ABSTRACT
Early Scandinavian society was more or less until the 1960s looked upon as an egalitarian peasant society, with free farmers, kings and chieftains (Sw bygdehövdingar). In the Icelandic sagas and the earliest provincial laws there were, of course, mentions of slaves, most commonly known as þrælar. So the existence of a slaving class was known, but not given any particular notice. Kings could have many þrælar, farmers some. This fact did not alter the view of the prehistoric society; it was still looked upon as fairly homogeneous. When the number of thralls was discussed, some scholars reckoned with large quantities in society, as many as c. 25 per cent of the population.
