Gender Diversity and Deviation in Medieval Scandinavia

(In-Person) Oral Panel—HURF

There is a trope in the medieval Scandinavian literary tradition that bends the gendered actions and presentations of its characters in a way that changes their social standing within their stories. Unfortunately, homophobia and transphobia within academia have been precedent for decades and have caused the overlook of queer characters in such medieval literature. In my research, I attempt to contradict the notions that queer people did not exist in medieval Scandinavia and posit that some queer medieval individuals even held high places in society because of their identities. This paper finds evidence of what moderns consider gender diversity and deviation within medieval Scandinavian life, using both literature and archaeology. I inspect the Poetic and Prose Eddas, selected Icelandic Family Sagas, and archaeological burials that were deemed exceptional or diversionary from gendered expectations. These findings are based on both modern queer theory and a scale created by Carol Clover to analyze societal standing in Icelandic Family Sagas.