Shame-stroke

Part of a series on
Violence against men
Issues
Killing
Sexual assault and rape
Related topics

Shame-stroke (Old Norse: klámhogg) is the act of cutting off or stabbing a man's buttocks. It symbolizes the anal rape of a man and is designed not only to be debilitating, but also to be sexually humiliating, through the symbolic feminization of the victim (usually a vanquished enemy), by turning him into an ergi. The injury was considered a mortal wound, as such was ranked with brain injury, a marrow injury, and other fatal wounds.[1] It was considered symbolic of the loss of power in the Norse society where power and status were important as well as an outward signifier of the physical and social power that the dominator wielded over the dominated.[2]

The term is Nordic in origin,[3] and equated with castration as "unmanning" the victim, and classed with wounds that cause major penetrations of the body, strongly suggesting that the term refers to rape or forced anal sex.[4] It was considered a legal term, with the shame entailed associated with the shame of ragr.[5] The "unmanning" also often came with an insulting cognomen indicating status degradation and once the name stuck, ensured that the shame would not be forgotten.[5]

  1. ^ Ward, Christie (November 22, 2015). "Homosexuality in Viking Scandinavia". vikinganswerlady. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Wyatt, David (2009). Slaves and Warriors in Medieval Britain and Ireland: 800 - 1200. Leiden: BRILL. pp. 211. ISBN 9789004175334.
  3. ^ Miller, William (1997). Bloodtaking and Peacemaking : Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 43–77. ISBN 9780226526805.
  4. ^ "Internet History Sourcebooks Project". legacy.fordham.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  5. ^ a b Miller, William Ian (2009). Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 63. ISBN 9780226526829.