Eode þa to setle – Female Leadership in Iron Age Uppåkra

Abstract

In the Uppåkra house the place for a possible high seat dedicated to the woman is marked out by a deposit consisting of a bronze beaker with embossed gold-foil bands and a glass bowl originated from the area around the Black Sea. These objects acted as props in the drinking ceremonies and social activities involving gift giving carried out by the queen or the lady of the house. The exclusive nature of these objects as well as the functions in which they were used by the woman illuminate her importance in the aristocratic hall and grant her a similar seat, as can be identified depicted on some of the Gotlandic picture stones. In the written sources several female characters can be identified, and it is plausible that the women in Iron Age society especially the lady/queen, did uphold some if not all of these. Some of the female aspects found in the written accounts include the provocative Hetzerin or valkyrie, the sorcery-working völva and the divinatory norn. Through these abilities the lady and/or queen acted as an advisor and a mediator bewveen the king and his retinue of warriors and as such could influence the course of action. This intermediate relationship between male and female roles as earthly equivalents to Odin and Freyja is essential to the interpretation of the Uppåkra house as well as the high seat dedicated to the woman.