I am just wondering how much freedom did ancient Germanic Heathens really have or enjoyed? I hear Heathens here at Skadi and other places say how free the ancient Germanic Heathens were before Christianity rose up. I don't dispute there has been a lot of oppression and lack of freedom found in Christian ruled governments or societies through out different periods, there is historical records of this. But I want the focus of this thread to be about the degree of freedom Heathens actually had in their societies before Christianity took over.
The level of personal freedom Germanic Heathens had most likely varied from tribe to tribe and in different time periods. How common was slavery practiced among Germanic peoples? When different ancient Germanic peoples fought each other, were any on the losing side made into slaves? In the caste system of Thralls, Karls and Jarls, was there upward mobility or did they have to stay in their caste position their entire life? How common was forced or arranged marriage or even polygamy for that matter? Was human sacrifice used under any circumstance? If a chieftain or great leader died could their servants refuse to be killed and buried with their former masters if such a custom was practiced among a particular people or tribe? What crimes besides murder was the death penalty used for?
I am not trying to start trouble or anything like that, I am have a very sincere interest in knowing more about this topic. I know the questions I asked above can be researched on the net and I have already researched some of them. I wanted Heathens and others on this board to give their opinions and share what they know on this topic.
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