Editing Weregild (section)

==In literature==
===Medieval===
A classic example of a dispute over the weregild of a slave is contained in Iceland's ''[[Egil's Saga]]''.

In the [[Völsunga saga]] or Saga of the Volsungs, the [[Æsir]] ([[Odin]], [[Loki]] and [[Hœnir]]) are asked to pay weregild for killing [[Ótr|Otr]], son of [[Hreidmar]]. Otr is a "great fisherman"  and resembles an otter. He is 'eating a salmon and half dozing' on the river banks of Andvari's Falls when Loki kills him by throwing a stone at him. Later that evening, the Æsir visit Hreidmar's house where they are seized and imposed with a fine. Their fine consists of "filling the [Otr] skin with gold and covering the outside with red gold." Loki is sent to get the gold and he manages to trick the dwarf Andvari into giving him the gold as well as a cursed ring: "The dwarf went into the rock and said that the gold ring would be the death of whoever owned it, and the same applied to all the gold."<ref>Byock, pp. 40–46.</ref>

In the ''[[Grettis saga|Story of Grettir the Strong]]'', chapter 27, "The Suit for the Slaying of Thorgils Makson", Thorgeir conveys to court Thorgils Arison's offer of weregild as atonement for killing Thorgils Makson.<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/gre/index.htm sacred-texts.com], The Story of Grettir the Strong: translation by Eiríkr Magnússon and Willam Morris (1869)</ref>

In the [[Old English]] [[Epic poetry|epic poem]] ''[[Beowulf]]'', lines 156–158 [[Grendel]] refuses to settle his killings with payment or recompense, and at lines 456–472, [[Hroðgar]] recalls the story of how [[Ecgþeow]] (Beowulf's father) once came to him for help, for he had slain Heaðolaf, a man from another tribe called the [[Wulfings]], and either could not pay the wergild or they refused to accept it. Hroðgar had married [[Wealhþeow]], who probably belonged to the Wulfing tribe, and was able to use his [[kinship]] ties to persuade the Wulfings to accept the wergild and end the feud.  Hroðgar sees Beowulf's offer as a son's gratitude for what Hroðgar had done for Beowulf's father.

===Modern===
In the novel ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], the journal of [[Isildur]] reveals that he justified taking the [[One Ring]] as a weregild for the deaths of his father ([[Elendil]]) and brother (Anárion) in battle. This fact is mentioned by Elrond during the council in chapter II: ‘Alas! yes,’ said Elrond (…) But Isildur would not listen to our counsel. “This I will have as weregild for my father, and my brother,” he said. Appendix A of ''[[The Return of the King]]'' also mentions a rich weregild of [[gold]] sent by Túrin II, [[Stewards of Gondor|Steward]] of [[Gondor]], to King Folcwine of [[Rohan (Middle-earth)|Rohan]], after the death of his twin sons, Folcred and Fastred, in battle in [[Ithilien]].

In [[Jim Butcher]]'s [[The Dresden Files|Dresden Files]] novel ''[[Skin Game (The Dresden Files)|Skin Game]]'', [[Harry Dresden]] offers [[The Dresden Files characters#"Gentleman" Johnny Marcone|John Marcone]] a cashbox of diamonds as ''weregild'' for an employee murdered by Deirdre. Dresden says "That's for your dead employee's family. Take care of them with it. And leave my people out of it. It ends here."

In [[Rick Riordan]]'s novel ''[[The Hammer of Thor]]'', Hearthstone, an elf, must pay a wergild for his brother Andiron's death when they were children. Hearthstone, the older brother, was distracted and playing with rocks when a [[Brunnmigi]] emerged from a well and killed Andiron. Since Hearthstone was deaf, he did not notice until it was too late. Hearthstone was forced by their father to skin the large beast by himself, which was turned into a rug and placed on the floor of his room. To pay his wergild, he had to cover every single hair with gold earned from his father, generally by doing chores. Every meal and any free time, among other things, cost Hearthstone earned gold. This task was not accomplished until years later, and his father, Alderman, was reluctant to consider the debt paid, but finally conceded that Hearthstone was released from the debt.