taken from Daily Life in the Viking Period
The slave - or "trell", as the Vikings called him, is not mentioned in the law because they were not protected by the law. The slave was owned by his owner in the same way the owner owned his domestic animals. Slaves were looked upon as the owner’s property. The owner could buy and sell a slave, and he could treat his slave as he liked. If the owner killed one of his slaves, it was not considered as murder. If a free man killed another man’s slave, the murderer only had to pay for a new slave. The price was nearly the same as that of a domestic animal.
When a female slave bore a child, her child automatically became the property of her owner. If a pregnant slave was sold, her unborn child became the new owner’s property as well. Rigstula tells us that the slaves worked all the time. They collected wood, fertilized the fields, made fences, dug turf, bred pigs and made bast ropes. The slave family ate unwholesome and unappetizing food. According to the law, the only thing a slave was allowed to own was a knife.
Slaves were often captured during Viking raids upon British islands, but a free Norwegian man could also become a slave, either by free will or by force. He might be forced into slavery if he wasn’t able to pay the mulct ordained by the Thing or if he couldn’t feed himself and his family. Some Vikings became rich by selling slaves to other tribes in Europe.
Doesn't seem too different from the Gorean Slave..
thank you for attending my little lecture of the day!!
From SL to RL with Love
Luta
The slave - or "trell", as the Vikings called him, is not mentioned in the law because they were not protected by the law. The slave was owned by his owner in the same way the owner owned his domestic animals. Slaves were looked upon as the owner’s property. The owner could buy and sell a slave, and he could treat his slave as he liked. If the owner killed one of his slaves, it was not considered as murder. If a free man killed another man’s slave, the murderer only had to pay for a new slave. The price was nearly the same as that of a domestic animal.
When a female slave bore a child, her child automatically became the property of her owner. If a pregnant slave was sold, her unborn child became the new owner’s property as well. Rigstula tells us that the slaves worked all the time. They collected wood, fertilized the fields, made fences, dug turf, bred pigs and made bast ropes. The slave family ate unwholesome and unappetizing food. According to the law, the only thing a slave was allowed to own was a knife.
Slaves were often captured during Viking raids upon British islands, but a free Norwegian man could also become a slave, either by free will or by force. He might be forced into slavery if he wasn’t able to pay the mulct ordained by the Thing or if he couldn’t feed himself and his family. Some Vikings became rich by selling slaves to other tribes in Europe.
Doesn't seem too different from the Gorean Slave..
thank you for attending my little lecture of the day!!
From SL to RL with Love
Luta
