Wifegathering

Wifegathering refers to a historical practice, primarily in Norse and Germanic cultures, where women from a community would gather, often for a specific purpose or event. These gatherings could serve various social and economic functions. They might have been associated with communal activities such as food preparation, textile production, or childcare. In some contexts, wifegatherings could also be informal social occasions for women to share news, stories, and build community bonds. The term is also sometimes used in historical and archaeological contexts to describe evidence suggesting collective female activities at a particular site. While direct textual evidence for "wifegathering" as a formal institution is limited, scholars interpret archaeological findings and societal structures to understand the role of women's collective activities. These gatherings played a part in the social fabric of early societies, contributing to the maintenance of households and communities.