The Roles of Women in Medieval Scandinavia Essay - 4028 Words

When people think about Medieval Scandinavia they usually think about a cold northern region inhabited by a warrior people who spend all of their time sailing around in Viking warships and plundering from one another or going to war with their neighbors. While our archaeological evidence from this period may be rather scarce, many cite the Scandinavian pagan religions as a evidence of this warrior society due to the fact that men were encouraged to fight in order to be chosen by the gods to live in Valhalla, the pagan equivalent, loosely equivalent, of heaven. However, this only accounts for the men of the society, and no society can continue if it consists only of men. Were the women as concerned with war as their male comrades? Recent†¦show more content†¦Norse pagan lore is rife with female characters that challenge their male counterparts and take tasks upon themselves rather than simply leaving them to men, in some cases of pagan myth, the female characters even partici pate in battles. Scandinavian society itself also contributed to allotment of power into female hands. Due to societal expectations, in order to advance in society the Scandinavian man was required to find a wife and produce offspring; however, due to the overall scarcity of women only a small number of men could achieve this and the rest were forced to look elsewhere for brides, these men were the Vikings who raided other lands and countries not merely to find wealth but also to find themselves wives. All of this evidence culminates in the fact that women in Scandinavia held a very different position than was previously believed and one such woman who is an exceptional example of the utilization of this power is Margaret I, Queen of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. For these reasons we are lead to believe that there existed an expected realm of responsibility for both men and women throughout medieval Scandinavian society; however it also seems to have been expected that some women wou ld go beyond these social limitations in order to take power and occasionally even participate in battle, andShow MoreRelatedThe Origins Of The Viking Age1174 Words   |  5 PagesOne of the most interesting times in medieval history is the era known as the Viking Age. When these fierce sea-borne raiders rummaged and plundered European sea ports of their valuables and treasures. 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