“Steinar saw a thrall called Thrand, one of the strongest of men. Steinar wished to purchase him and offered a high price; but his owner charged three marks of silver for him, and valued him twice as much as a common thrall. And that was their bargain” (Egil’s Saga, c. 84).
“The wergild of a Gotlandman is three marks of gold if he is slain. The wergild of every other man is ten marks of silver, except that of a thrall, which is 4½ marks of penning (money)” (Gotland Law, i. 15).
A thrall could not be sold out of the country unless he was a criminal.
“No man is allowed to sell a thrall or thrall-woman out of the country, unless he is known to be a criminal; but if he does so, he must pay the king three marks” (Earlier Frostathing’s Law, 20).
When a slave was sold the seller had to tell the defects, if any, in regard to his body or health.
“If a man buys a thrall from another, the seller shall be answerable as to stitches[[510]] and epilepsy for the nine next years” (Frostath., v. 3).
Thralls were used to do the killing for their masters—in a word, to commit murder for them—and to expose children.[[511]]
“Kári in Iceland quarrelled with Karli about an ox. Kári thereupon persuaded his thrall to slay Karli. The thrall feigned to have gone mad, and ran south across Hraun. Karli sat on his threshold. The thrall struck him a death-blow. Kári killed the thrall” (Landnáma, ii.).
Even with thraldom a master had his retinue of fixed male and female free servants in his household. These were called house-folk. Workmen and labouring men were also engaged on estates.