A thrall was a slave [1] or serf in Scandinavian lands during the Viking Age. The status of slave (þræll, þēow) contrasts with that of the freeman (karl, ceorl) and the nobleman (jarl, eorl).

Slaves or thralls were amongst the most important commodities traded by the Vikings. They acquired slaves primarily on their expeditions to Eastern Europe and the British Isles. They could also obtain Viking slaves at home, as crimes like murder and thievery were punished with slavery.

Aug 25, 2020 · Some thralls were born into slavery because both of their parents were enslaved, or a freeborn man who had impregnated their enslaved mother declined to acknowledge the child. Others were taken...

Jul 18, 2016 · The Vikings in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland had slaves, or thralls. These thralls probably held multiple roles, serving their masters in many ways in Viking society a thousand years ago.

Discover what life was like for Viking thralls (slaves) in Norse society, exploring their daily struggles, roles, and place in Viking culture.

Thralls, according to Viking belief, were the first class of mankind created by the god Ríg (another name for Heimdall) as recorded in the 10th century Rígsþula (The Lay of Ríg). In general, among the Viking Scandinavians there were three broad social classes, and the god in his role as Ríg was believed to have created them all.

Feb 1, 2017 · Even though there are three distinct classes, as with any complex society there were subclasses within them, and things also varied country to country. At the bottom of the classes was the thrall, also known as þræll in Old Norse. These were the bondsmen and the slaves captured during raids.

Dec 15, 2024 · Every fourth inhabitant of Norway was a slave, or thrall, in the Viking Age, according to Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, a professor at the University of Oslo. These were women and men who had been captured by Vikings during raids all over Europe.

The expression “to be held in thrall,” meaning to be under someone’s power, traces back to the Old Norse term for a slave: thrall. Slavery in the region long predates the Vikings.

In the Viking era, slaves, often referred to as “thralls,” were usually prisoners of war, people in debt, or the descendants of slaves. The Vikings captured slaves during their notorious raids across Europe, the British Isles, and even as far as North Africa and the Middle East.