By Aline Bouwman, Marketing and Communications

If you consume popular media like Marvel’s Thor and the History Channel’s Vikings, you may get the impression that most people in the medieval Nordic world were violent, masculine fighters. Even women, when they are shown in this media at all, are represented as powerful warriors.

History student Sierra Monforton wants you to know that the real history of people in early Scandinavia (500–1000 CE) tells a much different story. 

“Part of the popular image of old Norse culture today is a caricature of violent masculinity, which has been co-opted by some political movements that call for a return to ‘traditional’ gender roles,” Sierra says. “But when you look at primary sources, you find that the story of sex and gender in old Scandinavia is more complex.” 

Read more: How you can get involved in student research at Douglas 

Discovering disenfranchised histories

Sierra’s historical research, which she presented at last year’s Student Research Days, focuses on the old Norse practice of seiðr – a form of Scandinavian shamanistic magic – and the women and gender non-conforming people who practised it. 

By analyzing early Scandinavian sagas and archaeological burial sites, she found that women could occupy unique cultural roles and gender could be fluid. 

Sierra’s research suggests that the use of seiðr was a largely accepted and integrated aspect of early Scandinavian culture. Women practising seiðr were often recognized as powerful seeresses, who could be approached for prophecies about the future, predictions and alterations of the weather, and even rites to inflict curses on people. 

“While these women were unable to occupy positions of formal political power, they were able to exercise agency through rituals that aided in their empowerment and self-preservation,” says Sierra.

Read more: This Environmental Science student is using research to protect salmon habitats

Beyond the binary 

But seiðr also seems to defy the gender binary itself.   

Archaeological digs from cultural gravesites have found a significant number of human remains identified as male buried with “feminine” witchcraft tools such as wooden staffs, jewellery and psychoactive substances such as cannabis seeds.

Sierra says that while seiðr was predominantly practised by women, evidence from burial sites suggests that people who may have been gender non-conforming could align themselves with women who had mastered the craft. 

“Men who practised seiðr were often stigmatized, labelled as effeminate and seen as deviating from traditional masculine roles,” she says. “Nevertheless, for men who didn’t fit the warrior archetype, seiðr may have offered an alternative path to express their gender identity.” 

“It is important not to generalize or stereotype an area of history,” she says. “When political advocates call for a return to ‘traditional gender roles,’ historical research can help question what they consider traditional. It probably doesn’t include the women and gender-nonconforming individuals who practiced seiðr.”

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Holding up the mirror 

For Sierra, studying history isn’t just about the past — it’s about understanding the present. 

Her historical research holds up the mirror to our contemporary place and time in history: what can we learn about our own cultural attitudes about gender roles from the medieval Nordic world? 

Although contemporary political discourse often positions gender non-conforming people as a new phenomenon, history shows otherwise. Historians and archaeologists have long documented cultures around the world that recognized more than two genders. 

“History is often generalized and simplified,” says Sierra, who plans to transfer to Simon Fraser University to complete a Bachelor of Arts in History. “But when we take the time to dig deeper, we find stories that complicate our assumptions. Primary sources are so valuable because they allow us to see history in its full complexity.”

Learn more about the Associate Degree of History program at Douglas College.

Attend the 2025 Douglas College Student Research Days.