Abstrakt:
This article, based on Scandinavian narrative sources (tha sagas), skaldic and eddic
poetry as well as medieval law-codes, presents a particular view of the Scandinavian gender
history during the Viking Age. Scandinavian historiographies have paid attention to gender
studies for several last decades, specially to long time neglected women´s history. However,
this contribution focuses on the dominant male element of the Viking society and
seeks answers to questions like „How the Viking Age society defines manhood and man´s
characteristic behaviour?“, „What kind of act or social position had been abominated by
Norse society?“ or „Had the social roles been determined by biological bindings?“. The
main aim of this study is denial of typical social stereotypes of the Viking Age society as
man-protector and provider of his family and woman-„Lady of the keys“ (i.e. housewife)
which authoress conciders only as literary topoi.
