Both in the Gulathing law and in the Frostathing law this personal ‘rett’ lies at the root of the graduated payments for insults, wounding, and homicide. And the statements of it are practically identical in the two laws. They are as follows:—
| Gulathing (200) | Frostathing (X. 35) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leysing | 6 | ores | Leysing before freedom’s ale | 4 | ores | |
| Leysing after freedom’s ale | 6 | ores | ||||
| Leysing’s son | 8 | ” | Leysing’s son | 8 | ores | or 1 mark |
| Bónde | 12 | ” | Reks-thane[175] | 12 | ores | |
| Árborinn man[176] | 16 | ores | or 2 marks | |||
| Hauldman[177] | 24 | ” | Hauldman | 24 | ores | or 3 ” |
| Lendman and Stallare | 48 | ” | ||||
The chief difference is that the Frostathing law divides the leysings into two classes, a significant point on which important considerations turn.
The things for which full rett was paid may be described as insults. If a man were knocked down, even if he fell on his knees, or if his moustache were ‘seized with hostile hand’ (195), or if a man were called ‘a mare or bitch,’ these were insults for which full rett was to be paid (196).
The payments for inflicting serious wounds (sár) were regulated in the same gradations according to rank as the rett, but were threefold in amount. These payments were made in ‘baugs’ or rings, each of twelve ores of silver.
| Gulathing Law (185) | Frostathing Law (IV. 53) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leysing | 1 | ring | |||
| Leysing’s son | 2 | rings | Leysing | 2 | rings |
| Bónde | 3 | ” | Reks-thane | 3 | ” |
| Ár-borinn man | 4 | ” | |||
| Odal-born man[178] | 6 | ” | Hauld | 6 | ” |
| Lend-man and Stallare | 12 | ” | Lend-man | 12 | ” |
| Jarl | 24 | ” | Jarl | 24 | ” |
| King | 48 | ” | King | 48 | ” |
These were the penalties paid by the person inflicting the wound—i.e. three times his own rett—and besides this he had to pay sár-bót according to the extent and character of the wound, as in other laws. He also had to pay the healing fee (185) of the injured person.
The hauld or odal-man the typical tribesman.
Passing from insults and wounds to homicide, throughout the Gulathing law the hauld, or odal-born man, is taken as the typical tribesman. His wergeld is described, and then the wergelds of other classes are said to vary according to the rett.
But before we consider the wergelds it must be remarked that here, as elsewhere, there is no wergeld for a murder within the family.