Even Vikings had to pay fines

A new interpretation of an ancient inscription on a Swedish ring reveals insights into the way Vikings handled money and debt. The inscription on the Forsa Ring – or Forsaringen in Swedish – describes some of the large amounts of money that were part of the Viking economy and is the oldest known legal text in Scandinavia. The new analysis is described in a study recently published in the Scandinavian Economic History Review.

What is the Forsa ring?

The Forsa ring is a 16-inch wide iron ring that was discovered in Hälsingland, Sweden. It comes from the 9th or 10th century CEand is believed to have been the door handle of a church in Hälsingland. Oath rings such as these were common in both Viking and Anglo-Saxon circles.

[Related: Some modern-day Scandinavians lack the ancestral diversity of Vikings.]

The inscription on the ring contains almost 250 runesor letters from the alphabet used by the Vikings and other Germanic peoples. The inscription itself describes how the Vikings would have dealt with fines in a flexible and practical way.

‘The Forsaringen Inscription uksa … auk aura tua was previously interpreted as a sign that fines were to be paid with both an ox and two ears of silver,” study co-author and economic historian from Stockholm University Rodney Edvinsson. said in a statement. “This would have involved the guilty party having to pay with two different types of goods, which would have been both impractical and time-consuming.”

The new translation

In modern English, the new translation of the Forsa Ring is:

One ox and [also/or] two pieces of silver for the staff for the first restoration of a shrine in a valid state; two oxen and [also/or] four ore silver for the second time; but for the third time four oxen and eight pieces of silver.

By re-examining the translation of the word alk compared to the previous interpretation, the meaning changes so that fines could be paid with one ox or with two ears of silver. An öre was approximately 25 grams of silver.

“This indicates a much more flexible system, where both oxen and silver can be used as payment units,” Edvinsson said. “If a man had easier access to oxen than to silver, he could pay his fines with an ox. Conversely, if someone had silver but no oxen, he could pay with two öres of silver.”

This system allowed multiple payment methods to be used simultaneously, reducing the complexity of transactions and making it easier for people to pay. The new interpretation is also more in line with how the system later functioned under regional laws.

“As an economic historian, I mainly look for historical data that make economic sense, meaning that they fit into other contemporary or historical economic systems. The valuation of an ox at two öre, or 50 grams of silver, in 10th-century Sweden resembles contemporary valuations in other parts of Europe, indicating a high degree of integration and exchange between different economies,” Edvinsson said.

Viking economics

During the Viking Age a ox would cost 2 öre of silver or 50 grams of silver. This equates to approximately 100,000 Swedish krona or $9,610 today. Compared to the value of an hour’s work, the fine on the Forsa ring was quite high.

[Related: Horned helmets came from Bronze Age artists, not Vikings.]

One öre was probably the same as nine Arab dirhams, a currency that was widely spread among the Vikings. A common price for a slave or servant, known as a slave–was 12 öre of silver, or about 600,000 Swedish Krona ($57,653). By comparison, if a free man committed murder, the fine was paid to the murder victim’s family to prevent further bloodshed weregild–was much higher, about 5 kilos of silver. This will pass 10 million Swedish krona or $960,000.

The Major difference in value between a slave and a free man reflects the power dynamics in a slave society.