Children, Adulthood, and the Social Functions of Arm-Rings in the Viking Age

Anonymous asked:

Hello Fjorn! I have watched the tv show; Vikings, and wondered if you could tell us more about the vikings’ rite of passage into adulthood. There don’t seem to be much information available regarding this, and I’m curious of for example if they did give their children armrings like Bjorn and the other boys are given in the tv show. Was this a male-only ritual? Did the girls wear armrings, or oath-rings too? Could you write a little about those types of rings? Thank you in advance!

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From my experience, which is quite meager in the grand scheme of things, I have not yet come across any widely-practiced social rite involving arm-rings as gifts for coming-of-age ceremonies. I have a fair amount (hardly) of information that I could give you about children in the Viking Age and medieval Iceland, but nothing about arm-rings and coming-of-age ceremonies, it seems. To reassure you that I have at least given the search some effort, I have looked through several books for a direct reference (both primary and secondary), but to no avail. If you are interested in those, see the endnotes at the bottom of this post.¹

I can say that arm-rings undoubtably held social weight, often demonstrating one’s wealth and prestige, but they could have various roles within society. As for women, they most definitely could wear arm-rings, among other types of jewelry. Our sagas may not mention it often, for those often have a very masculine lens through which they view their world, but other evidence suggests it to be so, such as burials (especially the Oseburg burial). Women often wore various types of jewelry, for it clearly demonstrated their rank to others within society.

In short, there are no direct examples (at least that I am able to locate) of this arm-ring giving scene. Yet, that does not mean that there are no places worth digging around. There are a few traditions that were quite similar, and gift-giving was a very important part of Viking Age society.

RAGNARS SAGA LOÐBRÓKAR & NAFNFESTR:

SINCE YOU HAVE ASKED about a scene from Vikings, which is loosely based on Ragnars saga Loðbrókar (The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok (or Lothbrok)), that seemed to be a suitable place to investigate, at least in regards to primary sources. There are two versions of this saga, one that is not complete from AM 147 4to, and the most complete version from NkS 1824b 4to; my copy has been translated from the latter. Yet, perhaps without much surprise, there is no scene of Bjorn being given an arm-ring for reaching manhood. In fact, in this version, Bjorn is the son of Ragnar and a woman named Kraka (crow) and very little is said about his childhood, which is actually quite common for much of saga literature.² Nonetheless, all in the same chapter, Bjorn goes from being born to raiding with his brothers.³

There was, however, something rather similar to a rite of passage, which involved sprinkling a newborn baby with water (vatni ausinn), naming that baby (nafnfestr), and then giving that baby gifts. This process meant that the child had been properly brought into society.⁴ An example of nafnfestr is actually found in The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, but later on when Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye is born. Here is the passage:

“When he (Ragnar) saw the boy, he was asked how he would name him. He spoke a verse:

The child shall be called Sigurd,
he’ll hold court in battles;
much like his own mother’s
mighty father shall he be.
Of all Odin’s kindred
he’ll be accounted the best.
Showing a snake in his eye,
he’ll be the slayer of many.

Now he took a gold ring off his own hand and gave it to the boy as a name-gift.”⁵

That scene, although similar, does not involve an arm-ring nor a passage into adulthood. In fact, this gift does not even have to be a ring at all. In Völsunga saga (The Saga of the Volsungs), a similar situation occurs, but this child is given three gifts. It goes as follows:

“And when Helgi was born, Norns came to set his destiny, saying that he would become the most famous of all kings. Sigmund had returned from battle and went with a leek to meet his son. He gave the boy the name Helgi, and as gifts for this name-fastening he granted Hringstead, Solfell, and a sword. He bid the child to advance himself well and to take after the race of the Volsungs.”⁶

Young Helgi is given land and a sword upon his name-fastening (nafnfestr), yet nothing is told about any ritual that he must go through before becoming an adult. As we saw before with Bjorn, the saga quickly ages Helgi into adulthood with very little transition.

FOSTERHOOD, THING ATTACHMENTS, AND BECOMING AN ADULT:

CHILDREN IN THE VIKING AGE, especially those of a bœndr (land-owner), were frequently sent away from their original homes to be fostered by another family.⁷ This is something that does not happen in the show Vikings, although Ragnar was a bœndr himself (in the beginning). The system was rather complex, and, since you did not ask, I will not go into too much detail about it. The point in bringing this up is to mention that everyone in society had to be attached to a household, and that children were often not even directly attached to their paternal household.⁸ Men above the age of sixteen and single women above the age of twenty could choose their own household arrangements, though.⁹

I would also like to bring up another aspect of that scene in Vikings. Bjorn is not only given the arm-ring to signify that he is an adult, but also to swear his allegiance to the chieftain. In reality, only the head of the household was required to be “in Thing” with a chieftain, meaning that that person (and their household) was to be a part of that chieftain’s assembly.¹⁰ In other words, Bjorn would not have had to prove himself loyal unless he was formally taking on the role as the head of the household (and not just temporarily acting as the head of household whenever Ragnar goes abroad). It was possible to join and leave an “in Thing” attachment with a chieftain, at least in Iceland.¹¹ Was this true in Viking Age Norway? Perhaps not, but our sources for that are more limited or come from Icelandic authors (nor am I particularly well-versed in Norwegian sources).

