Behind Every Great Viking Man There Stands A Great Viking Woman:

Why Viking Women Were Given Many Rights for That Time Period
Sarah Pomeranz
Honors History
Mr !ore
May "#$ %&#%
' 'ntro:
Thro(gho(t Viking history very )itt)e information *as do+(mented ,y the Vikings
themse)ves Thro(gh ar+heo)ogy and trans)ation of *hat )itt)e they did re+ord$ it has ,een
(n+overed that they had many )a*s and +(stoms that re-e+ted *omen They va)(ed fami)y
sta,i)ity and ,e)ieved res-e+t for *omen *as essentia) to s(--orting that va)(e
A Sin+e Vikings )ived re)ative)y iso)ated from one another$ they va)(ed fami)y sin+e
it *as a +entra) s(--ort system
B The *omen had to maintain the ho(seho)d *hi)e the men *ent on raids
Women *ere treated *e)) to ins(re the farm -ros-ered
. Viking *omen got to kee- the )and after divor+e
# To ins(re she treated the )and as her o*n
% As an in+entive for the man to stay married to her
! Part of a Viking man/s monetary va)(e *as his *ife and fami)y$ so he *anted
them to ,e *e)) taken +are of to a--ear *ea)thier
E Vikings men *anted ,ig$ strong +hi)dren and sin+e the *omen took +are of the
+hi)dren$ the *omen *ere to ,e treated *e)) so that they +o()d ,est n(rt(re their
+hi)dren
'' 'n some Viking +o(ntries$ s(+h as 're)and$ -eo-)e )ived in vi))ages$ ,(t in most +o(ntries
they )ived in farmho(ses
#
They *ere mi)es from their nearest neigh,ors These )iving
environments for+ed fami)ies to ,e+ome not on)y se)f0s(ffi+ient$ ,(t a)so very )oya) to
one another
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Peter .hris-$ The Vikings 1.hi+ago:Raintree$%&&"2$ #3
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A 4ami)y ties *ere so +)ose that a 5(arre) ,et*een t*o individ(a)s from different
fami)ies often ,e+ame a fe(d ,et*een the fami)ies that )asted for generations
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B Viking )a* itse)f states that a Viking/s )oya)ty ,e)onged first to their fami)y and
then to their )o+a) +omm(nity
"
. Thra))s/$ or s)aves/ sons a(tomati+a))y ,e+ame a thra)) to their father/s o*ners
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This meant that the fami)y often ,e+ame atta+hed to the thra))s as *e))
! Viking fami)ies sat aro(nd the fire in the evenings and s)e-t in the same room at
night
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# The on)y time that men sa* other men *as d(ring raids and *hen
they gathered for the Thing 1)o+a) +o(n+i)2
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% Women ho*ever$ never sa* other *omen so a)) of their )oya)ties
,e)onged to their o*n fami)ies
''' Some Viking men *ent on raids every sing)e s-ring
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$ so for one fo(rth of the year they
*ere not home The *ives *ere the heads of the ho(seho)d for m(+h of the time and that
earned res-e+t from the entire ho(se
A When a h(s,and *ent on a raid$ he -resented the *ife *ith the keys to the
fami)y/s va)(a,)es
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as a sign that she is no* in +harge
B 'f the *oman/s h(s,and *as in the ,(siness of trade$ she +o()d ,e the a(thority
fig(re for months or years at a time
:
%
;ohn ! .)are$ The Vikings1<ondon: G())iver Books$ #::#2$ "3
"
',id$ 3
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Me)vin and Gi)da Berger$ The Real Vikings 1Washington$ !.: =ationa) Geogra-hi+$ %&&"2$#9
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Peter .hris-$ 1.hi+ago: Raintree2$ %&&"$ #3
3
',id
8
;ohn ! .)are$ The Vikings1<ondon: G())iver Books$ #::#2$ 7#
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',id$ #3
:
Me)vin and Gi)da Berger$ The Real Vikings 1Washington$ !.: =ationa) Geogra-hi+$ %&&"2$#%
"
. Sin+e the men *ere a*ay for so )ong$ the *ives had no *ay of kno*ing *hether
their h(s,ands *ere a)ive 't *as not (n+ommon for *omen to take their entire
ho(seho)d and sett)e e)se*here
#&
'V Viking )a* states that not on)y +an a *oman divor+e her h(s,and at *i))$
##
,(t that she
a)so gets to kee- the a)) of the -ro-erty
#%
A Sin+e the *omen +o()d o*n their o*n -ro-erty and share the *ea)th of her
h(s,and/s fie)d
#"
$ it on)y maked sense that she *o()d a)so ,e a,)e to get the )and if
they divor+ed
B 't *o()d not ,e )ogi+a) to have the h(s,and o*n the fie)d after a divor+e ,e+a(se
then there *o()d ,e no one to take +are of it *hi)e he is gone on ,(siness or raids
. This )a* *as an additiona) motivation for the h(s,and to stay married 't a)so
he)-ed the e>0*ife remarry sooner sin+e no* she had e>tra )and for anyone *ho
married her
! The *oman needed the )and ,e+a(se on+e a da(ghter married she )eft her -arents/
ho(se and no )onger *as -art of their fami)y 'f divor+ed$ she *o()d have
no*here to go
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?n the other hand$ *hen a man married$ his *ife @oined his
fami)y so the man +o()d sti)) ret(rn to his fami)y/s ho(se if the marriage did not
