njals saga
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The Role of Women in Njal's Saga
"When looking at the role of women on a superficial level it would appear that women have a small and insignificant role in Icelandic culture. However, upon closer examination one would realize that Icelandic women have an obvious social position." Compared too other cultures such as the Romans, the Icelandic women played a more significant role in their own lives.
Like the Celts, the Icelandic women had certain legal marriage and social rights. "Like many women, Hallgerd is allowed to 'meet Glum and decide for herself whether she wants to marry him or not' (p66)and Hildigunn was aloud to reject Hoskuld simply because he did not have a chieftainship." These may seem insignificant but when the typical role of women was to be married off at the age of fourteen to a man their father decided upon, this was a step in the right direction.
EVANS 2
Women of Iceland, like the women of Rome, were in charge of running the household, and all the decisions
dealing with it. "They were permitted to hire help, speak openly and freely to their husbands, and had the right to a divorce if they were unhappy and had legal cause." For example, Unn was granted a divorce because her husband Hrut was unable to consummate the marriage. However this makes me question how much these women really loved their husbands if they would divorce them over infertility even when they were permitted to choose their spouses...