At one time, there was a lot of talk about the role played by women in the Viking Age. Were they warriors who wielded shields and swords alongside men? Did they go with them on the famous Viking voyages to places as far away as Europe, Russia and North America? Although in some cases it is difficult to separate myth from reality, it is clear that Scandinavian women in the Viking Age society enjoyed more freedom and power in their communities than many other women of the time. Recent research shows that many Norwegian women are more likely to travel with men than previously thought. This suggests that women also played an active role in the colonization of new lands.
Technically, women can't even be called Vikings. The fact is that the Old Norse word vikingar was applied only to men, as a rule, to those who set off from Scandinavia in their famous long boats to the distant shores of Great Britain, Europe, Russia, as well as to the islands of the North Atlantic and North America in 800-1100 years of our era.
But while these Vikings became infamous as fierce warriors and fierce invaders, they were also traders who established trade routes around the world. They formed settlements, founded cities (Dublin, for example) and influenced the language and culture of the places where their ships stopped.
Participation in hikes
While early historical research on the Vikings suggested that Scandinavian sailors traveled in male companies, perhaps due to the lack of desirable companions in Scandinavia, more recent research tells a very different story. In a new paper published in late 2014, scientists used mitochondrial DNA as evidence that Norwegian women joined their men on travels to England, the Shetland and Orkney Islands, and Iceland. Moreover, they were important participants in these processes of migration and assimilation. Especially in previously uninhabited areas such as Iceland, Norwegian women have been extremely important for settling new settlements and their prosperity.
Viking Age Society
As with many traditional civilizations, the Viking Age was essentially male dominated. They engaged in hunting, fighting, trade, and agriculture, while women's lives focused on cooking, caring for the home, and raising children. Most Viking-era graves found by archaeologists reflect these traditional gender roles: men were generally buried with weapons and tools, while women were buried with household items, handicrafts, and jewelry.
Liberty
But women in Viking Age Scandinavia did enjoy an unusual degree of freedom for that time. They could own property, ask for a divorce and return their dowry if their marriage ended. Women typically got married between the ages of 12 and 15. It was organized by families, but women had a say in this matter. If a woman wanted a divorce, she had to call witnesses to her home to the marriage lodge and announce to them that she was divorcing her husband. The prenuptial agreement specified how the family property would be divided in the event of a divorce.
Who was in charge of the family?
Although the man was the head of the family, the woman played an active role in managing both the husband and the household. Norwegian women had complete power in the domestic sphere, especially when their husbands were absent. If a man in the family died, his wife took over all the responsibilities and worked independently on the family farm or in the trading business. Many Viking Age Scandinavian women were buried with key rings that symbolized their role and power as housewives.
High social status
Some women were of particularly high status. One of the largest burials ever found in Scandinavia belongs to the "queen" - a woman who was buried in a magnificently decorated ship along with many valuables in 834 AD. Later, in the ninth century, the daughter of the Norse chieftain of the Hebrides (islands off northern Scotland) married a Viking king in Dublin. When her husband and son died, she left the household and organized a boat trip for herself and her grandchildren to Iceland, where she became one of the colony's most important settlers.
Scandinavian women warriors
Were there female warriors in Viking Age society? Although relatively few historical records mention the role of women in Viking battles, Byzantine historian Johannes Scylitz left testimonies of women who fought alongside men in the battle against the Bulgarians in 971. AD. In addition, the 12th century Danish historian Saxon Grammaticus wrote about a special female community, whose members dressed like men and devoted themselves to teaching swordsmanship and other martial skills.
Moreover, some of them took part in the Battle of Brovalle in the middle of the eighth century. In his famous work, Acts of the Danes, Saxon wrote about a woman from this community named Lagertha, who fought with the famous Viking Ragnar Lozbrook in the battle against the Swedes and impressed him so much with her courage that he decided to marry her.
