In this paper, I will discuss four aspects of society during medieval times. I will show these roles in society throughout the story "Thorstein The Staff-Struck." The four ways were violence, income, women's roles, and respect for elders.
The first act of violence in the culture back then was horse fighting. For instance, it caused Thord to hit Thorstein "so hard on the eye-brow that the skin broke and the lid fell hanging down over his eye." I think horse fighting was their entertainment. This sport was also very dangerous. Horse fighting, which drew large crowds, was the main sport in Iceland. So, when you have money and gambling and that many people, there is going to be some violence. At the horse fights, tempers would often run high and as a result, fights started. They both hit each other's horses to get an advantage to win the fight and the money.
Next, family members urged them to kill people and be violent. For example, Thorstein's father made him take revenge on Thord after a horse fighting incident. Thorarin said, "I'd never have thought I could have a coward for a son." I think in medieval society, they did not have room for cowards. You had to be tough and fight for what you believed in with honor and loyalty. I think Thorstein wanted to forget about the horse fighting incident and not kill Thord. Then his father brought it up and that's what caused the violence. If Thorstein had not killed Thord, it would have made his father look bad. It would have made the whole family look bad. I do not think Thorstein wanted to kill Thord, but he had to kill him to save his family from embarrassment. Next, Thorstein had to cover up the murder. When Thorstein told the woman that Thord had been gored by a bull, he was trying to get away with murder. Thorstein tried to make it look like Thord was gored by a bull, so he would not be blamed.
Another kind of violence during that time was torture. When they killed somebody back then, they tortured them to death like when Thorstein killed Torvald and Thorhall. "He tied them to their saddles, fixed the reins to the horse's manes and drove them off." That kind of torture is too violent. Thorstein wanted to send a message to Bjarni not to fight him. I do think he went a little too far by torturing his own two sons. Why can't you just kill them with a blow instead of torturing them?
Men were expected to be tough back then, which brought violence. Thorstein's father said "I'd much rather lose you than have a coward for a son." I think he said it not to make the boy feel bad. He did it because you had to be tough in that society to survive. A man must be tough to have family honor, loyalty to your people and the whole society. It was be tough or be considered a coward and then be looked down on.
Also, people would do whatever to kill somebody, like when Thorstein told Bjarni to go to his house and talk to his father. Thorestein must have known his dad had a weapon. So, Thorstein was trying to get his dad to kill Bjarni. I think it was a setup, like when Bjarni went to the bed to shake Thorain by the hand. The old man had a short sword which he tried to thrust into him.
Thorstein and his father made a living from breeding horses. They used some of the horses for horse fighting which brought in a large amount of gambling profit. That was their main source of income. People would come from all over to bet on the horses. Their other money came from farming and raising animals.
One role of women in this society was to serve as messengers. An example of this is when Thorstein told a woman that Thorn had been killed by a bull. Women were used to send this message to a person without talking to the main guy, which was Bjarni. I feel that Thorstein did this to get away with the murder so he would not have to talk to Bjarni face to face.
Next, women pushed guys to do things that they otherwise would not have done. For example, Thorstein's wife told Bjarni he has killed three of your four servants and some of your supporters. You need to take revenge for their deaths and kill Thorstein. That made Bjarni get up the next morning and fight Thorestein. Women were used to encourage the men to fight, like when Bjarni's wife Rannveig urged him to fight Thorstein. She said to him, "He's killed three of your four servants. You need to take action; otherwise, it will make you look bad." I think that played a major role in society. It was the main reason for all the battles that happened.
Another role of women in medieval society was that they were maids. Bjarni had a woman for a maid. This lady was the babysitter and cleaned the house. She took care of the children and did all that she could around the house. These maids did all the chores like cooking the food, cleaning the house, and washing the clothes.
As seen in this story, respect for your elders was important in this culture. Thorstein showed respect for Bjarni when they had a fair sword fight. I think Thorstein wanted to give Bjarni honor and respect. Thorestein let Bjarni drink water from the pond when he was thirsty which made it fair since Bjarni was older and not as well conditioned. Also, Thorstein got two swords and two shields in the middle of the fight to make it a fair fight. Thorstein wanted to make it a clean fight with no cheap shots. Both their armor and sword were equally good.
All in all, I learned many things about medieval society from "Thorstein the Staff-Struck". First, I learned about violence and there was a lot of it. That was just how it was during that time. Second, women played major roles as maids, messengers, and caused some wars. Income back then was from farming and raising horses. They also profited from the gambling during horse fighting. Last, respect for your elders was shown in this story about medieval society.
