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Thrall
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For other uses, see Thrall (disambiguation).
A thrall (Þræll; ÞÃÂr, f.) was a variety of slave in Scandinavian culture during the Viking Age. Unlike many of the forms of slavery throughout human history, the state of being a thrall could be entered into voluntarily, as well as involuntarily. Slavery was one of the primary sources of income for the Vikings. Thralls were first described by the Roman historian Tacitus, who wrote in AD 98 that the Swedes (Suiones) had no right to carry arms, but that the weapons were locked inside and protected by a slave only to be distributed when they were attacked by enemies.
The system of slavery was supported by Norse mythology, which claimed that the thralls had a separate ancestry through RÃÂg.
A person could become a thrall by giving himself up because of starvation, being captured and sold, or being born into a thrall family. The first was considered to be the most shameful way of entering slavery and was the first method of acquiring slaves to be forbidden. The most common way of acquiring thralls remained the capture of prisoners in foreign countries or the buying of such captured foreigners. As in the Roman practice of slavery, Nordic thralls could be of any ethnic origin. Furthermore, a thrall had social status but to a lesser degree than other castes in the society, regarded more like a domestic worker.
The thralls were kept as livestock and their master had the power of their life and death. A thrall might be a human sacrifice in the funeral of a Viking chief. A child born by a thrall woman (a thir) was a thrall by birth, whereas a child born by a free woman was a free person even if the father was a thrall
When Christianity arrived in Northern Europe, there was increasing demand for non-Christian slaves, and the Scandinavians had a de facto monopoly on trading them because of geographic access to large non-Christian populations.
Thrall
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king paris
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:41 pm
I first heard the word Thrall as a kid (somewhere in the '70s) watching the Star Trek episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion" (Link to the episode on Memory Alpha). Kirk and Co. were down on this planet, see, and held against their will. No, really! And these brain-type-beings had some other dudes captive, too, and made them all fight for the brain-beings' gambling pleasure. The prisoners were called Thrall.
Photo from the Memory Alpha site.
Baak, a fellow Star Trek fan (and OoH order mate), made a map in that episode's honor, callled Triskelion (that's a download link to the map).
Kirk later got it on with the babe, of course. We don't see anything, but we know Kirk's a dirty dog.
Photo from the Memory Alpha site.
Baak, a fellow Star Trek fan (and OoH order mate), made a map in that episode's honor, callled Triskelion (that's a download link to the map).
Kirk later got it on with the babe, of course. We don't see anything, but we know Kirk's a dirty dog.
Legend of FrumiusSaw that episode during my formative years. I wonder if that explains the feeling I get whenever I see tinfoil?
ps. I didn't know any Duran Duran members made guest appearances in the original Star Trek.
http://newromanticsmalta.bravehost.com/ ... tripes.jpg
ps. I didn't know any Duran Duran members made guest appearances in the original Star Trek.
http://newromanticsmalta.bravehost.com/ ... tripes.jpg
A classic episode indeed. Funny how Kirk isn't supposed to step off of his color in that Triskelion (the symbol you see on the ground), but does so about a dozen times (guess the referees were too busy looking at Kirk's Drill Thrall 
).
LOL VR!! I knew that guy looked familiar somehow when I saw him again!
I also didn't realize Shanah's hair was actually done by the same people who made Troll Dolls.
Thanks for the plug on the plug, Frum! Unfortunately, the links straight off the OoH site for downloads eventually expire, so folks should download it from Triskelion on The Tain instead.
).LOL VR!! I knew that guy looked familiar somehow when I saw him again!
I also didn't realize Shanah's hair was actually done by the same people who made Troll Dolls.
Thanks for the plug on the plug, Frum! Unfortunately, the links straight off the OoH site for downloads eventually expire, so folks should download it from Triskelion on The Tain instead.
