page_title: Early Germanic culture
section_title: Law
hierarchical_section_title: Early Germanic culture / Law
caption_attribution_description: Christian Krohg: Illustration for Olav den helliges saga, Heimskringla 1899-edition. nn: «Torgny lagmann på Uppsalating.»
context_page_description: Early Germanic culture refers to the culture of the early Germanic peoples. Largely derived from a synthesis of Proto-Indo-European and indigenous Northern European elements, the Germanic culture developed out of the Nordic Bronze Age. It came under significant external influence during the Migration Period, particularly from ancient Rome.
  The Germanic peoples eventually overwhelmed the Western Roman Empire, which by the Middle Ages facilitated their conversion from paganism to Christianity and the abandonment of their tribal way of life. Certain traces of early Germanic culture have survived among the Germanic peoples up to the present day.
context_section_description: Common elements of Germanic society can be deduced both from Roman historiography and comparative evidence from the Early Medieval period.
caption: Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker showing the power of his office to the King of Sweden at Gamla Uppsala, 1018. The lawspeaker forced King Olof Skötkonung not only to accept peace with his enemy, King Olaf the Stout of Norway, but also to give his daughter to him in marriage. Illustration by C. Krogh.
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