514 



SLA VERT THRALDOM. 



being usually sold for one mark. The Swedes and Danes con- 

 sidered three marks as the average value of a thrall. 1 



" Steinar saw a thrall called Thrand, one of the strongest of 

 men. Steinar wished to purchase him and offered a high 

 price ; but his owner charged three marks of silver for him, 

 and valued him twice as much as a common thrall. And that 

 was their bargain " (Egil's Saga, c. 84). 



" The wergild of a Gotlandman is three marks of gold if he 

 is slain. The wergild of every other man is ten marks of 

 silver, except that of a thrall, which is 4^ marks of penning 

 (money) " (Gotland Law, i. 15). 



A thrall could not be sold out of the country unless he was 

 a criminal. 



" No man is allowed to sell a thrall or thrall-woman out of 

 the country, unless he is known to be a criminal ; but if he 

 does so, he must pay the king three marks " (Earlier Frosta- 

 th ing's Law, 20). 



When a slave was sold the seller had to tell the defects, if 

 any, in regard to his body or health. 



" If a man buys a thrall from another, the seller shall be 

 answerable as to stitches 2 and epilepsy for the nine next years " 

 (Frostath., v. 3). 



Thralls were used tq do the killing for their masters in a 

 word, to commit murder for them and to expose children. 3 



" Kari in Iceland quarrelled with Karli about an ox. Kari 

 thereupon persuaded his thrall to slay Karli. The thrall 

 feigned to have gone mad, and ran south across Hraun. Karli 

 sat on his threshold. The thrall struck him a death-blow. 

 Kari killed the thrall " (Landnama, ii.). 



Even with thraldom a master had his retinue of fixed male 

 and female free servants in his household. These were called 

 house-folk. Workmen and labouring men were also engaged 

 on estates. 



1 Ostgota Law, 6, 2 ; Vestgota Law, 

 i. 22 ; Gotland Law, i. 28, 6. 



2 In the side. 



3 See chapter on Exposure of Children, 

 Vol. ii. p. 42. 



