Weregild (alternative spellings: wergild, wergeld, weregeld, etc.) in early Germanic law was a reparational payment usually demanded of a person guilty of homicide or other wrongful death. The payment of weregild was an important legal mechanism in early Germanic society; the other common form of legal reparation at this time was blood revenge. The payment was typically made to the family or to the clan. No distinction was made between murder and manslaughter until these distinctions were insti… (More on Weregild)