fostre (OSw) fóstri (ON) noun

In ON, a foster-father or -son, while in OSw it is traditionally presumed to refer to a male slave (born and) raised within a household. The seemingly contradictory usages may reflect an earlier continuum of incorporation in the household, as the social complexity of the institution in ON is known from the sagas, and a fostre in OSw laws enjoyed a relatively high status with certain legal rights and responsibilities.


foster-father OIce Grg Ómb 141
ONorw FrL ArbB 17
foster-son ONorw FrL ArbB 17
home born slave OSw ÄVgL Äb
home-born thrall OSw ÖgL Db, Vm Gb Jb Bb
home-bred slave OSw VmL Mb Refs:

Brink 2012, 149−50; KLNM s.v.v. fostre, fostring

Citation
  • ‘fostre’. A Lexicon of Medieval Nordic Law.

    • http://www.dhi.ac.uk/lmnl/nordicheadword/displayPage/1431
    (07/27/2024)