Learnings: Kin and Household

The Hillersjö Stone, Sweden / 11th cent.

Family members shared more than blood; they were bound together by a spirit called the hamingja. The hamingja was responsible for the prosperity and luck of the family.

Family mattered more than on a spiritual level; it also defined a person in the eyes of the law. Rules about landholding, inheritance, and more were all centered around the family rather than the individual. A person who did not know their lineage or ancestry was not legally recognized.

It was common practice to honour one's kin, whether living or dead, by engraving their stories and deeds on runestones like this one.