Nonetheless, it seems that the ages for ‘adulthood’ varied based on gender, but not substantially. A male was considered an adult when he reached the age of twelve (which was also the same age in which he could became a target in feuds),¹² but he was not allowed to receive his inheritance until the age of sixteen.¹³ The sagas suggest that women could marry as early as the age of thirteen, which perhaps indicates that as being the beginning of their adulthood (likely whenever they had their first period), yet they were unable to receive an inheritance until the age of twenty, and only then if they were unmarried.¹⁴ Again, there does not seem to be any clear indication of any ceremonies involved with coming-of-age. 

It seems that adulthood was not determined by a ceremony, but rather by the social situations that one was entering. At the age of twelve, a man would be able to prosecute in courts, sit as a judge, and take over their own chieftaincy.¹⁵ Unfortunately, the sagas seem to suggest that a woman only began their adulthood through marriage, and, if not married, by the age of twenty. There may have been ceremonies imbedded into these ‘accomplishments’, but our written materials do not seem to have recorded them very well. Even if there was a rite of passage that took place, I do not believe that it would have necessarily been centered around the gift of an arm-ring, especially for the children of poorer families.

A FEW LITERARY EXAMPLES INVOLVING ARM-RINGS:

ALTHOUGH NOT INTEGRAL TO ADULTHOOD, arm-rings still held an important role within the minds of the Norse, yet this could also be said about various other types of crafts. Rings worn on the finger, for example, have often played important roles in Norse legends.¹⁶ In the end, arm-rings could play various roles within society. Although I do not have any examples of them being used for a coming-of-age ceremony, I have found examples of them being used to bribe men in legal cases and to symbolize the formation of special bonds between king and follower.

This first example is a bit more relevant to the type of function that you originally sought, although not quite. In Egil’s Saga, Egil travels to England and serves under King Athelstan for a bit, which is quite a common practice for prominent Icelanders traveling abroad. After quite a bit of battling, Egil proves himself, having fought well and having been a devout follower. Upon returning from the battle, they enjoy a feast, but Egil is troubled, although he had been given the high seat that faced the king (a prestigious position in the hall). A disgruntled Egil and King Athelstan engage in a sort of respectful stare-off, and this is what follows:

“King Athelstan was sitting in the high seat, with his sword laid across his knees too. And after they had been sitting there like that for awhile, the king unsheathed his sword, took a fine, large ring from his arm and slipped it over the point of the sword, then stood up and walked across the floor and handed it over the fire to Egil. Egil stood up, drew his sword and walk out on to the floor. He put his sword through the ring and pulled it towards him, then went back to his place. The king sat down in his high seat. When Egil sat down, he drew the ring on to his arm, and his brow went back to normal. He put down his sword and helmet and took the drinking-horn that was served to him, and finished it.”¹⁷

Egil had proven himself in battle and yet felt that he had not been honored well enough for doing so. As a result, he was in an agitated state while in the hall until King Athelstan offered him the arm-ring. Later Egil is offered even more treasure, but it is clear that the arm-ring had a much more significant impact. This is much more about honor and recognition, though, than it would be any sort of transition into a new stage of life. Egil was honored, and his position with King Athelstan had improved along with that gesture, but he was still an adult and a follower in the end (although he could leave whenever he pleased).

Arm-rings did not only have a role among kings and the battle-hardened, though, for they could even find themselves as being tools for bribery in legal cases. In Njal’s Saga, a man named Eyjolf Bolverksson is bribed by a man named Flosi Thordarson for support in a legal case through the gift of an arm-ring. This case in particular was a high-risk case against Flosi, for he had set fire to Njal’s home, killing him and his family. Flosi originally tried to flattery Eyjolf, but once Eyjolf learned of what Flosi was after (his legal support), he quickly came to anger and rejected his request, for Flosi had done something very shameful, and this case would be hard to win (let alone trying to support someone whom the community already viewed so negatively). Yet, with the gift of an arm-ring, translated here as ‘bracelet’, Eyjolf has a change of mind:

“Flosi took a gold bracelet from his arm and spoke: ‘I want to give you this bracelet, Eyjolf, for your friendship and support and to show you that I have no wish to deceive you. You had best accept this bracelet for there’s no man here at the Thing to whom I have given such a gift.’

The bracelet was so large and so well made that it was worth twelve hundred ells of striped homespun. Hallbjorn pulled it up Eyjolf’s arm.

