Aside from swearing oaths, one to the ways a person could prove the truth of their story was through Ordeal. One of my favorites is of course Járnburdr - Carrying (Hot) Irons.

The most common method was to grab a piece of iron from boiling water and walk 9 paces carrying it in ones hands.

The most famous example of this was when Inga fra Varteig underwent Járnburdr to prove that her son Håkon Håkonsson was the rightful heir to the throne of Norway.

another method was to walk 12 steps on hot irons, and innocence was proved if 3 days later the wounds were without infection.

Insults, Slander, Defamation... the whole of the world is know to have its turns of phrase that each society feels to be so egregious that the Law must address them.
Today I thought I'd share a few of my favorites..
I'll add some more insults and laws this weekend, but for now lets start with:
Accusations of Bestiality
From the Gulaþing Law of Norway (ca. 100-1200 C.E.):

Today I want to look at Fines, more specifically the threefold fine.

again I'll give an example from the Old West Gautish Law:
Takær maþær bo manz vp at vfældu, þæt ær þrænni niv markæ sak: a niv mærkær saksøke ok giald firi bo sit mæþ svornom eþe, niv mærkær konongær ok niv mærkær allir mæn.
"If someone[1] take another's property provided that he is not convicted[2], that is a threefold nine mark penalty: nine marks for the plaintiff and compensation for his property with a sworn oath[3], nine marks for the king and nine marks to the public"

Some thoughts for the weekend.

Neutrality under the law. Unlike some of the more iron fisted rules of dark ages the nobility of sweden often strove to maintain the law and the insistence that nobility was not above the law.

Codex Holmeniesis B193 circa 1220ce and Codex Holmeniesis B59 circa 1280ce give us a great insights into these attempt to make most men equal under the law, a concept that didnt reach the most of europe for quite some time.

From the Rightless Code of the Elder West Gautish Law:

Today lets look at U11, from Hovgården on the island of Adelsö in Uppland Sweden.

U11

Runic transcription:
raþ| |þu : runaR : ret : lit : rista : toliR : bry[t]i : i roþ : kunuki : toliR : a(u)k : gyla : litu : ris... ...- : þaun : hion : eftiR ...k : merki srni... haku(n) * (b)aþ : rista

Normalized Old Norse
Rað þu runaR. Rett let rista ToliR bryti i roði kunungi. ToliR ok Gylla letu ris[ta] ..., þaun hion æftiR [si]k(?) mærki ... Hakon bað rista.