skaðabót (ON) skaðabætr (ON) noun

Compensation paid for damages, especially in cases of willful damage (ON spellvirki) (cf. Grg Þsþ 51 and 63). Use of the term appears to have been most common in Iceland, though it does appear later in the Faroes and in MLL. According to Grg Þsþ 63 the amount was determined by a panel of five neighbours. Failure to pay this compensation was grounds for outlawry. In one instance skaðabót refers specifically to losses incurred by sailors forced to jettison cargo (Grg Feþ 166).

The significance of a skaðabót appears to have lessened in the later thirteenth century, when it refers to minor damages committed by grazing livestock (Js Lbb 13; Jó Llb 6; Seyð) and to driftwood (Jó Llb 61). In this sense it appears to resemble skaþagæld (q.v.), a term employed in Swedish (HL) and Danish (ESjL, JyL) laws.

compensation for damage OFar Seyð 5
OIce Grg Þsþ 51, 63 Feþ 166
OIce Jó Llb 6, 31
OIce Js Lbb 13 Refs:

CV s.v. skaðabætr; Fritzner s.v. skaðabót; Hertzberg s.v. skaðabót