*ork o(t
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#&
Ri+hard Ha))$ Exploring the World of the Vikings 1<ondon: Thames and H(dson <td$ %&&82$ "6
##
Me)vin and Gi)da Berger$ The Real Vikings 1Washington$ !.: =ationa) Geogra-hi+$ %&&"2$#9
#%
;ohn ! .)are$ The Vikings1<ondon: G())iver Books$ #::#2$ "3
#"
Me)vin and Gi)da Berger$ The Real Vikings 1Washington$ !.: =ationa) Geogra-hi+$ %&&"2$#9
#6
',id$ #"
#7
',id
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V 'n Viking so+iety$ even tho(gh the *omen *ere res-e+ted$ the men *ere sti)) very m(+h
in +harge 't *as very im-ortant to a man that his fami)y a--eared *ea)thy
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Therefore$
he treated his *ife @(st as *e)) as he did his +hi)dren so that they a--eared -ros-ero(s
A A ty-i+a) Viking ho(se had on)y fo(r rooms and t*o of them *ere storage$ one
main room and one *orkroom for the *omen
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.onsidering this$ it *as genero(s
that the *omen had their o*n rooms
B 'f t*o men got into a d(e) and one man tho(ght that he +o()dn/t *in$ he *as
for+ed to hand over a)) of his -ro-erty and his *ife
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Treating yo(r *ife *e))
ref)e+ted an investment in her Treating her *e)) sent a message that the man fe)t
it *as (n)ike)y that he *o()d )ose a d(e) sin+e he *o()d not *ant to hand over
that investent
. Vikings$ es-e+ia))y the (--er +)ass$ *ere often ,(ried *ith a)) of their
,e)ongings
#:
This sho*s ho* materia) things *ere vita) to the Vikings *ere and
,e+a(se they va)(ed things$ a--earan+es *ere im-ortant to them and therefore a
groomed fami)y *as idea)
V' Even tho(gh the Vikings had many +rafts and a )arge -ortfo)io of innovationsA they are
most remem,ered for their raids This is (nderstanda,)e sin+e their raids *ere very
im-ortant to them Every father *anted a to(gh and strong fami)y
A 'nfanti+ide *as not (n+ommon in Viking +()t(re and the father *o()d (s(a))y do
this to most)y da(ghters and some sons
%&
#3
Ri+hard Ha))$ Exploring the World of the Vikings 1<ondon: Thames and H(dson <td$ %&&82$ "9
#8
;ohn ! .)are$ The Vikings1<ondon: G())iver Books$ #::#2$ #&
#9
',id$ "3
#:
',id$ %3
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Ri+hard Ha))$ Exploring the World of the Vikings 1<ondon: Thames and H(dson <td$ %&&82$ "7
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# The *omen needed to ,e strong$ smart$ and *orth res-e+ting$ so it
*as the father/s res-onsi,i)ity to im-rove the gene -oo)
% The men needed to ,e good *arriors$ so the father ki))ed the *eak
ones
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" To make s(re that the +hi)dren *ere strong it meant that there
needed to ,e s(ffi+ient food for them 'f there *ere too many
+hi)dren then none of them *o()d have gotten an ade5(ate amo(nt
of n(trients
B The Vikings had a god of ferti)ity that they -rayed to named 4rey He *as a)so the
G0d of Marriage
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They *anted ,oth -hysi+a))y and emotiona))y strong +hi)dren
and those +ame most from strong marriages
. Whi)e the +hi)dren *ere yo(ng they stayed *ith their mother for most of the time
When the father treated his *ife *e)) then she *o()d ,e )oya) to him and this
attit(de *o()d ,e )earned ,y the +hi)dren
V'' When most -eo-)e imagine Vikings they -i+t(re ,ar,ari+$ vio)ent men Ho*ever$ the
Vikings *ere (s(a))y 5(ite +ivi) and a )arge -art of the men/s )ives invo)ved their *ives
Some theories as to *hy the Vikings va)(ed *omen so m(+h might seem se)fish 4or
e>am-)e they *anted their kids to ,e treated *e)) and the on)y *ay to have that ha--en
*as to treat their *ives *e)) A)ternative)y$ the Viking men very *e)) might have had
other motivations for treating fema)es as they did Perha-s they re)ied on the *omen to ,e
in +harge *hi)e they are a*ay or that @(st ,eing a mother itse)f deserves res-e+t Either
%#
;ohn ! .)are$ The Vikings1<ondon: G())iver Books$ #::#2$ 9
%%
Me)vin and Gi)da Berger$ The Real Vikings 1Washington$ !.: =ationa) Geogra-hi+$ %&&"2$%#
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*ay$ the idea that Vikings *ere ,ad to *omen is sim-)y fa)se and their treatment of
*omen *as very advan+ed for their time
Works .ited:
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Berger$ Me)vin and Gi)da The Real Vikings. Washington$ !.: =ationa) Geogra-hi+$ %&&"
.hris-$ Peter The Vikings. .hi+ago: Raintree$ %&&"
.)are$ ;ohn ! The Vikings. <ondon: G())iver Books$ #::#
Ha))$ Ri+hard Exploring the World of the Vikings. <ondon: Thames and H(dson <td$ %&&8
Sim-son$ ;a+5(e)ine Everyday Life in the Viking Age. =e* Bork: !orset Press$ #:38
Time0<ife Books What Life Was Like When Longships Sailed. Virginia: Time0<ife Books$ #::9
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