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.

摘要

本文探讨了在 19 世纪末和 20 世纪初的冰岛民间传说收藏中，女性扮演“传统”男性角色或具有更普遍归因于男性的品质的方式。其中，人们关注的是打破女性气质霸权观念的女性如何暂时因其勇气而受到赞扬，而那些更持久地这样做的女性往往被描绘成更消极的形象。因此，本文考虑了传说中包含的关于女性的信息，并记住，虽然传说往往反映了她们所属的社会，但它们也可能影响和塑造她们的环境。