“She Did Not Want a Husband, and Least of All This One”

Marriage and Gendered Power Relations in Icelandic Folk Legends

Abstract

The article looks at how marriage appears in Icelandic folk legend collections from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, while focusing on the portrayal of femininity and gendered power relations. The focus is on legends of women and nonsupernatural men as well as women and male outlaws, which are common in Icelandic folktale collections. The legends show women being forced into marriage, difficulties within marriage and eventually perhaps women’s hopes for a better life. The article considers the messages about and for women conveyed 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.