Much of what we know about the female warriors of the Viking Age comes from literary works, including the romantic sagas of Saxon. The tales of female warriors known as Valkyries may have been based on accounts of these women's communities from Viking times, and they are undoubtedly an important part of Old Norse literature. Given the prevalence of these legends, along with the broader rights, status and power they enjoyed, it seems likely that women in Viking society did indeed sometimes take up arms and fight, especially when someone threatened them, their families, and property. ...
Viking age legends of fearless female warriors who fought alongside men have long raised suspicions that women might have dominated the battlefield at the time. Due to lack of evidence, this idea remained controversial for a long time and was considered a figment of the popular imagination. But now scientists have confirmed the existence of a Viking woman for the first time using DNA recovered from a 10th-century skeleton buried in the Swedish Viking city of Birka.
Experts say the woman was a high-ranking commander who led the troops into battle. "This is the first official genetic confirmation of the existence of a Viking woman," said Professor Mattias Jakobsson of Uppsala University.
The remains were first discovered in the 1880s. Despite the morphological features that suggested that the skeleton belonged to a woman, the grave itself led some experts to think that it was a man. Weapons were found in the grave, including a sword and arrows, two horses, as well as a board game, which indicated that the deceased Viking was well versed in tactics and strategy, and was also a high-ranking person.
In a new study published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, experts decided to confirm the gender of the found Viking. They analyzed the tooth root and forearm bone. DNA analysis showed that this Viking had two X chromosomes and no Y chromosome, or, more simply, the warrior was a woman. “The playset is symbolic and indicates that she was a kind of officer, someone who could wield tactics and strategy, and therefore, command troops in battle,” said Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, who led the study. “Before us is not a mythical Valkyrie, but a real military leader who turned out to be a woman.”
“In fact, this is a woman, over 30 years old and quite tall - about 170 centimeters,” added Hedenstierna-Jonson. Despite its military role, no injuries were found on the skeleton.
Experts say the new study will put an end to a long discussion about the existence of Viking women. "The written sources sometimes mentioned female warriors," said Neil Price, a professor at Uppsala University, "but now there is compelling evidence of their existence."
Viking women
Leaving a farm or an estate for any long period of time, a free man, at a meeting of many people, solemnly handed over the keys to the house to his wife, thus showing everyone that she became a complete mistress in his absence. These keys took a place next to others in a bunch that each married woman had with her and in which were also the most important keys that closed the locks of the chests with the most precious objects that the family had.
In almost every respect, women in Viking society had a status equal to that of men. Even when the owner was at home, not in his power, but in the power of his wife were all the issues related to the management of the household, it was she who looked after the slaves and free servants and maids who helped her in her daily work, which consisted of spinning, weaving, sewing, preparing drinks and food.
One of the most important and time consuming duties was making clothes for the whole family. Most of the garments of the Viking era were made from woolen cloth, the production of which required a long process of obtaining thread from sheep's wool and then dyeing it. Only then, with the help of a heavy and coarse device like a primitive loom, the cloth was made. If there was linen, it was ruffled, wound on a spindle and woven, making linen fabric, which, as one should assume, went on underwear.
10th century Danish bracelet (National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen).
In their free time, women must have been making ribbons that were used to decorate clothes. Other typically feminine crafts included embroidery and the production of decorative fabrics, or tapestries, that were hung on the walls of halls in the main rooms. If the family owned a ship or boat, then women, and probably the oldest members of the family, had to make sails - a task that required enormous effort and cost many man-hours.
Archaeological finds allow us to conclude that Viking women (yes, if men) were neat, well-groomed and took care of their own appearance. At the dawn of the 10th century, Ibn Fadlan noticed that the Russians were "excellently built and strong" and that their women wear wonderful jewelry made of silver and gold, which speaks of the wealth and high social status of their husbands. Visited in A.D. 950 the thriving city of Hedeby, an Arab merchant named al-Tartushi also spoke enthusiastically of the Viking women he met. Speaking of their beauty, he was obviously discouraged by the degree of independence they enjoyed.
