CHAPTER XL. 



INDEMNITY, WEREGILD. 



The freeman's right to peace Inviolability of body and honour Indemnity 

 for murder Inequality of freemen's personal rights Computation of 

 indemnity Lists of the amount paid or received The rights of Ice- 

 landers trading in Norway Indemnity for wounds Laws relating to 

 indemnity Slander Indemnity in kind. 



EVERY freeman was fridheilag (peace-holy), unless he had 

 forfeited his right to peace. This sacredness of person meant 

 both inviolability of body and honour : for every breach of this, 

 in deed or word, he could claim a redress consisting of a certain 

 amount of money, which was his rett. 



" It is first in our mannhelgi (man-holiness) that every 

 man in the country shall be peace-holy in and out of the 

 country " (Frostath., iv. 1). 



Blood feuds and revenge were of such common occurrence in 

 these days, that throughout the Sagas there is a great mass of 

 literature which deals with the customs and laws regulating the 

 indemnity for murder. 



As every individual, so every family had its rett. This was 

 the so-called manngjold, or indemnity due to the family 

 as a redress for the slaying of one of its members. This 

 view of the family, which is very old, namely, that it was its 

 right and duty to avenge the slaying of one of its members on 

 the slayer or his family, was the law of the land, and the 

 weregild (indemnity) was equivalent to buying off the family 

 revenge. It was really the price of the dead man, which varied 

 according to his rett when living. 



If the slayer died before paying the weregild, his heir had 

 to pay it. 



From the laws we find that the rett, or personal rights 



