Gender Stereotypes: The Role Of Norse Women In Creation Stories

For centuries, women have had to endure gender stereotypes that plague society. Whether it be the limitation of rights, absence of education, or lack of respect, the struggle for gender equality stretches far across the world. Women are often categorized as incompetent, but where did this concept of inadequacy originate from? Many societies have unique cultural values initiated by reoccurring themes present in their creation stories, but the most questionable phenomenon is the introduction of evil into the world. Temptation is the root of all evil, so powerful that it is omnipresent and rules over the world creating an obligation for sin. Because of the preconceived inadequacy of women evident in today’s culture, the identification of women
Norse society was male- dominated, leaving the roles of men and women in society quite distinct. In ancient society, it was “just as unlikely that a man would weave cloth as that a woman would participate in a Viking raid” (citation). Women’s responsibilities were clearly defined as domestic, and each woman was by law under the authority of her husband and had limited freedom to dispose of property belonging to her. In the Norse creation story, the world was created beginning with a gaping abyss of perfect silence and darkness, containing only two things: a mountain of ice and vast lakes of fire. Out from the glacial mountain appeared Ymir, the first of the god-like giants, and Odin, who became king of all the gods. However, Ymir was cruel, and Odin and his brothers could no longer abide by his evil acts, and so they slew him and set about constructing the world from his corpse. The gods eventually formed the first man and women, but all were not pleased with Odin’s creation. Ymir’s sisters, still morning the loss of their brother, were looking for vengeance on those who killed him. They gathered at the foot of Yggdrasil and began carving lines in it, each representing a human life. These spells were irreversible, and thus “Yggdrasil became known as ‘The Tree of Life’ and humans knew death and suffering in their world” (Norse Creation). Similar to the Greek and Old Testament creation stories, the introduction of evil and suffering to the world was the fault of a woman. Ymir’s sisters, in fueled by pain and grievance, are tempted by revenge and the fate of their brother to curse the human race.