When I studied the Salic Laws (Dark Age Frankish), it became obvious that wergelds were not meant to be affordable: they were deterrents. The barbarian law-codes chuck golden solidi around as if the Franks were living in D&D times. People didn't spend their time adding up whether they could afford to kill or injure other Franks: they were scared off from doing so by the high penalties imposed by Salic Law. (If it was being enforced, of course).
Here's the going rates for common injuries:
Hand cut off 100 solidi Hand left dangling 45 solidi Hand struck through 62 1/2 solidi Thumb cut off 45 solidi Index finger 35 solidi Other fingers 15 solidi each Foot cut off 62 1/2 solidi Foot left dangling 45 solidi Eye gouged out 62 1/2 solidi Nose cut off 45 solidi Ear cut off 15 solidi Tongue cut out 100 solidi Tooth knocked out 15 solidi Genitals injured 100 solidi Genitals cut off 200 solidi
"He who attacks another man's place and there breaks down doors, kills dogs, or wounds men or carries off anything thence in a cart shall be liable to pay eight thousand denarii (i.e. two hundred solidi)" -- in addition to returning the objects taken or their value, plus a payment for the time their use was lost!
"He who stealthily robs a dead body before it is put in the earth ... shall be liable to pay four thousand denarii (i.e. one hundred solidi)" -- and again, return them and cough up another fine.
And it's not just violence and theft that incur hefty fines: here's the Frankish toll on insults.
"Pederast" 15 solidi
"Covered in shit" 3 solidi
"Prostitute" (M/F) 45 solidi
"Fox" 3 solidi
"Rabbit" 3 solidi
"Coward" 3 solidi
"Liar" 15 solidi
And on touching women:
Hand or finger 15 solidi Forearm 30 solidi Upper arm 35 solidi Breast 45 solidi
Oh, and there's a 200 solidi fine for proven instances of cannibalistic witchcraft.
The idea is not that rich folk can get away with anything, but that everyone lives in fear of the law. Perhaps wergeld lists like these are a secular equivalent to the priests' penitentials: a ranking of heinous crimes or sins and their penalties. But the existence of a set penalty does not of itself justify or excuse the crime.
Other than the Icelandic sources (where the number of protracted vendettas and disregarded court judgements tends to deny rather than confirm the effectiveness of wergeld-law), can anyone think of a system of affordable wergelds honoured by the recipients that actually worked?
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