Blood Feud or Wergild: The Practice of Pecuniary Compensation in Anglo-Saxon Society in Wer and Edmund’s Bloodfeud Laws

Abstract

The present study carries out a comparison of the anonymous Old English text 'Wer' and Edmund’s 'Bloodfeud Laws' to other existing Anglo-Saxon law codes. The study focusses on the concept of wergild. It also provides two new annotated translations of both texts.