FHEED SLAVES. 509 



"If cattle damages cattle, horn or hoof or thrall, it shall be 

 paid at half value " (Bjarkey Law, 140). 



Those who belonged to rich masters were allowed to work 

 for themselves, and thus acquire means to buy their free- 

 dom, and it was more usual for a slave to buy his freedom 

 than to be made free. He either paid the full sum arid 

 became a free man at once, or paid part of the sum down and 

 the rest by work for his master. 



After this he had personal rett, but had to work one year 

 for his master, without whose consent he could not marry or 

 make bargains ; but when he had paid the sum and wished to 

 become free, he made his freedom-ale a feast with a certain 

 measure of ale to which he had to invite his master and his 

 wife, and seat them in the high-seat. 



On the first evening of the feast he had to pay the price of 

 his freedom, namely 6 aurar, to the master, which he could 

 give up or not. Then he became ley sin gi (freedman) and could 

 marry and make bargains not exceeding a certain amount. 



Even after the freedom -ale there was a special relation 

 between the freedman and his former master and his descend- 

 ants, which was called, on the side of the master, vorn (defence), 

 on that of the freedman thyrmsl (obligation, dependence) ; 

 these terms meant that the master protected the freedman, 

 and that the latter was dependent on the former. The freed- 

 man was not by birth a member of any family that could help 

 him, so " his former master had to do that duty." 



The master had to take care of his freedman if he became 

 a pauper ; if the latter went against his former master in any- 

 thing, whether in law or in enmity, he became his thrall again. 



The master and his descendant took the inheritance after 

 their freedman or his descendant, if he had no free kinsmen 

 within a certain degree. This custom varied in different parts 

 of the country ; according to the Frostathing's Law, it was the 

 fourth degree. 1 



" The family of a leysingi is four men in thyrmsl, but the 

 fifth (degree) is no more in it, though not bought free" 

 (Frostath., ix. 11). 



1 Gulath., 66, 106, 296. 



