58 



THE ARVEL, OR INHERITANCE FEAST. 



" A man must never lead a woman into his family (adopt 

 her), nor a woman a man " (Frostathings Law, ix. 21). 



To an illegitimate son a father could not give more than a 

 certain amount without the consent of his heir. 



" Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson fell sick in his old age. He sent 

 for his sons, and other friends and kinsmen ; when they came 

 he said to the brothers Bard and Thorleik : ' I am now ill, but 

 I have been a man not apt to be taken ill. My third son is 

 not legitimately born, and I ask you, his brothers, to let Olaf 

 inherit a third of my property, and you the two other thirds.' 

 Bard answered first, and said he would do as his father wanted. 

 ' I believe Olaf will do us credit in every respect, and the 

 more so the richer he is.' Thorleik answered : ' I do not want 

 Olaf to be made legitimate heir ; he has already more than 

 enough property ; thou, father, hast given him many things, 

 and for a long time hast shared very unequally between us 

 brothers ; I am not willing to give up the honour to which 1 

 am born.' Hoskuld replied : ' You will not object if I give 

 my son three rnork 1 (of gold), since he is so high-born on his 

 mother's side.' To this Thorleik consented. Then Hoskuld 

 took the gold ring that Hakon jarl had given him, which 

 weighed two mork, and the sword which was the gift of the 

 king, on which was a mork of gold " (Laxdaela, ch. 26). 



The Gulathings Law expressly mentions those female degrees 

 to which the odal descended. These were: daughter, sister, 

 aunt, father's sister, daughter of brothers, and son's daughters. 

 It adds that if two sisters inherited an odal, and one had a son 

 and the other a daughter, the former had a right to purchase 

 the shares of his kinswomen in the odal. 



The right of inheritance does not seem to have extended 

 further than the third cousin on the father's side, or second 

 cousin on the mother's. 



Where sons existed they always inherited to the exclusion 

 of their sisters. 2 



If an odal by inheritance came to one not entitled to odals- 

 riaht, the right of redemption was open to the nearest of kin, 

 who had such right. 



1 A mork was probably four ounces. 

 ' The Frostathing Laws give a general 

 rule for the degrees in which inheritances 



descended. Kinsmen on the father's side 

 were preferred to those on the mother's 

 side. 



