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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 327041" data-attributes="member: 907">Some examples of fines imposed by "Västgötalagen":21 marks for killing a free man18 marks for gelding someone13 1/3 marks for killing a Swede or Smålander (I'm pretty sure "Swede" refers to people from the area north of Västergötland, which is the region of modern-day Sweden this law comes from. Småland is the area south of Västergötland)9 1/2 marks for cutting someone's thumb off9 marks for killing a Dane or Norwegian, for causing someone's death by stray arrow or falling tree, or for killing someone at the tavern.4 marks for killing a really good thrall3 marks for killing a thrall, for causing someone's death through negligence or for beating your wife.2 marks for insulting someone6 öre (1 mark = 8 öre) for beating up a thrall or for sleeping with another man's wife4 öre for causing the death of another man's cow.Nothing for killing someone you catch in bed with your wife or who just killed someone else, as long as you do it right there and then.The total property of the average free farmer was estimated at 22 marks.Västgötalagen was written down in 1220 so it's technically post-Viking, but at least it might give you some place to start when calculating weregelds.</blockquote>