A Thematic Approach to the Body

The article I will discuss in this short writing is "Violence and Historical Authenticity: Rape (and Pillage) in Popular Viking Fiction" by Erica Ruth Sigurdson. The main theme in the article is violence against women's bodies in Viking culture.

The author discusses "the rape and pillage" culture in Vikings via Scandinavian literature texts. These texts demonstrate how female and male bodies are represented and which terms they are associated with in medieval times.

The most interesting part of the article is how being well-built and strong is depicted by men but nothing is used to describe women. Women's body is only associated with rape. However, Schulenberg says that "not only were women at genuine risk of rape but also that the fear of violation took hold of women's imaginations..." (2014). I found it interesting because it makes me think that while Viking men invaded the lands, could they also invade women's imagination via their bodies. After all, when they rape, don't they also rape their freedom which is related to the lands? Could be the freedom of women, the source of the lands' freedom? It is still problematic because if my argument is true, it means that they see the female body as a property. However, I found this article important because the association of "rape and pillage" made me think of the female body can be a tool of invasion in medieval times.

References:

Sigurdson, E. R. (2014). Violence and historical authenticity: Rape (and pillage) in popular Viking fiction. Scandinavian Studies, 86(3), 249-267.