In Old English law, the value or price of a person, often used as compensation to family members for killing or injuring someone.
From Old English 'wer' or 'were,' related to Old Norse 'verð' (price/value). This legal concept governed Germanic societies where families could be compensated monetarily instead of pursuing blood revenge.
The concept of 'wergeld' (wer + geld) shows that medieval societies had figured out something modern legal systems are still learning—that money compensation prevents endless revenge cycles and actually reduces violence.
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