Queers have been part of society at all times and in all places. What happens if we try to read the old Norse myths with queer glasses? Norse myths are full of stories about gods and others who break the norms of gender and sexuality. Just think about how Sleipner came to be.
Did Tor manage to pass as Frøya? What's the deal with queerness, seid and magic? We meet Thor, who dresses in wedding clothes, Jotun women with little interest in men, cunning Loki who slips in and out of gender and taboos and Allfather himself, Odin, who wanders around as a woman and engages in seid.
What could the stories have meant in their time? And how do we read and understand these texts today, in the light of philosophy and social development? Between literature, religion and philosophy, this becomes a quirky look at well-known stories and characters, with the opportunity for further conversation and reflection.
Eivind Rindal is a queer activist and leader of Trondheim Pride. She has an education in, among other things, classical subjects, political science and religious studies and reads Norse myths from a queer perspective. Since 2019, Eivind has been actively involved in keeping alive Ivar Matlau's Bokkafé at Svartlamon in Trondheim. She was involved in 2020 when several activists joined forces to start Queive Opprørsdager, an underground queer festival, in Trondheim.