Vicious Viking Punishments

Paying a fine Everything has a price To the Vikings, everything and everyone had a price. When setting a fine for the guilty, a number of things would be taken into consideration such as the status of the individual and their ability to pay. They would also ensure that the amount was proportionate to the injustice done to the injured party. Quite often any fine would be split between the injured party, the local community and the chieftain or king, but was open to corruption. Mutilation A warning to others Viking slaves had no rights but Icelandic law did make provisions for how to punish offending thralls in the most harrowing way possible. The Grey Goose Laws stipulated that if a slave killed their master and tried to run away, they should have their arms and legs cut off but be allowed to live as long as they could as a warning to other slaves not to rebel. Banishment Exiled into the wilderness To be dishonest or dishonourable was a grave crime among the Vikings and it was punished severely. If the accused was sentenced to be put outside the law, or outlawed, it would be almost as serious as a death sentence. But there were two levels of outlaw — a semioutlaw would be banished for a period of three years but still keep his property and possessions to return to, while a full outlaw would lose everything. Trial by Fire Prove your innocence In later years, after being converted to Christianity, Vikings could face trial by fire. This could take the form of walking across hot coals, carrying heated rocks or plunging hands into boiling water to pick out a hot iron. Should the wounds be clean and without infection after three days, it was taken as a sign that the gods had intervened and the accused was then immediately proven innocent. Slavery Paying with your life While some thralls were foreigners captured in raids, others were Vikings who had committed a serious crime or had debts they could not pay. Slaves had no rights, had to obey their masters at all times and were often harshly treated. In fact, the punishment of being downgraded to a thrall also came with an implicit threat: it was not a crime for a Viking to kill their own slave. Death Pay the ultimate price Crimes like premeditated murder were almost always punished by death. While beheading was the most common form of execution, a particularly gruesome way to go was called the ‘blood eagle’. The victim’s ribs and lungs were pulled out of their back to create a pair of wings that ‘fluttered’ bird-like as they died. There are only two recorded victims of this death and they were both charged with killing Danish king Ivarr the Boneless’ father.