The viking women who disappeared
Women played an important part in Viking Age society, and their role far exceeded that of mother and the “housewife”. Why, then, are they barely mentioned in the history books?
“The standard specialist literature within the field is pervaded with Viking expeditions, kings, weapons, and battles,” says Viking researcher Nanna Løkka.
“If women are mentioned at all they are placed within an everyday context, with children, handicraft and domestic life. Thus, when the characteristics of the Viking Age are described, women are either left out completely, or they are given their own little paragraph, as they appear neither very exciting nor spectacular.”
In the recently published anthology Kvinner i vikingtid (“Viking Age Women”), 16 women and one man challenge this standard saga inspired account of the early Norwegian Middle Ages, which is characterised by raiding kings and chieftains. Løkka has edited the book in collaboration with Nancy Coleman.
http://sciencenordic.com/viking-women-who-disappeared
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