Student: Amy Poole Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Advisor: James E. Fraser Chair: Susan Nance

Committee Member: Christine Ekholst

External Examiner: Elizabeth Ewan

Time: 9:30 am

Place: MacKinnon Ext. Rm. 2020

Title: “There are Few Things More Powerful than Destiny”: Gender, Power and Foresight in The Sagas of the Icelanders (Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries)

Abstract

The family sagas present a fluid understanding of gender in medieval Iceland. Many scholars examine medieval Icelandic perceptions of gender and power in the sagas. However, few consider how the ability of foresight can affect these views. This thesis will analyze various prophetic men and women across six family sagas. The results reveal that these characters can wield a similar level of authority based on their prophecies and dream-visions. As Icelanders understood that fate was irrefutable, the foreknowledge of these characters makes them superior over others. In some cases, certain characters do not acknowledge this power; men typically disregard the prophecies of women and effeminate men. Evidently, men who receive prophecies and dream-visions from male and female seers feel uncomfortable in acknowledging feminine authority as per traditional views. However, the saga writers always prove that their prophecies are correct. Additionally, the authors ascribe both masculine and feminine traits to characters with foresight, allowing such figures to challenge traditional ideas of ‘maleness’ and ‘femaleness.’ These statements reflect a fascinating tension between the perspectives of the saga authors and the traditional, patriarchal views of medieval society. As a result, this paper will reveal that foresight played a key role in establishing a more fluid idea of gender and gendered power in medieval Iceland.