History or Myth? The Role of Women in Vikings (2013-)

Abstract

[eng] This Dissertation attempts to analyse the representation of women in Vikings, the History Channel’s TV show. I am going to examine the different roles that female characters take in their communities and how Viking history and the Norse myth intermingle to depict empowered women in a realistic context. This study is based on Television Studies and Gender Studies, since it includes an analysis of the representation of some female characters of the show by taking into consideration the producer’s intentions and the preferences of the audience. By looking at the depiction of women as mothers, leaders and warriors we will prove that these characters and their roles in society are based on historical aspects, but also on mythological figures and events in a way that the show adapts to present-day television and modern audiences