Agents of Death: Reassessing Social Agency and Gendered Narratives of Human Sacrifice in the Viking Age

Marianne Moen,Matthew J Walsh

doi:10.1017/s0959774321000111

Abstract

This article seeks to approach the famous tenth-century account of the burial of a chieftain of the Rus, narrated by the Arab traveller Ibn Fadlan, in a new light. Placing focus on how gendered expectations have coloured the interpretation and subsequent archaeological use of this source, we argue that a new focus on the social agency of some of the central actors can open up alternative interpretations. Viewing the source in light of theories of human sacrifice in the Viking Age, we examine the promotion of culturally appropriate gendered roles, where women are often depicted as victims of male violence. In light of recent trends in theoretical approaches where gender is foregrounded, we perceive that a new focus on agency in such narratives can renew and rejuvenate important debates.

Highlights

While recognizing gender as a culturally significant and at times socially regulating principle in Viking Age society (see, for example, Arwill-Nordbladh 1998; Dommasnes [1991] 1998; Jesch 1991; Moen 2011; 2019a; Stalsberg 2001), we simultaneously highlight the dangers inherent in transferring underlying modern gendered ideologies on to the past
While recognizing gender as a culturally significant and at times socially regulating principle in Viking Age society, we simultaneously highlight the dangers inherent in transferring underlying modern gendered ideologies on to the past
By allowing modern readings of Ibn Fadlan and his commodified slave girls to set the expectations for what a human sacrifice in the Viking Age ought to look like, we risk ignoring some very important considerations and overlooking some potential comparisons which could add considerable weight to any number of alternative interpretations

Summary

Introduction

While recognizing gender as a culturally significant and at times socially regulating principle in Viking Age society (see, for example, Arwill-Nordbladh 1998; Dommasnes [1991] 1998; Jesch 1991; Moen 2011; 2019a; Stalsberg 2001), we simultaneously highlight the dangers inherent in transferring underlying modern gendered ideologies on to the past. Discussions of Ibn Fadlan’s account often dwell on the treatment and death of the slave girl.

Results

Conclusion