“The king’s skutilsveins (pages) shall have the rétt of a haulld in all greater and lesser things. But with regard to other servants of the king they shall have the rett of a haulld if they wear ale-cloths (aprons) on their necks, and also the one who steers his trading-ship between lands, and also his goldsmiths. Stallaris (marshals) shall have the rett of a lendr-man in smaller and larger things” (Frostath., iv. 60).
If a man bit another man, his fore teeth were broken at the Thing by the king’s tax-gatherer (sýslu-man), but no indemnity was paid. Wounds with knives were also punished at the Thing.[[546]]
“It is unfitting that men should bite each other like horses or dogs. When a man bites another the syslumadr (steward) shall have him taken and brought to the Thing and his teeth broken out of his mouth” (King Magnus’ Laws).
To the wounded man himself, indemnity for wounds and fees for physicians were paid; the former varying according to the nature of the wounds, but otherwise equal for all without distinction of rétt. The fee paid to a physician was fixed according to the time taken in healing the wound.
“One eyrir shall be paid as healing-fee every month and two monthly allowances of meal and two of butter. Thus it shall be every month till.... It shall be offered at the first Thing, and his farm and his loose property is taken until he has paid lawful fine to the king and wound-indemnities and healing-fee to the wounded. If he does not offer it at the first Thing he is outlawed and his property, except what he takes into the wood with him (is confiscated)” (Frostath., iv. 12).
“All have equal wound-indemnities (sárbœtr), thegn and thrall. If a man wounds a man’s thrall he shall feed him while he lies wounded and pay his work to his master and his healing-fee” (Gulath., 215).
If any one killed his own thrall he was not punished, but had to declare it; and if he failed to do so, he was mordingi (murderer). If a man slew the thrall of another man, he had to pay the value of the naked thrall to the master, but nothing to the king.[[547]]
Atli, a freeman working for Njal, was slain by a kinsman of Halgerd, the wife of Gunnar; when Gunnar, who was at the Althing, knew it, he went to Njal and wished him to arbitrate.
“Njal said: ‘It was our intention not to disagree on this, and I will not make him a thrall.’ Gunnar said he assented, and stretched forward his hand. Njal named witnesses, and they agreed on this. Skarphedin said: ‘Halgerd does not allow our húskarls to die from old age.’ Gunnar answered: ‘It is thy mother’s intention that the blows should be mutual in each other’s farm.’ Njal said: ‘There will soon be too much of this.’ He arbitrated that one hundred in silver should be paid, and Gunnar paid it at once” (Njala, c. 38).
In ch. 39 we are told that the man who slew Atli is slain by one of Bergthóra’s men, and Gunnar pays back the weregild to Njal.