no doubt there are those who are wondering what kind of life women lead in this era. Well, believe it or not, women enjoyed more freedoms in some ways there than elsewhere during the world at that time. Women enjoyed the right to divorce, not the men. And if marriage ended in a divorce, the dowry was refundable. Also, women were allowed to own land and were very often left alone to manage it while their husbands went off to barter at markets or went overseas to trade or raid. Social structure among the Norse wasnt what one could call equal for all. Though class distinctions were not absolute and fixed, they did separate the masses from those most likely to succeed. Slaves, or thralls, occupied the lowest rung of the social ladder, although prisoners of war, bankrupts, and sons and daughters of slaves also inhabited this class, though they may not have started there. They performed the most manual tasks on their owners farms and could be bought and sold like any piece of property. Depending on the master, a slaves life was not always grim, and it was even possible for a slave to work his or her way to freedom.Next in line were the Karls, or free peasants, who hired out their services to landowners. Also in this class were artisans, peddlers, fishermen, shipwrights, small-time merchants, and mercenary soldiers who sold their services to whichever leaders seemed the most likely to lead them to fame and fortune. The jarls, or chieftains, made up the third rung of Norse society. They owned large tracts of land that they usually parceled out to karls. The more ambitious of propertied jarls aspired to be kings. They could achieve success by acquiring stashes of silver (which along with gold, was the most valuable of metals) one way or another and by attracting bands of warriors to extend their influence. It was the members of the class of people who were the real Vikings, because to get what they wanted, they had to take risks ...
