Blood feuds were never the preferred method. The Sagas go on and on about people who were good lawyers and on how important it was to know the law (while being able to chop a head off with a single swing of your axe). Iceland's parliament is the oldest in the world in continuous operation.
Iceland's parliament, the Althing, has not been in continuous operation since its founding; it was discontinued in 1799 for 45 years. It was restored in 1844.
