The father[[85]] had then to declare that he led the adopted son into the share of the inheritance which he gave him, and with the same rights as if his mother had been law fully wed. Those present had to bear witness to this leading into the family, as also to the use of the shoe, by means of which it had been done.
The Gulathings Law required the adopted to publicly announce his adoption at the Thing every twenty years, until he stepped into his inheritance.
“A man shall announce publicly his adoption every twenty winters until he gets his inheritance, which shall thereafter be his witness” (Gulath., 58).
“A woman could adopt as well as a man, but she could not adopt her illegitimate son, nor a man his illegitimate daughter.
“A man must never lead a woman into his family (adopt her), nor a woman a man” (Frostathings Law, ix. 21).
To an illegitimate son a father could not give more than a certain amount without the consent of his heir.
“Höskuld Dala-Kollsson fell sick in his old age. He sent for his sons, and other friends and kinsmen; when they came he said to the brothers Bard and Thorleik: ‘I am now ill, but I have been a man not apt to be taken ill. My third son is not legitimately born, and I ask you, his brothers, to let Olaf inherit a third of my property, and you the two other thirds.’ Bard answered first, and said he would do as his father wanted. ‘I believe Olaf will do us credit in every respect, and the more so the richer he is.’ Thorleik answered: ‘I do not want Olaf to be made legitimate heir; he has already more than enough property; thou, father, hast given him many things, and for a long time hast shared very unequally between us brothers; I am not willing to give up the honour to which I am born.’ Höskuld replied: ‘You will not object if I give my son three mörk[[86]] (of gold), since he is so high-born on his mother’s side.’ To this Thorleik consented. Then Höskuld took the gold ring that Hakon jarl had given him, which weighed two mörk, and the sword which was the gift of the king, on which was a mörk of gold” (Laxdæla, ch. 26).
The Gulathings Law expressly mentions those female degrees to which the ódal descended. These were: daughter, sister, aunt, father’s sister, daughter of brothers, and son’s daughters. It adds that if two sisters inherited an ódal, and one had a son and the other a daughter, the former had a right to purchase the shares of his kinswomen in the ódal.
The right of inheritance does not seem to have extended further than the third cousin on the father’s side, or second cousin on the mother’s.
Where sons existed they always inherited to the exclusion of their sisters.[[87]]