieftain to act on her behalf. The Saga world was one of men, but women played a larger role in it than most other societies. The sagas did not like weak women just like they did not like weak men. Women were not put on pedestals, rather women put men on them and goaded them to stay there.

If you manage tor read a few Icelandic sagas, keep this in mind:

“The conventional women of the sagas is strong-willed and uncompromising. She is the self-appointed guardi an of the honor of her men and as such she generally sees honor as unnuanced heroism.” (Miller, 212)

Archaeological Evidence

Odendisa Runestone

This runestone is known for being dedicated to a woman. It was raised at Hassmyra, Västmanland, Sweden. This woman is praised for what she did within the realm of the household, not based on achievements in battle. I personally have not worked much with this stone, so I cannot offer a translation of my own for what it says, but here is one done by Judith Jesch, author of Women in the Viking Age:

There will come
to Hassmyra
no better housewife,
who arranges the estate.

Here is an image of this runestone:

The Oseburg Ship Burial

This burial was done for two wom en. It is a burial fit for a queen and the ship itself features intricate detail. One woman was middle aged (20-30) and the other was elderly (50+). They died around the year 830. This burial shows how women could truly achieve an impressive status in Viking Age society, but not through means of war and battle.

Burials of women are found in all parts of the world that the Viking went to. This does not mean that they were participating in raids though. Women, children, and livestock were often brought along for settlement reasons. Raids began to take on the role of both temporary and permanent settlement. This is the case because not many burials of women are found where settlement did not also take place. Women were colonizers, and their grave goods reflect aspects of commerce, not war.

Here are only a few of the items found in this burial:

1. A cart
   
2. Saddle
   
3. Twelve horses
   
4. Three beds
   
5. Chairs
   
6. Lamps
   
7. Buckets
   
8. Four looms
   
9. Fine textiles
   
10. Custom shoes for arthritis
    
11. And much, much more…
    

Here is an image of the ship they were buried in:

Bringing Everything Together

We now have a very complicated picture. Mythology reveals women in battle, literature represents woman as powerful warriors, and society suggests women who were strong, holding up their family and their husband. It is understandable that the image of women during the Viking Age is so often contested. So let’s finally answer that question.

Women were not “Vikings.” They did not go on raids, since they had to maintain society while many men were gone. Yet, women had an unspoken authority. They had the power to influence men and protect their husband’s honor. They were self-appointed heroines. Women gained honor through other means. They did not gain honor through battle, but by being a vital support. A woman who was a warrior would be an anomaly that needed “correction.” Women made due with their situation and managed to become influential and strong in their own way. They were by no means weak, and the men knew this. Sometimes men envied this, but they also benefited from women, whether they liked it or not. The women of the Viking world were strong and they were admired for it.

Yet, it is alright if we use these warrior women, like Lagertha, as heroes to look up to today. Our young women need strong women to look up to. They have the potential to rise where they were once forbidden. Still we must not allow that to cloud the past. We interpret material much differently today than it was meant to be understood in another era - keep that in mind.

“…it was the men, not th e women, who were meant to die on raids…” (Miller, 208)

Skál og ferð vel,
— Steven T. Dunn.

Next Week’s Lesson: Lesson 14 - Ships and Seafaring.

Sources

General

1. Jennifer Dukes-Knight, “Women,” Lecture, Viking History, University of South Florida, 2015.
   

Textual (In order of appearance):

1. Snorri Sturluson, Prose Edda, Translated by Jesse L. Byock, (London: Penguin, 2005), 35.
2. Angus A. Somerville and R. Andrew McDonald, ed. The Viking Age: A Reader, Second Edition (Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures). (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014), 95-96.
   
3. William Ian Miller, Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990), 208, 212, 241.

Images (In order of appearance):

1. (lin k) Gustaf Eriksson, Date: 14 july 2005, Beskrivning: Odendisastenen i Fläckebo.
   
2. (link) Oseberg ship, Kulturhistorisk museum (Viking Ship Museum), Oslo, Norway.
   

I’m watching Trolljegeren/ Troll Hunter and now I’m in the mood for trolls juST let me live with them please

THOR and LOKI on the road by Hellanim

I was out with a friend tonight doing one of my fave things. Reading the backs of romance novels aloud. Found this gem.

This is honestly the most wild sounding romance novel I have ever seen and thought it might brighten someone’s day.