'You Have a Man's Spirit in a Woman's Heart': Women Who Break Hegemonic Ideas about Femininity in Icelandic Legends. Issue 3 (3rd July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jónsdóttir, Dagrún Ósk
• Is Part Of: Folklore. Volume 132:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 290
• Page End: 312
• Publication Date: 2021-07-03
• Subjects: Folklore -- Periodicals; Manners and customs -- Periodicals; 398
• DOI: 10.1080/0015587X.2020.1865741
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0015-587X

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines the ways in which women who take on a 'traditionally' male role or have qualities more commonly attributed to men are presented in Icelandic folk legend collections from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among other things, attention is paid to how women who break hegemonic ideas about femininity temporarily seem to be praised for their courage, while those who do so more permanently tend to be portrayed in a more negative light. The article thus considers the messages about and for women contained in the legends, bearing in mind that while legends tend to reflect the societies to which they belong, they can also potentially affect and shape their environments.