banda (OGu) noun

The literal meaning seems to be one of an enclosure (see vebönd). In GL, however, it was a defined area of protection (griþ, q.v.): the ‘circle of peace’ or ‘security circle’ that a killer could draw to shield himself from revenge. The killer had to go and stay in the rectory or churchyard of one of the three asylum churches (at Fardhem, Tingstäde or Atlingbo) for forty days, together with his closest male relatives (father, son and brother). These would presumably have also been under suspicion. They would have been protected from attack by the imposition of a wergild (vereldi) (see værgæld) of forty marks in coin (ten marks of silver), just under half a full wergild. The killer was then to draw up a circle in which he was immune from revenge attacks, encompassing three farms, with the permission of the owners, and a church. This temporary circle (vatubanda, q.v.) was converted to a permanent one during the general period of peace and security next after Easter. During the following year, others were to negotiate compensation with the wronged family, making the offer annually over three years. If not accepted, the offer was placed with the assembly and the accused was free to go, with full wergild now payable for his life. If no offer was made, or the killer left his circle (other than to go on pilgrimage), he was outlawed, unless he paid full wergild (twenty-four marks in silver) and an extra twelve marks in silver. A Gotlander killed in his circle was compensated with half a wergild (twelve marks in silver). The exact provisions in GL seem to be unique in Scandinavian laws, but the later town law of Visby shows similarities in respect of asylum, which may be the result either of direct influence or of a common concept and there are similar provisions in Grg, in particular for outlaws attempting to leave the country. Despite being outlaws, they had asylum at certain homesteads, roads and docks. On roads it is prescribed that, when passing other parties, they are to move off the road ‘to such a distance that they could not be hit by the point of a spear’. A parallel, although not necessarily a precursor, is to be found in the Mosaic laws as exhibited in the Pentateuch (Exodus 21 v. 13; Num. 35 vv. 6−8, 11−15; Deut. 4 vv. 41−43, 19 vv. 2−4) and it was thus a very old concept, which seems to have been retained as a relic in GL. For example, the Oklunda inscription in Östergötland, dated to the ninth or tenth century, indicates that a particular killer sought refuge in a holy place (vi, q.v.) prior to making a settlement over the killing. In ÖgL there is a reference to a killer being protected from attack by the killer’s relatives in a churchyard and as early as ÄVgL killing in a church is recorded as a despicable crime, so the protection offered by holy places seems to have been a continuum.

The bandavereldi (q.v.) was the particular man price payable for killing someone within their circle of peace.

peace circle OGu GL A 9, 13, 14 Refs:

Hasselberg 1953, 277; KLNM s.v. drab; Olsen 1966, 64−65; Peel 2015, 111−13 notes to 13/7−13/23−24; Ruthström 1988, 64−75; Schlyter 1877, s.v. banda; SL GL, 254−58; Wennström 1946, 188