One culture that has aroused great fascination among the population in recent years is undoubtedly
the Norse, legendary warriors with long beards who carry an axe everywhere they go, ruthless
gods who control the power of thunder and uncontrolled celebrations where mead and lust
reign to the cry of "Sköl!".
Their stories and traditions have inspired books, series, movies and video games that
give us a small glimpse into the life of those barbaric Vikings, showing us above all their
wildest and bloodiest sides, which, if not entirely false, does not always reveal the
intricate system of laws by which they were governed, making them look like bloodthirsty
beasts.
Today we will study a bit about its justice system and the symbolic, painful, ingenious
and bloody punishments you would be entitled to if you violated some of its rules.
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The Thing, the assembly of justice
Contrary to popular belief, the Vikings did not solve all their problems by running people
through with their swords with no accountability.
As the chronicler and geographer, Adam of Bremen said, "the Icelanders have no other
king than the laws" and these laws were there precisely to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
The Norse had an assembly that was in charge of resolving all disputes and deciding the
course of each community, which they called The Thing.
It is well known that there was no single king among the Vikings who dominated the entire
Scandinavian territory, but each territory had its own leader, who represented the whole
community before the others, so that likewise each Viking settlement had its own assembly
with its own laws and punishments.
The Thing could be attended by all members of the community, but only free men, of legal
age and who could prove that they had a fixed residence in the settlement, had the right
to express their opinion and vote; rarely was a woman allowed to actively participate.
Assemblies were organized periodically depending on the size of the territory, being common
weekly or biweekly in the smaller villages to deal with day-to-day matters, such as the
distribution of resources among the inhabitants, the activities of each sector, the problems
inside and outside the settlement and even to decide who would be the new leader.
It was the only body that gathered the legislative and legal functions, but not the executive
ones among the Norsemen.
On the other hand, there was the regional Thing that was commonly convened every year
and was mainly composed of all the local chiefs.
Here, issues such as the defense of the territory were dealt with.
Any free man could speak within these assemblies, but, as has always been the case, the word
of the most influential families carried significantly more weight, so depending on your status within
the community your opinion would be taken into greater or lesser consideration.
Unfortunately not much is known about the different rules that Scandinavian law imposed,
as they left few written records beyond the fanciful sagas, which are viewed with some
skepticism, and used a person called "Lagman", who knew the laws by heart, to consult on
how to proceed during trials.
The Most Common Viking Punishments and Fines
As mentioned above, the Viking justice assembly mediated the problems between the members
of each community to avoid unnecessary deaths, although that does not mean that there were
no cases where justice was exercised by their own hand.
Most of the punishments were monetary.
A sum of money was given as compensation for the damage caused depending on who the offense
was directed at.
This fine was called "wergeld", which meant "the price of a man".
It was not the same to offend a Viking leader as it was a peasant, which was reflected in
the amount to be paid.
If the crime was not possible to cover it with a sum of money, nor was it considered
a reason to sentence him to death, he was declared outlawed and banished.
Incredible as it may seem, the Vikings preferred to face almost any other punishment, however
painful it might be, than to become outlaws, since in this state, all their goods were
confiscated and their children would receive nothing as inheritance, not to mention that
they would have to live forever on the run, since anyone could take their head by way
of revenge without any consequence and leave the body without a burial, a death without
honor, a concept which was very important for the Nordic society.
Among the cruelest of punishments was the so-called "Blood Post" or "Fatal Walk".
This consisted of taking the sentenced person to a large oak tree where he would be tied
up and his belly would be opened in order to access a piece of intestine, which was
tied or nailed to the post.
The person was forced to walk slowly around it until he died from blood loss or his intestine
was completely wrapped around the oak tree.
It was an extremely painful punishment and it is not known precisely what crime would
make someone worthy of such torture.
With the arrival of the Christians, they also began to use punishments and tortures against
those accused of witchcraft, especially women who were subjected to the famous water trial,
in which the alleged suspects were tied hand and foot and thrown into a lake.
