Source: TW
Christianization of Iceland in particular and Ancient Nordic societies more broadly was a complex and gradual process. It more or less rearranged the patriarchal rules — for example, prior to Christianization it was not considered necessary for men to get a woman’s consent before agreeing between themselves to marry her off. Christianization introduced the legal norm of actually ensuring the woman agrees to the marriage first. On the other hand, Christianization introduced an increased rhetoric of victim-blaming for rape that wasn’t as common previously. That’s just one example, the actual process of conversion is complex.
The sagas and other sources are not erasures of pre-Christian culture. Ancient Norse society prior to Christianization was still very much a violent patriarchy ruled by aristocratic slave-owning men. In fact Iceland is one of the rare cases of a famously bloodless conversion process during which Icelanders basically just continued practicing their old religion for a long time after the “official” conversion. But sagas that mix pre- and post-Christian thought reveal a really fascinating and consciously self-reflective relationship with the conflicting values of pre- and post-Christian Icelandic culture & individuals role within it, and the process of Christianization itself. These texts aren’t just “concoctions” of Christianity—nor are the Eddas, which contain some of the most interesting depictions of women in the Old Norse canon (stories which are mirrored well by other Germanic cultures, not concoctions of a later Christian replacement.) Characterizing them as such is, ironically, an act of erasure that obliterates the richness of the native culture & the remarkable longevity of the oral traditions. Egill Skallagrímsson’s “Sonatorrek” poem was composed prior to Christianization & written down 200 years after— And remains one of the most significant works of poetry in the Nordic tradition.
The Old Norse were a rape culture & aristocratic slave-owning patriarchy long prior to Christianization. It’s fine, we can just acknowledge that. This kind of thing does more to erase the queer & trans margins of pre-Christian Nordic cultures than Christianization does, because it just obliterates figures like King Þórberg and delegitimizes post-Christian references to eg shield“maidens” who wore mens clothes & used mens names.
And honestly it’s not like we make any of these conclusions from textual evidence alone. Archeological & anthropological evidence of pre-Christian life is also significant.Like I’m sorry but the modern Right only aspires to be as patriarchal as the pre-Christian Nordic cultures lol. Even they still typically (begrudgingly) expect you to ask a woman to marry you, rather than just arrange a contract with her father. And as much as they WANT slavery, they don’t actually have it legally at the moment, unlike the Ancient Norse, who, again, did. There’s a part in Gísla saga where the hero uses his slave as a decoy to get murdered in his place. Multiple legendary heroes commit rape. I am also reasonably certain there is somewhat less actual human sacrifice among the modern right.
Realizing I wrote a whole-ass thread when I could have just said “it was basically legal to kill someone for calling you queer” lol.