HETROTHAL. 1 



The dowry included movable property and lands. 



" The mother shall take as much property if her daughter 

 dies childless as she has given her from home, and also the 

 mund without interest. 8he and her children shall get this 

 in preference to the father. Every man who has given any- 

 thing for the lieimanfylgja shall get it back if the wife dies 

 childless, and also get the mund, if he has declared it at the 

 betrothal or the wedding " (Gragas, i. 174). 



The givers-away of the bride were called giptingar-men, and 

 were either parents, kinsmen, or guardians. 



After the preliminaries to the marriage had taken place, 

 and the agreement had been announced to the witnesses, the 

 festar or betrothal followed, when the parties became featar- 

 madr or betrothed man, and festarkona or betrothed woman. 

 This was a legal tie which could not be broken with impunity. 

 The suitor went over to the father or guardian of the woman, 

 and the latter betrothed her to him with a " handsal " (hand- 

 shaking) ; at the same time both parties also named their 

 witnesses to their betrothal. Gragas gives the formula used at 

 this ceremony, which is as follows : 



" A woman is betrothed according to law if a man recites 

 the agreement about the mund ; then the guardian and the 

 man to whom the woman is betrothed shall name witnesses to 

 it. The man who is betrothed shall say : ' We name witnesses 

 that thou N. N. betrothest thyself to me N. N. with a lawful 

 betrothal, and givest me the lieimanfyltjja with hand-shaking, as 

 the fulfilment and performance of the whole agreement which 

 was a while ago recited between us without fraud and tricks.' 

 This is a complete and lawful match. It is lawful when the 

 betrother is the one who has the right to betroth according to 

 law ; and it is complete if the betrothed is in such health that 

 she would be bought at no less price if she was a bondmaid, 

 or has no other faults or blemishes which would make her cost 

 less or which she had when sixteen winters old. But if these 

 faults are found in the woman, the man who knowing it 

 betrothed the woman is liable to lesser outlawry for it, and 

 the wedding may be prevented if the man betrothed wishes it, 

 provided he had before pronounced the words, ' a complete and 

 lawful match' but not otherwise. Now if the betrothed man 

 wants to demand the mund he shall summon the guardian, 

 because he has betrothed the woman knowing such faults in 



