Re: Heortling Marriage, Courtship, Bridewealth

From: Ian Cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2001 15:55:31 -0000

Well I was assuming that you draw on your clan/bloodlines wealth to pay, and that your Wealth rating represented yuor ability to draw on the clan's wealth to find the required resources. Reductions in your wealth represent the clan's hostility to your draining your wealth i.e. the more killings you are involved in the more your wealth drops until outlawry becomes the way of dealing with the issue.

This goes back to the old weregild is a deterrent vs. weregild is a means of compensation argument. Historically AFAIK compensation payments were negotiated from absolute payments; the important fact is that when compensation comes into question there is a desire to settle instead of taking blood vengeance.

Ian

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