Centering Women In Norse Mythology

 

I just finished reading The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec which is an very interesting retelling of Norse mythology centering around women. The story is told from the point of view of Angrbobda (the mother of Hel, Fenrir, and Jörmungandr) and her interactions with other women who typically are only known for one or two moments in the mythology. 

This story fills in gaps that are not typically explored in depth in retellings of Norse mythology like how the various women responded to each other. The challenges of raising children when your husband splits his time between you and his other wife and can never be pinned down. Knowing when you are Loved and when you are simply being taken advantage of. Falling in love with your best and first friend (Skadi). Having to carry the burden of knowing how everything is going to end and how everyone is going to die. How to be a women in a world where men still hold too much power over your destiny. 

The power of centering women in this story is the fact that it reminds us how all too often they are relegated to the sidelines in mythology. This story allows them to shine and gives a more full understanding why they choose to do what they do for themselves and for their families. It allows the women to shine and clearly demarcates the many spaces where men are not a vital part of the story. It feels like the women standing up and saying we have always been here, even if you do not know our stories as well as those of our male counterparts.