mandrap (OSw) mandrap (ODan) manndrap (OGu) manndráp (ON) noun

Literally, ‘man killing’. This crime was specifically one in which the killer was known, and had admitted to the killing. The killing was also one that was not aggravated by other circumstances (cf. dulghadrap, morþ). The word appears as an alternative to drap in the laws of Denmark and Götaland, in GL and in SdmL but is absent from most of the laws of Svealand, where drap (q.v.) with different qualifying prefixes appears throughout. The contrast with the crime of morþ (‘murder’) seems to be more in the context of the admission to the killing and the lack of concealment than in the nature of the killing itself, although there are instances in the laws of Götaland in which breach of trust is an element in the classification of the crime. This being the case, the translations ‘killing’, ‘homicide’ and ‘slaying’ are probably nearer in meaning to the original than ‘manslaughter’, which carries with it the connotation of a reckless or violent act, likely to cause or intending injury, but devoid of a prime intent to kill.

case of homicide ODan ESjL 2
ODan JyL 3
case of killing ODan SkL 114
homicide ODan ESjL 2, 3
ODan JyL 2
OIce Js Mah 7
ONorw MLL Ert 25
killing ODan SkBL
ODan SkL 92
ONorw FrL Intr 1, 7 KrbA 46
OSw MESt SmbI
OSw SdmL Mb
killing of a man ODan SkL 17, 85
manslaughter OGu GL A 13
OSw ÄVgL Md, Äb
OSw ÖgL Kkb
OSw YVgL Drb, Äb Refs:

KLNM, s.v. drab; Peel 2015, 110 preamble to notes to chapter 13; Schlyter 1877, s.v. mandrap; SL GL, 254 preamble to notes to chapter 13