From an early age, Viking women learned to rely on themselves and not expect help from anyone. Icelandic law allowed girls to marry from the age of 12, and since farms and estates were sometimes many kilometers apart, relatives were engaged in the choice of the upcoming life partner for the girl. It happened, however, that women had to solve marriage issues on their own. They had the right to own property and inherit it.
If the need arose, a woman could demand a divorce, and when leaving, she could take back the dowry and share in the joint property. If a woman became a widow, it was her privilege to decide whether to remarry or continue to be a widow. The fact that women were imbued with a strong sense of their own worth and became at times rich and influential members of the Viking society is evident from the quality of the objects found in their graves and the honor with which burials were performed. In their honor, praises were ascended, in which the dignity of women as housewives, their skill in managing the household affairs of the family, and especially the skill of seamstresses and embroiderers were praised.
According to the writings of the Skalds, some of the Viking women were distinguished by their imperiousness and sometimes cruelty. In the sagas, the authors do not skimp on bright colors, telling about the deeds of women strong in mind and spirit in the style of a matriarchal community, leading the struggle in bloody feuds and enthralling men to battle with their own courage. The stories of the exploits of one of these women, the daughter of Eric the Red Freydis, have come down to us thanks to the Grönlanding saga (or The Greenlanders). expedition to Vinland (wooded region in North America. - Approx. lane.). Having got there safely, Freydis made a plan, how, having got rid of the brothers, to take possession of their ship, and persuaded her husband to kill them themselves and kill the whole team.
Before us is a 10th century Danish amulet depicting a Scandinavian woman, it is 4 cm high and made of silver, covered with gilding and enamel. The woman is wearing a decorated dress, apparently worn over a pleated shirt, and her left hand is holding a shawl that covers the figure's shoulders. Long hair combed and tied in a knot at the back (National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen).
Viking women in the 9th-10th centuries. The illustration depicts Viking women doing their usual household chores in typical clothing of the period.
When Torvar did not want to kill the five women who followed Helgi and Finnboga, Freydis took the ax and safely completed the work for her husband. Although this story reflects an extreme case of the behavior of a woman among the Vikings, it gives us the opportunity to learn that, if we are talking about Scandinavians, the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity not only kept the family hearth, but also dared to go to dangerous enterprises with their husbands, and they used the right for a share in the production. The most curious thing, however, from what we learn about the position of women in Viking society is the fact that although they had access to the tings, they were denied the right to vote.
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Photos and pictures of Vikings:
Scandinavian woman image
The clothing of Viking women is mainly long robes - dresses with wide sleeves and a top sundress. An interesting fact is that due to the lack of buttons, clothes were sewn up every morning. In contrast to men's clothing, bright colors predominated in women's clothing. Women's jewelry was mostly made of bronze. A striking sign of a wealthy Scandinavian lady is braids covered with a bandage and colored ribbons gathered around the head in the shape of a ball. Girls have mostly loose hair. Much of the "wardrobe" of Scandinavian women also passed from men's clothing - shoes, hats, gloves. Also, women added charm to their image with the help of painted eyes and rosy cheeks, and, most importantly, men also used such makeup to make their image more majestic and attractive.
Free, equal to a man, she chooses with whom to live and indulge in love, she knows how to fight and goes on a raid along with the Vikings, a stylish chain mail clothe her camp, the sword in her hand is ready to strike without mercy, and the icy sea wind blows her uncovered hair. ... This is how the majority of the respectable public imagines a typical Scandinavian woman in the Viking Age.
Of course, this disturbing image has nothing to do with reality.
Undoubtedly, a Scandinavian woman in the VIII-XI centuries. had a higher status than her European sisters. She was not forced to sit on the female side of the house, on the contrary, she was an adornment of male society, they willingly talked to her and listened to her advice. But the law reckoned only with a man in whose absolute power she was, the husband was responsible for her misdeeds, and she was given to him for punishment. The woman herself had almost no rights in society, she could not sell or buy goods, often leave home, could not decide the fate of her daughters, in almost all areas of Scandinavia she was deprived of the right of inheritance, and even more so she was not given to dispose of your personal freedom. If a woman divorced or became a widow, she passed under the care of her brothers or immediate family. Its separate existence in the male world was impossible.