Eyjolf spoke: ‘It seems quite proper to accept the bracelet now that you are being so kind. And you can count on me to take over your defense and do whatever is necessary.’”¹⁸

There are a few examples of rings (not necessarily arm-rings, though) being given to children, but not for the purpose of that child having become an adult. In two cases in Njal’s Saga alone, children are given rings, but each for a different purpose (that is, not for adulthood). Early in the saga, two boys and a girl are acting as the adults in a game, pretending to act out the legal case that had just unfolded. They end up mocking the adults in doing so, and a man named Hoskuld gets agitated about it, striking one of the boys. Hrut, Hoskuld’s brother, called over the boy and does this:

“Hrut took a gold ring from his finger and gave it to him and said, ‘Go away, and don’t ever give offense again.’ The boy went away and said, ‘I shall always remember your decency.’”¹⁹

This ring did not act as a symbol of passage, but it did have an impact on the boy’s life. This generous gift from Hrut taught the child to act with kindness instead of with violence, as his brother Hoskuld demonstrated earlier in contrast. The other example is fairly similar, and so I will not quote it here to save us from the redundancy. In the end, as these examples have demonstrated, arm-rings, along with other symbols of wealth (often rings), often have various social functions. Arm-rings were used to bestow great honor, as we saw with Egil, or they could be used to bribe someone into assisting with a legal case. Rings, and perhaps arm-rings as well, could also be used to impact a child’s development, although this could have been entirely for literary purposes. Such a claim would require much more digging, but the possibility is still within reason.

I HOPE THIS INFORMATION has satisfied the needs of your question. Although I could not find any information about arm-rings actually being used for coming-of-age ceremonies, they did have a role in society that is worth mentioning (and investigating further), which we have discussed. I most definitely could have missed some useful or insightful material. My personal library is rather small, and I am still a young academic (only just now wrapping up my undergraduate stage). I would like to revisit this topic one day, but I have more reading and learning to do before I could tackle it properly. 

Nonetheless, there are various other things we could discuss with more detail, such as the social practices of gift-giving in general, which could very well have included arm-rings even if they are not always explicitly mentioned. Still, such a discussion would not have fulfilled your question any more so than our current one has. If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to send them my way. I would be more than happy to continue this discussion.

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Footnotes

1. Primary sources: Bernard Scudder trans, Egil’s Saga (London: Penguin Books, 2002); Andrew Denis, Peter Foote, and Richard Perkins trans., Laws of Early Iceland: Grágás I (repr., 1980; Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2012); Robert Cook trans, Njal’s Saga (London: Penguin Books, 2001), Jesse L. Byock trans., The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (London: Penguin Books, ); Jesse L. Byock trans., The Saga of the Volsungs (London: Penguin Books, ); Ben Waggoner trans., The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok (New Haven, CT: Troth Publications, 2009); and Angus A. Somerville and R. Andrew McDonald ed., The Viking Age: A Reader (Second Edition) (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014). 
   Secondary sources: Rory McTurk ed., A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007); Geir T. Zoëga, A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic (repr., 1910; Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2004); William Ian Miller, Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1990); Viðar Hreinsson, Robert Cook, Terry Gunnell, Keneva Kunz, and Bernard Scudder ed., The Complete Sagas of Icelanders: Including 49 Tales, Vol. V (Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson Publishing, 1997); Gunnar Karlsson, The History of Iceland(Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000); and Jesse L. Byock, Viking Age Iceland (London: Penguin Books, 2001). ↩︎
2. William Ian Miller, Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1990), 122. ↩︎
3. Ben Waggoner trans., The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok (New Haven, CT: Troth Publications, 2009), 12-13. (Chapter 7 of The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok and his Sons) ↩︎
4. Viðar Hreinsson, Robert Cook, Terry Gunnell, Keneva Kunz, and Bernard Scudder ed., The Complete Sagas of Icelanders: Including 49 Tales, Vol. V (Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson Publishing, 1997), 420. ↩︎
5. Waggoner trans., The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok, 16. (Chapter 9) ↩︎
6. Jesse L. Byock trans., The Saga of the Volsungs (London: Penguin Books, 1999), 47. (Chapter 8) ↩︎
7. Miller, 122. ↩︎
8. Ibid., 120. ↩︎
9. Ibid. ↩︎
10. Ibid., 17. ↩︎
11. Andrew Denis, Peter Foote, and Richard Perkins trans., Laws of Early Iceland: Grágás I (repr., 1980; Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2012), 240. “It was a matter of contract: a man said publicly that he was joining the assembly group of a given chieftain, and if the chieftain concurred, his ‘assembly membership’ or ‘attachment’ was fixed. He could also say that he was leaving an assembly group or a chieftain could say that a man no longer belonged to his assembly group; he then had to join another.” ↩︎
12. Miller, 207. ↩︎
13. Gunnar Karlsson, The History of Iceland (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000), 56. ↩︎
14. Ibid. ↩︎
15. Ibid. ↩︎
16. The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki and even the tale of Ottar’s Ransom from Norse mythology are fine examples of this. ↩︎
17. Bernard Scudder trans., Egil’s Saga (London: Penguin Books, ), 100. (Chapter 55) ↩︎
18. Robert Cook trans., Njal’s Saga (London: Penguin Books, 2001), 247. (Chapter 138) ↩︎
19. Ibid., 18. (Chapter 8) ↩︎