Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
22
RemigiuszGogosz
TheGrágáspassageaboutthevalueoflivestockgivesimportantinfor-
mationaboutthevalueofafightinghorse.Accordingtothelawthishorse
hasmorevaluethantheaverageonebecauseofitsfunction(herearisesthe
comparisontofightingcocksanddogswhichhavevaluethatisincomparable
with“normal”animalsofthiskind):“Astud-stallionwhichisworthmorefor
itsqualitiesasafighter,andageldingwhichisworthmoreforitsqualitiesas
amount,andabroodmarewithfoal:theirvalueissubjecttoassessment”
21
.
Jónsbókgivesusstrictrulesofwhatisforbiddenduringhorse-fighting.
Firstly,nooneisallowedtoinitiateahorse-fightwithoutpermissionofthe
owner
22
.Untilthislawwaswrittenitcouldhavebeencommonforpeopleto
initiatehorse-fightswithoutpermission,probablywithweakerhorsesinstigat-
edbytheonewhodesiredthehorse-fight.Becauseofthispossibility,theinsti-
gatorofafightwhocausesdamagemustpayacompensation.Unfortunately,
thereisnodatatoprovethatpeopleincitedhorse-fightswithoutpermission.
Theinformationthatwedohavetellsusthatwhenthedamageswereequal
toormorethanahalfmark,thecasecametolegaljudgmentafterwhichthe
responsiblepartywastopayfullcompensation.Thepointisthatthisstrictlaw
wasmostlikelywrittenaccordingtothevalueofahorseandespeciallythatof
afightingorstudhorse.Ahorsewhichhadbeeninjuredwouldsurelyloseits
value.Inreferencetothelawsofhorse-fights,WilliamI.Millersays:“Lawbe-
longedtoallfreemen,notabstractly,butasapartofthegreatsocialoccasions
thatweretheannualThingmeetings.Legalproceedings,likehorse-fights,
werespectatorsports.Thefansofbothhadsufficientknowledgeofthegame
tounderstandandenjoythecontest.AndinIceland,therulesestablishingthe
boundarybetweentheworldofthegameandtheworldoutsidethegamewere
ofteninsufficienttocontaintheanimositiesthegameengendered.Butthen
theplayersknewthattheboundarywasporous.Theirdecisiontoplaywas
informedwithaknowledgeoftherangeofpossibleconsequencesofplaying.
Thedifferencebetweenlawandhorse-fightingwaspresumablythatthelatter,
asasport,wasliterallyagame,andassuchraisedgreaterexpectationsabout
itsseparatenessfromlifeafterthegame.Noone,however,expectedlawto
besuchorthatitshouldhavebeensoneatlydemarcatedfromlife”
23
.Miller’s
argumentissoundbutitdoesnotallowtosaythathorse-fightswerepartofthe
legalproceedings.Thereisonlyoneexampleofthiswhensomeoneputforth
acaseatthehestaat.Otherwisethereisnothinglikethisinthesources.
21
Grdgds.Lagsafnislenskaljóóveldisins.Eds.G.Karlsson,K.Sveinsson,M.Arna-
son.Reykjavik1992,pp.4771478:“Stóóhestur,ogséveróibetrifyrirsakirvigs,oggeldur
hestur,ogséveróibetrifyrirreióarsakir,ogfylmeristóói,laóermetfé”.
22
Jónsbók.TheLawsofLaterIceland.Ed.J.K.Schulman.Saarbrücken2010,p.228.
23
W.I.Miller:Bloodtakingandpeacemaking.Feud,lawandsocietyinSagaIceland.
Chicago1990,p.257.