First of all, I would like to dispel the ugly myth about sexual promiscuity of northerners. Through thoughtlessness, this is considered a mandatory attribute of a dark pagan society, to which only Christianity has brought a ray of light and morality. Although even in the 1st century, Tacitus wrote about the Germanic tribes: "Among such a populous people, adultery is extremely rare!" Over the centuries, the cult of the clan, adherence to the adopted laws and the constant struggle for survival have forged truly iron foundations in the Old Norse society. Integrity and marital fidelity were revered as the primary virtues. 
Before marriage, the girls were under the supervision of their fathers or guardians, but although they had the right to visit and communicate with men, personal pranks were impermissible. According to the law, the one who dared to grab the young lady by the hand, kiss or even devote her love to her, had to pay a fine to offended relatives. In general, maiden honor was considered the honor of the whole family - temptation or rape entailed blood feud. Landnamabok tells about the Viking Uni Gardarsson - together with his comrades he spent the winter with a certain Leidolph in Iceland and along the way seduced his daughter. When it became clear in the spring that she was pregnant, Uni tried to evade responsibility by deception and sail to Sweden. The enraged father caught up with the fugitives and hacked them to pieces with his men.
Of course, the sagas also mention the love that broke out between young hearts, but such stories rarely ended in marriage. The husband was chosen by the father or relatives, focusing on the nobility and state of the man, so that marriage would bring power to the family. In these matters, girlish preferences were rarely considered. The Njala Saga talks about the stunning beauty Hallgerd, who opposed marriage to Torvald, to which her father said: “Do you think I will break my word because of your pride? If you disagree of your own free will, they will force you. "
Since the defamed girl brought shame on the whole family, it was of particular importance to observe the wedding ceremonies, legally transferring the chaste bride into the hands of her husband. The wedding ceremony was multi-stage and consisted of matchmaking - bónorð, the purchase of the bride - brúðkaup (at this stage, gifts and dowry were negotiated), betrothal - festar and the wedding feast itself, followed by the wedding night and the morning gift as a reward for virginity. A girl who was married in compliance with all these formalities, “bought by gift and word”, was called óðalskona - a married, lawful wife, endowed with domestic authority and authority. Her future children were considered legitimate and had the right to óðal - land property, strictly inherited. If this rite was not observed, the girl was lured away or kidnapped, then she was considered a concubine - frilla, regardless of her origin and status. Regarding accessible women, they used even more rude words - hóra, skækja - whore, whore. Polygamy was not encouraged by the Vikings, and it was not necessary, because along with the lawful wife, the owner of the house could keep several such concubines, usually consisting of women prisoners of war or slaves, who were regarded as goods, along with furs and walrus bones. Over time, a special institution of concubine developed in Scandinavia: women of lower origin became concubines of noble men, which increased their social status, usually they were even given their own court. The children of the concubines were illegitimate and had no inheritance rights, if the head of the family gave them the opportunity to live at all, and did not order to carry the newborns to the forest (this practice of getting rid of unwanted offspring was called útburðr - literally “take-out”). However, if the child showed promise and stood out for beauty and strength, the father performed the rite of introduction into the family - ættleiðing - and endowed him with property.
The ancient Scandinavians, in principle, did not tolerate dirt and fornication, even slaves were obliged, with the permission of the master, to marry slaves, and not to get confused among themselves at random.
It is clear that in such conditions there could be no question of sexual freedom - if a girl succumbed to temptation, she inevitably pulled her lover, his relatives and her loved ones into a bloody meat grinder. In ancient Sweden, the fallen girl was called miskunna kona fadhurs ok modhur - “a woman dependent on the mercy of her father and mother,” because it was up to them to forgive her or deprive her of her honest daughter's rights. And for a married woman, being caught with another man meant complete collapse in the eyes of the family and society, publicity and shame for all relatives. According to the law, the husband had to tear off the cloak from the traitor, cut off half of the dress at the back and, in this form, drive him out of his yard. And even more so, none of the Vikings would even dream of proposing his wife to another man.
