Welcome to Unwritten's February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter. Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a 10% discount on any item from her Etsy store. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:
Married...with Vikings!
by Robynn Gabel
If a Viking man spouted poetry to a love interest, he could
lose his life. Why? As with everything about the Vikings, there is only
tantalizing little clues. Through the Poetic Edda, an oral history that wasn’t
written down until the 13th century, we see glimpses of everyday
life. It has been speculated this rule was to keep men from falsely leading a
maiden on. Or possibly it wasn’t considered manly for a Viking warrior to spout
soft words of love.
Most Viking marriages were arranged much like a modern company
merger. There were strict rules about property and how the bride’s dowry would
be dispersed. Viking women had more rights and freedoms than any of their
counterparts at that time in history. This would have been due to their
traveling husbands. Viking men were traders, leaving in the spring and
wandering all summer long while the world was ice free. The return rates
weren’t all that great back then. Between the dangers of ship travel, diseases
in foreign lands, and raiding, a Viking man might never return.
So the Viking woman ran things at home. She had to oversee
the livestock, production of crops and profit. While she was at it, she also
prepared meals and made things for around the house. There was no local
Wal-Mart to help out. It was a tough life. For this reason all land inheritance
was usually passed down through the woman.
With various gods, traditions and superstitions, a marriage
ceremony usually lasted on average, nine days. The Vikings had a thing about
the number nine. There was drinking and feasting of course, along with rituals
to entice the gods to give fertility, wealth and health. Quite often family
swords were exchanged, and proof given that the marriage was consummated.
Another interesting concept − Viking woman could divorce
easily. All she had to do was stand next to the bed shared with her husband and
in front of three witnesses, simply say out loud three times, “I divorce thee.”
Yup, it was that easy. Maybe that is why the men treated their women so well.
While monogamy was practiced, it wasn’t set in stone. If the
man was lusty and wealthy enough, and his wife agreed to it, he could take a
second wife. It was nothing to own several slaves as well. In fact he was
encouraged by his loving wife, to have a slave for copulation during her latter
months of pregnancy.
What of possible bastard offspring? Those long summer days did
get a little lonely while Olaf was gone. Unfortunately, if a woman conceived
while her husband was away, he had the right to deny feeding or clothing any offspring.
When a baby was born, if the head of the household did not claim it on the
ninth day, the baby was ‘exposed,’ meaning it was left to die in the forest.
The Vikings liked to keep things simple.
****
Robynn
Gabel has lived in or traveled through 49 of 50 States. During her
lifetime she has raised five children, been blessed with 16 grandchildren and
has lived most of her life in the western states. Currently she lives in
Wyoming with her husband of 30 years.
As
a young child, being shy and withdrawn, the only way she was able to
communicate with her mother was through notes and poems. In high school her
friends sought her out to write love letters to their current crushes. She
happily complied, loving to work with the art of words. Her dream of writing
went by the wayside during the years of raising children, but once the last one
left home she sought out her dream by taking several college courses on
creative writing.
Happily
catching up now, she has produced several books including her first romance.
Windswept Hearts is set in Wyoming, a lifestyle she knows well.
ENTER TO WIN!
This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE
Fascinating entry on a neat culture! It does seem they were much more egalitarian than more recent times and even more advanced in many ways than previously thought.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. How interesting that the Viking women could divorce. What a luxury back then.
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