“The slayer shall pay the head-indemnity to the son of the dead. The brother of the slayer shall pay indemnity to the brother of the dead if he is found; otherwise the slayer shall pay it. The brœdrung of the slayer shall pay to the brœdrung of the dead brœdrung-indemnity if he is found; otherwise the slayer shall pay it” (Gulath., 222).
The saktal was a list of the amount to be paid or received by every degree in the weregild. Two or three of these lists are found in the Gulathing’s Law, and one in the Frostathing’s Law.
The nearest kinswomen on both sides, mother, daughter, sister and wife, paid and received a certain gift called Kvenngjöf. Otherwise a woman was never reckoned as payer or payee, unless she were sole heir. But the moment she was married her rights in this respect passed over to her nearest male relative.
“A mark is a woman’s kvenngjöf. Four women shall receive it if they are found; the mother of the slain man, his daughter, his sister, and his wife. Each of them receives two aurar if they all exist. Wherever they are not found the son of the slain man shall receive it. If all the women are missing, the slayer shall take this mark and pay it to the son of the slain. If one of the women is missing, the son of the slain shall receive two aurar, and if two are missing, half a mark, and if all are missing, one mark” (Gulath., 221).
The Gulathing’s Law differs from the Frostathing’s Law only in one point, viz., the last divides the bondi into two classes, the árborinn-man and the reksthegn.[[544]] The law seems to mean in the case of the latter a man who was not odal-born, yet could point to four generations of freemen on his father’s side; but the difference between the two is not told.
The Icelanders when trading or staying in Norway took the rétt of a haulld; but if they remained more than three years, or settled there, they were to have the rétt which they had in their own country, and which had to be proved by witnesses.
All other foreigners had the rétt of a bondi unless they could prove by witness a higher one.
“A freedman (leysingi) owns six aurar as single rétt, and his son a mark as single rétt. A bondi owns 12 aurar as single rétt, a haulld three marks, a lendrman and a stallari (marshal) six marks, the jarl and the bishop 12 marks. The son of a lendrman shall get the rétt of a haulld if he gets no land.... Icelanders have the rétt of a haulld while they are on trading journeys, until they have been here three winters and lived here. Then they have the rétt which witnesses prove. All other foreigners who come to this country have the rétt of a bondi unless they prove by witnesses that they have a higher rétt” (Gulath., 200).
The inhabitants of towns all enjoyed the same rétt, which was three marks.
“It is the law that all men have an equal rétt in the town (namely) the rétt of a haulld, 3 marks, the lendrman as well as the freedman who has made his freedom-ale” (Bjarkeyjar Law, 97).