Rape in Viking culture- how was it punished, if at all?

by TheFairyGuineaPig

Not against captives, or thralls. If a married woman of a jarl was raped by, let's say, a family friend, of a similar standing to the woman/her husband, what could be expected to happen, if anything?

EyeStache

In Iceland, the Grágás laws did include punishment for rape of full exile from Iceland (as opposed to the 7-year partial exile) for the offender. It applied to anyone who was accused and found guilty of rape. In 1281, when the Jónsbók laws came into effect, the punishment changed; the offender would be executed if found guilty; in lieu of exile, the guilty party could pay a substantial fee to the Church (I don't have a copy of Jónsbók, so I can't tell you exactly what it was, unfortunately) and be branded with a hot iron to demonstrate his guilt.

You might want to take a look at Wayward Icelanders: Punishment, Boundary Maintenance, and the Creation of Crime by Helgi Gunnlaugsson and John F. Galliher for more information on that, too.