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"After battle-prowess and leadership, the next most important virtue of the Germanic king or lord was generosity. The spoils of war which are captured in battle by the war-band belong entirely to the ruler. In turn, it is the duty of the lord to be open handed in the extreme with these riches. As the Old Norse proverb has it: Gjöf sér æ til gjalda, "A gift always looks for a return" -- in return for service, the lord granted gifts, in return for gifts, the warrior granted service (Foote and Wilson, p. 424)."

[Note: "Germanic" here does not mean "German" - it refers to the shared culture of northernmost Europe during the Migration Age and the Viking Age. It should also be pointed out that Vikings did not only come from among the Norse and Swedes (on the Scandinavian penisula), but also the peoples of the north shore of Europe - the Danes, Frisians, Saxons, etc.)]

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13y ago

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