ANST - Insults

[John Ruble]

Gio said:
>         Now, Norse customs aren't my specialty, but I was under the
> impression
> that there was no stronger insult or charge than oath-breaking.  [Except
> perhaps
> for calling a man sannsorðinn, but someone like Gunnora or Ulf would have
> to
> confirm that for me.]
	...
> p.s.  sannsorðinn:  someone who was the passive partner in a homosexual
> act.
> [from Gunnora's Website "The Viking Answer Lady"]
> 
Yes and no.  Oathbreaking involves not just you, but all you stand for.  It
can get your kin involved.  If you murder someone, their relatives will try
to take revenge.  That revenge may fall on you, or it may fall on whoever is
highest in your family/kin group/social unit.  This same concept applies
partly to oathbreaking.  If you, Gio, break an oath, it is partly the
responsibility of your Baron or maybe your Peer to make up for it.  (But if
they have to, they'll take double from you, as guaranteed by Norse law.)

Some insults are of a more personal nature.  If untrue, the insulter owes
you money.  The Norse laws contain some very specific payments for calling
someone a four-footed animal.  On a related note, if a man betroths a women
but then refuses to go through with the wedding, he must pay a fine or be
known as a "fuðflogi" - one who flees the female sex organ.  (For you
multilingual curious out there, a woman doing the same is a "flannfluga".)

So, after rereading what I just typed, I suppose I have to agree with you.
Oathbreaking is the biggest accusation a Northman can face.  I guess I'm
differentiating between being insulted and being charged with something.

-Ulf
*** ALOHA OY-Love; greetings; farewell; from such pain as you should never
know. ***

============================================================================
Go to http://www.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.