However, the harsh life, which proceeded in constant work, strict family morals and the reserved character of the northerners did not initially contribute to the height of fiery passions.
The woman also had the right to divorce, which saved her and her children from abuse. Divorce itself insulted the relatives of both families and served as a reason for strife, but wives divorced marriages with a frequency that angered contemporaries from other countries. After the adoption of Christianity, they lost this opportunity.
Let's move on to the next common myth - about the northern warrior. Usually this version is supported by two arguments: after all, there are songs about the Valkyries and there are burials where women are buried with weapons. Indeed, many copies have been broken around this issue, but today 99% of researchers deny the existence of women trained in military affairs who took part in campaigns and sea raids. You can talk about the Valkyries endlessly, but the essence is the same - the accomplices of the reincarnation of the fallen warrior into Eincheria and the guide to Valhalla, they have nothing to do with women of flesh and blood. An important point - the Valkyries embody the fury of battle, the lust for blood, the frenzy with which the warriors kill each other, but they themselves do not fight! In the sagas of ancient times, the warrior Herver and her daughter are mentioned, but this material, like the songs about the Valkyries, refers to the gray-haired Old Norse epic and has a mythological background. The adequate view of the "contemporary" is reflected in the skaldic poetry and in the ancestral sagas, and there are no hints of the existence of women who would fight on an equal footing with men. “You are no better than a woman capable of wielding a weapon!” A certain Ketill Raumur reprimanded his lazy son, and his words confirm the fact that the girls were not taught military skills.
This does not mean that the woman was incapable of killing. Of course, as a last resort, she could take up the ax, protecting herself and the household. In the Saga of Gisli, the hero's wife defended herself along with him from his enemies. But more often in the confrontation with brute male power, female cunning won. The feat of women in Verend herad, in Småland, where, in the absence of the king and his troops, the Danes invaded: the inhabitants of the herad solemnly met the enemy squad and staged a feast, and then, after lulling the vigilance of the warriors with beer and an affectionate reception, staged a massacre. The few surviving Danes fled in disgrace, and Småland's women have since enjoyed many privileges, including the right to inherit on equal terms with men. In memory of the female courage, the brides of this region were seen off down the aisle with all military honors.
This tradition also includes rare burials, where arrowheads or axes were found among women's jewelry. At the same time, the combat vestments themselves are absent, and the female bones do not have any injuries or fractures characteristic of the fighting men. It is possible that these women died defending themselves or their families. Let's not forget that the grave reflects more the customs of the then system than the very personality of the deceased.
After all, the ancient Scandinavians respected their nature - that's what modern society should learn. It was unthinkable to behave inappropriately for your gender. It was believed that such a deviant might not turn out to be a human at all, but a troll or huldra. It was a shame for a man to be called a "womanlike husband," but for a woman - to behave like a man. Under Icelandic law, a man could even divorce a woman if she wore pants. “Such a woman suffers the same punishment as a man who wears a shirt with such a large neckline that his nipples are visible - both are grounds for divorce,” says the Saga about the people of Laksdal. And so it happened: a woman named Aud dared to wear this piece of men's wardrobe, which caused gossip and received the nickname Aud Pants. After this, her husband Tord announced the divorce at the Ting.
Warfare, robbery, fishing, trade, building ships, hunting, legislation were attributes of the male world, the outside world. The woman was in charge of the inner world, that which was innan stokks, "beyond the threshold", in the odal. The married woman was called húsfreyja, the mistress of the house, and the voluminous bunch of keys on her belt symbolized her power. The well-being of the house depended solely on her, while her husband gained wealth and fame in the Viking campaigns. She disposed of households and slaves, was engaged in the production of food and preparations for the winter, in charge of field work and cattle care, made homespun clothes and linens for various needs, carried and raised children. In addition, she was proficient in medicine and magic, which consisted of runes, spells - galdr and divination - seidr. Witchcraft and conspiracies were considered women's business, although there were also men who were engaged in the same craft.
