Abstracts
Abstract
The Viking Age was a patriarchal time when men dominated the social and political world. However, due to the shamanistic practice known as seiðr, women of this time had access to unique roles as spiritual leaders. This essay discusses the impact seiðr had on Viking Age women’s agency and self-empowerment. Seiðr has close ties to textile arts, with seiðr rituals taking influence from repetitive spinning and weaving circles. The relationship between seiðr and textile art is seen throughout Norse mythology, and women who practice seiðr (called völur) are agential characters throughout many Icelandic sagas—most notably Thorbjörg from Eirik the Red’s Saga and Gunnhildr in Njal’s Saga. The rise of Christianity in Scandinavia and its subsequent anti-witchcraft laws soon led to the dissipation of seiðr.
Keywords:
- Scandinavia,
- gender,
- Viking Age,
- witchcraft,
- Icelandic Sagas
Résumé
L’âge des vikings était une époque patriarcale où les hommes dominaient le monde social et politique. Cependant, grâce à la pratique chamanique connue sous le nom de seiðr, les femmes de l’époque avaient accèsà des rôles uniques en tant que chefs spirituelles. Cet article traite de l’impact du seiðr sur l’agentivité et l’autonomie des femmes de l’ère viking. Le seiðr a des liens étroits avec les arts textiles, les rituels du seiðr étant influencés par les cercles de filage et de tissage répétitifs. La relation entre le seiðr et les arts textiles est présente dans la mythologie nordique, et les femmes qui pratiquent le seiðr (appelées völur) sont des personnages agissants dans de nombreuses sagas islandaises, notamment Thorbjörg dans la Saga d'Eirik le Rouge et Gunnhildr dans la Saga de Njal. L’essor du christianisme en Scandinavie et les lois anti-sorcellerie qui en ont découlé ont rapidement entraîné la disparition du seiðr.
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Appendices
Biographical note
Emilia is graduating from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. This is her first publication.
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