If they floated, they were guilty and would be executed, possibly at the stake, but if
they drowned, their innocence would be proven, an ineffective method that usually ended with
the accusers offering their condolences to the affected family.
On the other hand, there was the trial by fire, where the accused would be forced to
walk on burning embers or hold a red-hot metal bar creating serious wounds, immediately after
which the damaged areas would be treated and bandaged.
They had to wait up to 7 days, and if after that time, he was not healed, he would be
found guilty and condemned to hang.
If the problem did not reach the Thing and one of the parties involved decided to challenge
the other to an honorable duel to the death, they would have to swing their swords until
the other was finished.
It was considered that in these cases, whoever died could enter Valhalla, the hall of the
slain, but if he refused, he would be seen as a being without honor and incapable of
defending himself.
Viking Rituals at Funerals
Within Viking society, rituals for their dead ranged from the traditional burial to the
popular burning of ships, all depending on your social status, and whether you were male
or female.
Women and children who died were buried in a hole in the ground and a stone was placed
on top of it, possibly engraved with some runes.
On other occasions the tombs were placed in such a way that they formed the silhouette
of a Viking ship.
If the family had great resources, they were decorated in a more ostentatious way.
Men, women and children were buried along with their most valuable possessions or those
representing the trade they held, as it was believed that they had to be provided with
everything necessary for their journey to Valhalla or else they would not find their
way and would return to torment their relatives.
Another form of burial was the cremation in pyres where the body of the deceased and all
their belongings were deposited along with offerings that they gave him.
These pyres were built so that the column of smoke was as large as possible because
they believed that the smoke facilitated the ascension of their souls with Odin.
If the Viking who had lost his life had a higher status in society, such as a brave
warrior killed in battle, a member of the nobility or a priestess, the ritual became
more ostentatious.
The pyre would be built on a boat and adorned with fabrics, pillows and flowers, the rest
of the boat was filled with his belongings, offerings and sometimes some of his slaves
offered to accompany him in the next life.
At the end, the ship was set on fire and sailed aimlessly out to sea while everyone said goodbye
from the shore and drank in his honor.
The worst Viking punishment.
The Blood Eagle
If there is anything that can demonstrate the brutality of this civilization, it would
not be the great massacres in the settlements they attacked or the uncontrolled pagan rituals
where they smeared animal blood.
What really makes them extremely fearsome is their ingenuity and cold-bloodedness when
it comes to causing suffering in their most hated enemies.
The now famous Viking torture and execution ritual called "The Blood Eagle" has been captured
in series and video games leaving much of the pain and agony inflicted to the imagination
of the viewers.
This punishment, dedicated to those who damaged the honor of a fellow countryman and his family
or the most despicable enemies from their point of view, was the highest level of revenge.
For this punishment, the culprit was tied with his arms outstretched, while the person
who would carry out the execution drew the shape of an eagle on his back with a sharp
object and then proceeded to open the skin, exposing the spine and ribs.
With all the pain that this already generated, the torture would only have passed the first
phase, proceeding to cut with an axe each of the ribs with surgical precision to avoid
damaging both the internal organs and the arteries that are in this area.
All the ribs would be arranged facing outward from the body and to finish this bloody spectacle,
the lungs would be exposed outside the body while they were filled for the last time with
air, resembling for seconds the flapping of the wings of an eagle, all while they were
still alive.
If you managed not to emit any sound of pain during the whole procedure you could be considered
to have died with honor, regaining the right to enter Valhalla, a practically impossible
requirement, simply imagining the suffering of the people who died at the hands of the
Norsemen by this means is enough to provoke a terrifying sensation in anyone's body.
To label them as barbaric and brutal would not be unwise after learning all this, but
it is hard not to be fascinated by such a deep, interesting and shocking culture.
Whether it’s to bring you more examples of their brutality or to talk about their
extensive mythology, we will be here to tell you
about it, at Copernicus’s Galaxy.