Running an extensive economy in harsh conditions required prudence, foresight, composure, and sometimes fearlessness and decisiveness on which life depended on women. It is characteristic that the Vikings did not demand gentleness and eastern obedience, on the contrary, they expected reasonable advice and firm support from the wife, she alone could calm her husband's anger, reason him and, ultimately, influence the outcome of the case. Therefore, many men sought to enlist the support of wise women, especially at the court of leaders. This was no trifle, considering how skillfully the women of the time incited men to murder. The reason could be anything: from banal female hostility and envy to really serious insults. The noble Icelandic woman Gudrun incited her relatives to kill Kjartan, her lover, who never wooed her, after which she was passed off as another. All her life she regretted this: "To that I brought the greatest grief, whom I loved most ...". Truly, women did not have to take up arms themselves when eloquence alone was enough to stir up feuds between families and shed blood. More often than not, it was sisters, mothers and wives who reminded men of revenge, that the insults inflicted can only be reconciled with bloodshed, reproached for "femininity", laziness and cowardice, threatened with divorce and poisoned the soul with stinging speeches. This led to fierce clashes in which many soldiers died, they also demanded revenge, and the bloody circle was closed.
A characteristic feature of Scandinavian women was pride, reinforced by noble birth, and Icelanders were distinguished by waywardness. Many arrogant beauties allowed themselves to be haughty with their husbands or openly showered him with abuse if he behaved unworthily. Sometimes, men, in principle, could not go against the invincible will of the hostess. In the saga of the people of Laksdal, a woman named Vigdis, upon learning of a dastardly conspiracy against her kinsman, “lifted her purse and hit Ingjald on the nose with it so that blood immediately flowed to the ground. At the same time, she told him a lot of contemptuous words, and also that he would never receive this money again, and told him to get out. "
For a man it was considered unworthy to swear with a woman and beat her, although everything happened in family life. But, despite their subordinate position, women did not get away with resentment. In the Nyala Saga, there is a vivid episode when Gunnar defends his home from enemies and asks his wife Hallgerd to cut off a strand of her long hair in order to replace the torn bowstring on the bow. To which she replies: “Now I will repay you for that undeserved slap in the face! What does it matter to me how long you can defend yourself? " Gunnar soon fell from his wounds.
But there are much more examples of marital fidelity, when wives refused to be saved and died with their husbands, went up the funeral pyre after their spouse, or died out in a short time "af harmi ok trega" - from grief and sorrow.
Of course, Scandinavian women were not inferior to their warlike men in terms of firmness of spirit, but they did not encroach on traditionally male occupations. Being in masculine will, they, nevertheless, possessed a sense of their own dignity and enjoyed the respect of their formidable spouses, who at that time held Europe in fear. In principle, the very structure of Old Scandinavian society contributed to mutual respect between people. And, of course, all these men and women were aware of jealousy, love, loyalty, longing and desire, about which the sagas so succinctly speak.
Anyone who is dizzy with depraved and furious warriors in armor, thrusting the bodies of enemies onto spears, should turn to the ancient Celtic world. It was in pre-Christian Ireland that women ruled, fought in battles, made influential decisions about war, and were as ruthless as men. It is enough just to remember Boudicca, the ruler of the British Iken tribe, under whose leadership 3 cities were defeated, and the most severe massacre was perpetrated over the Roman population. As for sexual freedom, in the Irish laws there are about 9 options for cohabitation of a man and a woman (not to mention polygamy and the right of the first night). In general, a woman in the Celtic pagan society held a very honorable place. The adoption of Christianity put an end to this freedom - the time of patriarchy has come.
Article author - Siegreiche Zaertlichkeit
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