God forbid a woman do anything

We will be looking at some poems with human protagonists, and these figures are well known from a
variety of stories from a variety of places.
We will be considering these characters as fictional – which is different to real – but they of course
express real ideas about women.

We see a lot of depictions of Sigurd in Christian monuments later on. Pagan populations would have
sought to have their legends represented in the culture to which they had come.

Inclusion of historical figures, to imply that this story is true.

Women could hold land in the middle ages, we saw women owning land all over the place. We also
frequently see women ruling in the place of their sons.
In ON poetry we often see women operating through men by inciting them to action.
We often see murderous and vengeful women, operating through the male structures which they
can manipulate.

Modern pop culture tends to depict female characters from this culture as warriors, placing them
into the roles of men rather than in the roles they participated in at the time. That said, we’re pretty
sure that shieldmaidens did exist every now and then. It was more ok for women to transgress into
male roles.
Always think about who is saying things about women.
Be aware that we are children of our own values, and feminist ideas aren’t necessarily retroactively
applicable.
‘The eddic heroic poems are essentially concerned with women who struggle to retain personal
power, vividly exploring the destruction that results when their autonymy is curtailed’ ; Caroline
Batten quoting Larrington, ‘Strengði hon elfi: Female Reaction to Male Violence in Eddic Heroic
Poetry’, Scandinavian Studies 91

Law

The partnership thing means that women could lead a business with their husbands.

In the second poem of Gudrun, it is she, not Sigurd, who her brothers resent for the power that they
wield as a couple.

Consider that women were always the embroiderers. Every narrative tapestry, such as the Beyeux
Tapestry, involve women doing the storytelling.
Knitting and so forth was also massively important. Our modern idea of knitting being a frivolous
leisure practise would have been absolutely bizarre.