Old Norse Images of Women

Insults, violence, and the meaning of lytegian in the Old English Battle of Maldon

“…A formulaic expression of this sort might indeed be a product of literary Phantasie, but it might just as likely have originated in an effort to ossify cultural conventions in memory and speech. Finally, the notion that only pre-Conversion ("pagan") Icelandic women were morally capable of inciting discord among men -and that the thirteenth-century authors of the Sagas had little experience with such behavior (Heller 1958: 117;Jochens 1996: 201) -should strike even myopic observers of "non-pagan" women, and of humanity in general, as naïve.…”

Invisible Kingship

“…2 See Clover 1986 on the intersections of the maiden king and warrior women; in the context of other riddarasögur Glauser 1983; on female agency Jochens 1986 and1996; as participating in the bridal-quest tradition Kalinke 1990; on notions of monstrosity and otherness Lambertus 2013; specifically on Nítíða's agency: Friðriksdóttir 2013, Jakobsson 2009, McDonald Werronen 2016 invites him to her bower, where she exposes him, but accepts his subsequent marriage proposal. Ingi, now in France, is then defeated by Livorius.…”

Wealth, sexuality, and incitement: women's political tools in the North

“…Peut-être faudrait-il interpréter les incitations plutôt comme des cris du coeur émanant des impuissantes -les femmesadressés aux puissants -les hommes -leur demandant un partage des pouvoirs de décision en indiquant les solutions qu'elles trouvent convenables ? Démontrant par leurs actions ultérieures qu'ils consentent aux demandes des femmes, par leurs mots et surtout par le langage du corps, les hommes indiquent en même temps que ces appels les ont contrariés 30 .…”