What was life like for a viking thrall?

(«Erling sette dagsverk for trælane sine.» Erik Werenskiold). There is some information about that in the Icelandic sagas, which were written some 200–300 years after the time they describe. As such, they are not fully reliable but might contain at least a kernel of truth. read more

If Vikings indeed raided each others, and other peoples and sold people into slavery, within Norse lands, slaves were generally attached to a farm and/ or family and essentially became indentured workers. read more

As Viking fleets expanded, so did the need for wool to produce the sails necessary to power the ships. This also may have driven the need for slaves. “There was a significant shift in agriculture,” said Price. The pressing need for wool production likely led to a plantation-like economy, a topic now being studied by researchers. read more