Female Ideals and Their Roles in Icelandic Society
Female ideals in medieval Icelandic society revolved around a woman's behavior
and actions in her marriage, work, and family domains. The historical background of
Icelandic women, women’s general function in society, and the roles of female characters
in the Icelandic sagas provide hints towards the common attitude towards women of the
time, that is, how women were expected to act, what they were expected to do, and
essentially, what the ideal woman was.
To examine what an ideal Icelandic woman would have been like, it is first
necessary to look at some background information on the life of women in the period.
While women were nowhere near the status of men in terms of the amount of power they
had, they did enjoy a lot more rights than other women in medieval Europe (Simpson
129). A woman could own her own property (Simpson 128). Being able to manage her
own property and refuse a second marriage, widows enjoyed the most independence
(Simpson 129). At the same time, there were many things a woman could not do. For
example, a woman could not vote at the Thing, be a judge, or conduct her own lawsuit.
The approval of a father, husband, or other male guardian was needed for a woman to
buy or sell anything above a low value (Simpson 128). While a woman did not have
power over other people, especially men, she did have power in her own domestic sphere
to make decisions in the household (Dommasnes 71). In her essay "Women, Kinship,
and the Basis of Power" Liv Helga Dommasnes states, "As managers of all kinds of farm
products, such as food, textiles, and hides, it was in the hands of the wife to see to it that
the often quite big household of many generations, serva...
... middle of paper ...
...sible to get a
very clear picture of women in Icelandic society through the sagas alone, the coupling of
historic background with the sagas provides a clearer image of the ideal woman - strong,
confident, married or widowed, loyal to her family, concerned with her family's honor,
and an extremely hard worker.
12
Works Cited
Dammasnes, Liv Helga. "Women, Kinship, and the Basis of Power." Social Approaches
to Viking Studies. Ed. Ross Samson. Glasgow: Cruithne Press, 1991.
Jochens, Jenny. Women in Old Norse Society. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1995.
Simpson, Jacqueline. The Viking World. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1980.
The Sagas of Icelanders. Ed. Thorsson, Ornolfur. New York: Penguin Group, 2000.
Sawyer, Birgit and Peter. Medieval Scandinavia: From Conversion to Reformation, circa
800-1500. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.
Women, like black slaves, were treated unequally from the male before the nineteenth century. The role of the women played the part of their description, physically and emotionally weak, which during this time period all women did was took care of their household and husband, and followed their orders. Women were classified as the “weaker sex” or below the standards of men in the early part of the century. Soon after the decades unfolded, women gradually surfaced to breathe the air of freedom and self determination, when they were given specific freedoms such as the opportunity for an education, their voting rights, ownership of property, and being employed.
Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
shifted and women gained property rights.Also, in today’s society, we see a shift in this idea of
Men and women interact and make the world go around every single day. The idea of one gender being more important is very difficult to judge because men and women contribute equally and in different ways. The Laxdaela Saga is no exception to the interaction of men and women; much of the story depends upon these relationships. Although in medieval times women did not play a large role in society, they are very important in the Laxdaela Saga. Without the various gender related interactions the culture of medieval Iceland would not be as clearly understood one thousand years after the events have taken place.
Before the 1700 and 1800s women in some of areas had the right to vote. They also had the right to inherit properties. Because back then the world did mostly farming, men and women shared the work. Also the men shared in child care.
...ponding to her abuse of power. While she did possess powers, she did not possess the authority of when to exercise those powers.
woman] might have few legal rights, but she enjoyed enormous respect and prestige in the
Empress Theodora was one women who had impacted her society and did what was right for citizens. She helped her people defeat the invaders. Justinian and some of his people were going to leave their city to be safe, but Theodora stopped them. She gave a speech saying to fight with courage to the death and Justinian and his people defeated the rebellion (The World Almanac pg. 27). Therefore, Theodora also gave women rights. When divorced they can own their own
healthy conditions. It was also difficult for women to have a say in anything. She worked to
It can easily be seen that while men were considered to be the most powerful and wisest humans and gods, women had the power to significantly influence these men. From Uta-napishti's wife who convinced Uta-napishti to tell Gilgamesh about the plant that would make him young again to the examples mentioned above, several women were put in roles that had important effects on the men they encountered. Of course, this is not much different from the society we live in today. While many may believe that women have still not reached the point of true equality, it is hard to say that they are inferior and the significance of their roles in society is undeniable.
Women’s roles in society in Norse mythology are generally not specific to their gender. Women could be warriors, priestesses, poets, or housewives, and sometimes a woman was actually a man. Women in ancient Norse societies had rights such as the ability to divorce for valid reasons and to own land, which wasn’t allowed or didn’t exist in other parts of Europe. By looking at the Eddas and Sagas, reading the myths, and studying the archeological remains of the people of the region, we can see the different roles that were held by the women of this old world pagan religion.
Bryan E. Conversion and Canversence The Role and Function of Women In Post-Medieval Icelandic Folktales. Sandinawain Studies 83.2(2011): 165-190. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 March.2014.
...bsolute power of the state by acting has if she were accountable to none (The Stage and State). He saw his women as confident individuals. This did not fit the common role of a woman during his life time. The men had all the power in a marriage.
Women could initiate legal proceedings, and they were responsible for their own actions. They could be the executors of wills and even sign their own marriage contrac...
older days for women, as they did not have much rights as men’s did. A