Viking Tribute

Notes

Hi there!

After reviewing the comments on the book, I thought some of you might be interested in a bit of information on Viking and Anglo-Saxon laws and customs.

· About slavery:

There were four ways to become a slave: you could be born into it, meaning that your mother was a slave, you could be sold by your parents or yourself, you could be captured, and you could be condemned to it for a crime or because you were too poor to feed your family (Norse law). The Church disapproved of Christians keeping Christians slaves or owners having sex with their slaves but few cared. Norse people often had Norse slaves caught in raids or in a feud.

Under Norse law, your owner had to feed and clothe you, and provide you treatment if you were ill. Besides that, he could do anything he wanted, including kill you. A female slave could not be raped in the eyes of the law unless it happened without her owner's consent, in which case her owner received compensation.

Basically, slaves were cattle. So in Sunngifu's case, according to 10th century laws, she wasn't raped and Einarr bears no guilt. He thinks he was actually kind, which is why he can't understand her feelings. Of course, by 21st century laws, it's a totally different story.

In general, Norsemen were reputed for treating their female slaves fairly, and many ended up loving and marrying their owner, who in one case happened to be the King.

Slaves were objects, not humans, and therefore were called 'it'. They could regain their freedom by buying it back –some were given a piece of land and allowed to sell the products and keep the money-, doing something extraordinary –like saving their owner's life-, or simply as a gift for good service. They then became 'freed men' and were 'adopted' into their owners' family during a lavish ceremony (in the book). They still had to ask for permission to leave, get married and buy or sell anything important, but their children would be free.

· About marriage:

Girls could get married at twelve, boys at fourteen. In Saxon society they could be betrothed and married much younger but the marriage wouldn't come into effect before they reached that age. Weddings were a civil affair, the Church didn't intervene in them, except for the occasional blessing, but its influence meant that both bride and groom had to give consent.

In Norse society, girls could be married without their consent to whomever their father chose, but it was considered a bad omen. In the Icelandic Sagas, there are examples of reluctant marriages where the husband ends up maimed or killed.

A Saxon girl had to be a virgin for her wedding or she was considered ruined. A Norse girl would fetch a higher bride price as a maiden, but if she wasn't, or if she had a child out of wedlock, it was merely considered a minor inconvenience. A girl who had been raped was a victim and was never blamed.

For both Norse and Saxons, divorce was possible, but it was easier in Norse society. A Norse woman would simply stand with witnesses beside the marriage bed and say she divorced her husband. She would then walk away with her dowry.

Reasons for divorce could be no more than a couple of slaps for a Norse bride, as hurting women and children was dishonorable, whereas the Church recommended that Christian husbands beat their wives. Saxons mostly divorced on grounds of adultery, on the wife side, of course. Having concubines or mistresses was considered perfectly normal for married men, and pagan Norsemen could have several wives.

In Norse society, children born out of wedlock automatically received the rank of their mother, and could inherit from their father if he was known. There was no shame from bastardy, but legitimate children had priority for the inheritance.

· About laws:

Norse laws heavily punished insults, as being a stain on one's honor. Norsemen took pride in their appearance, especially their cleanliness. Throwing mud at a man was a deadly offense, so was accusing him of cowardice or being an oath breaker. Hospitality was sacred, so insulting a guest was a no no.

The punishment could be a fine proportionate to the victim's status –same in Saxon law-, banishment, or a fight to death. The victim could also decide not to go to court and take things into their own hands, which was allowed. Revenge could be deferred for a long time until the moment was right, such as the enemy's wedding feast.

Banishment was a particularly cruel sentence as the condemned lost not only all property, but also all rights to food and shelter, and could be hunted and killed at will. It could apply to a county, a country, or all Norse area, so it was pretty serious.

Iceland had a number of 'Godi' courts for small matters, four quarterly courts meeting at various intervals, and the yearly Althing court. Most serious problems were sorted by the Godar ruling at the quarterly courts. All men had to answer to a Godi, but they could choose who they wanted to follow.

· Women and gender / homosexuality in Norse society:

Each gender had a very distinct role in Norse society. Women wore dresses, obeyed their fathers and ruled the household, and the land when their husband was away. They were healers, weavers, and magicians. They were also the priestesses. Some women dedicated themselves to the magical arts and became Volur (plural of Volva), professional witches and seers. They traveled across the country and were highly revered.

Women were in charge of receiving guests, a very important role. Manners and hospitality were the basis of a woman's honor. Women were respected and protected.

Men were farmers, traders and warriors, and sometimes went Vikingr for extra cash. Men had to be brave and strong, know music and poetry. They were in charge of providing for the family, and protecting it.

Norse society didn't blame gay men for being gay, but they mocked those considered the 'underdogs' for assuming a female role, which was frowned upon as demeaning.

A woman could be killed for insulting a man, because it meant she was behaving as a man, and therefore should be treated as one. Women were not allowed to bear arms in Iceland, although it is likely that they were able protect themselves from attacks when their husband was away. It is because it was regarded as a man's job. For the same reason, wearing trousers was forbidden to women by law, and if they did their husband could divorce them.

Tombs of women buried with weapons have been found in Nordic countries, and Sagas tell of heroic women fighting together with men, who are remembered with respect and admiration. So how does it make sense?

Well, it's simple. These heroines dressed as men and fought as such, making them women who elevated themselves above their gender to male status, an admirable fate. And once they dropped the weapons and put on a dress, shazam, they became female again and could marry and have kids.

In summary, in Norse society you were only the gender of your clothes and behavior.

· Einarr's origins:

It is believed that many people emigrated from Norway to Iceland to avoid forced conversion to Christianity or political unrest, and amongst them, a few nobles.

As King Harald Fairhair had a number of wives and a throng of children, whose names and number are unknown, I thought it would add a nice touch to my story. Of course Einarr is fictional, as is Sunngifu and her family. Settlers in Iceland were mostly farmers and there is no known Viking base there. It is however plausible that poor farmers would travel to Norway or Denmark and join Viking parties, or rent themselves out as mercenaries, to earn vital cash and buy extra food.

I hope that covers it all. Please remember that my characters' behavior is from research and accurate for their time, and so are their beliefs. Sunngifu's story is a fictional account of events that DID happen quite frequently at the time, to thousands of women, many of them ending up falling in love with their owner. 60% of the Icelandic gene pool comes from these women.And no, it's not Stockholm's syndrome, it's survival skills and pragmatism. Life gave them lemons, and they made lemon meringue pie -much more difficult than lemonade-.

Let me know if I've forgotten something and remember to vote,  comment and follow!

While I'm working on the second tome, have a look at my other stories, you never know, you might find something you like. Good reading!