@NorwaySwedenDenmark actually there was a written language during the "viking era" (I use the term losely as the vikings were not a people but an occupation, viking translates as "sea raider") and there are many surviving reccords of written proto-norse and old norse (the language used during the viking era) which constisted of the runic alphabet (most commonly associated with divination and neo-paganism these days) written fragments of pro-norse date back as far as the 5th century while old norse writings date to the 8th century it wasn't until the 11th century that old norse runic was translated into the latin alphabet and even then the two alphabets co-exsisted for a long time.
we actually have a large collection of letters, official documents and gramical treatises in old norse runic
the earlist inscriptions in the norse language (actually proto-germanic) date back as far as 150AD
the whole idea that the early norse people (and other "barbarian tribes") could not write were due to roman propaganda so they could claim to be more enlightened because they did not speak or write their language (it's like how people today make fun of people who do not speak their language because it sounds like nonsense to them)
ironically enough the runic futhark script derived from the eldar futhark of the germanic people which itself can be traced back to the italic scrips such as etruscan (italian).
as for the law itself. try looking up Leaf F91r of manuscript SKB B74 which details crimes of passion. (writting in old norse using the latin script) and prior to that there are records of door knockers of public buildings being inscribed with runes which list crimes and their fines, such as the Forsaringen (from the door of a church) which is dated to the 800-900AD (the height of the viking era)
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@NorwaySwedenDenmark actually there was a written language during the "viking era" (I use the term losely as the vikings were not a people but an occupation, viking translates as "sea raider") and there are many surviving reccords of written proto-norse and old norse (the language used during the viking era) which constisted of the runic alphabet (most commonly associated with divination and neo-paganism these days) written fragments of pro-norse date back as far as the 5th century while old norse writings date to the 8th century it wasn't until the 11th century that old norse runic was translated into the latin alphabet and even then the two alphabets co-exsisted for a long time.
we actually have a large collection of letters, official documents and gramical treatises in old norse runic
the earlist inscriptions in the norse language (actually proto-germanic) date back as far as 150AD
the whole idea that the early norse people (and other "barbarian tribes") could not write were due to roman propaganda so they could claim to be more enlightened because they did not speak or write their language (it's like how people today make fun of people who do not speak their language because it sounds like nonsense to them)
ironically enough the runic futhark script derived from the eldar futhark of the germanic people which itself can be traced back to the italic scrips such as etruscan (italian).
as for the law itself. try looking up Leaf F91r of manuscript SKB B74 which details crimes of passion. (writting in old norse using the latin script) and prior to that there are records of door knockers of public buildings being inscribed with runes which list crimes and their fines, such as the Forsaringen (from the door of a church) which is dated to the 800-900AD (the height of the viking era)