Women and Weapons in the Viking World
«Gardeła has provided a most welcome, cross-disciplinary survey of very diverse source materials. There is still much to discuss of this fascinating subject and this volume opens future avenues of research.»
Medieval Archaeology
The Viking Age (c. 750-1050 AD) is conventionally seen as a tumultuous time when hordes of fierce warriors from Scandinavia wreaked havoc across the European continent and when Norse merchants travelled to distant corners of the world in pursuit of slaves, silver, and exotic commodities. Les mer
This pioneering and beautifully illustrated monograph provides an in-depth exploration of women's associations with the martial sphere of life in the Viking Age. The multifarious motivations and circumstances that led women to engage in armed conflict or other activities whereby weapons served as potent symbols of prestige and empowerment are illuminated and interpreted through an interdisciplinary approach to medieval literature and archaeological evidence from Scandinavia and the wider Viking world. Additional cross-cultural excursions into the lives and legends of female warriors in other past and present cultural milieus - from the Asiatic steppes to the savannas of Africa and European battlefields – lead to a nuanced understanding of the idea of the armed woman and its embodiments in Norse literature, myth and archaeological reality.
Detaljer
- Forlag
- Oxbow Books
- Innbinding
- Innbundet
- Språk
- Engelsk
- ISBN
- 9781789256659
- Utgivelsesår
- 2021
- Format
- 28 x 22 cm
Anmeldelser
«Gardeła has provided a most welcome, cross-disciplinary survey of very diverse source materials. There is still much to discuss of this fascinating subject and this volume opens future avenues of research.»
Medieval Archaeology
«[It] provides a comprehensive catalogue of findings and an up-to-date view of the research, permitting a better understanding of the question of the warrior woman. However, as the author recalls, only 1% of female 'Vikings' burials found today include weapons ... This book provides an excellent documentary basis for understanding this problem.»
BIBLIOTHÈQUE
«Obligatory reading for anyone who wants to approach gender studies in the Viking Age for the first time.»
Archeologia Medievale