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Reconstruction of the 19th century sketch of Bj 581
A previously assumed male Viking warrior with a burial mound reflecting that of a high ranking military officer has, as explained in this paper, been proven with the use of genomics to be genetically female. This investigation came after an osteological analysis challenged the gender of the remains, and from it came a renewed discourse surrounding gender politics in Viking society. An interesting aspect of this discourse is how modern biases might be affecting analysis of this finding.
Judith Jesch, professor of Viking studies at the University of Nottingham, argues "I have always thought (and to some extent still do) that the fascination with women warriors, both in popular culture and in academic discourse, is heavily, probably too heavily, influenced by 20th- and 21st-century desires." Though this may be a case of a single woman military officer, it does not necessarily mean that the strict gender roles of Viking society as proposed by older historic analysis were false.
On the other side, this article from the Guardian argues that Viking women warriors were "written out of history". Bj 581 was assumed to be male "because archaeologists, acculturated in a western society with strictly defined gender roles, view men alone as warriors, or soldiers, or wielders of violence."
In both cases a narrative is being constructed from the past: the discourse is either influenced by a popular fascination reflective of the modern perspective, or the modern perspective is based on "assumptions about human behaviors that renders our attempt to understand those behaviors somewhat moot." Which of these two angles hold the most credence, or is there a middle ground here that is being left unaddressed?
References
Hedenstierna-Jonson C, Kjellström A, Zachrisson T, et al. A female Viking warrior confirmed by genomics. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2017;00:1-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23308.
Jesch, J."Lets Debate Female Viking Warriors Yet Again." Norse and Viking Ramblings. http://norseandviking.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/lets-debate-female-viking-warriors-yet.html. Accessed 15 Sept. 2017
Norton, H. "How the female Viking warrior was written out of history." The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/sep/15/how-the-female-viking-warrior-was-written-out-of-history. Accessed 15 Sept. 2017
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The Discourse Surrounding Bj 581: The Woman Warrior
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Medieval University
Italy, 1400
900s, Jewelled crown
I think this poses a really important and troubling question. Were women not as far beneath men in the past as we originally thought, or are we, in the 21st century, just desperate to believe that they weren't and therefore making this woman warrior out to be more than she was? If the latter is true, why was she the only woman warrior of her time? Why weren't there more, or why were they written out of history if there were?
ReplyDeleteGreat blogs and questions. I do think there is a tendency to whitewash women's [strong] roles by neglecting their stories or choosing not to tell them. I am really interested in this question bc I teach a class on Joan of Arc. Yet we know there were women warriors. There is some evidence of some bands of female warriors, particularly who used shields. I read the primary sources last week to confirm; evidently the show Vikings includes them. But here--the debate is whether she really was a warrior or just a female buried with weapons.
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