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What rights did Viking women have regarding property and divorce?

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Exhumed Viking ship with a tall, curved prow on display inside the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway, surrounded by stone flooring and visitors in the background. — Viking Exhumed Viking ship; in the Viking Ship Museum, Oslo, Norway.

Although Viking society was clearly patriarchal, women held significant rights regarding their personal autonomy and economic status.1

Regarding property and marriage, Viking women were legally permitted to own property. Furthermore, they possessed the right to initiate divorce from their husbands. In addition to these legal standings, women often managed their family’s finances and farms, particularly when their husbands were away on voyages. Some women also took on prominent economic roles, such as the production of woolen cloth, and in exceptional cases, assumed leadership positions within their home communities.12