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Stone Circles
round Thingmounts.
160 THE SCANDINAVIANS, AND
BOOK in. Things (the origin of our Hustings), and of District
Things, and of the Fimtardom being the fifth supreme
court or Althing. At Things, assembled on
an emergency, the chieftain then present presided,
but at the permanent court a "godi," or hereditary
1
magistrate sat. The form of the court also varied
with circumstances.
On sudden emergencies an open space was fenced
by stakes round which the verbond, a sacred chord,
was tied. Sometimes the fence was a circle of stones,
the centre being reserved for those who were to be
the " Lagmenn," and who alone were permitted to
enter. But all permanent settlements appear to
have had fixed places of judicature raised on plains
like the Stein accessible by water, a facility for
attending meetings of primary importance with a
maritine people in countries where roads were yet
unformed or but few. On such plains a mound ot
earth was sometimes raised whereon the godi sat
with his " lagmen," the armed " bonders," and freemen
standing around. Not far from this mound
1 " Godi, a priest, and hence a
liege lord or chief of the Icelandic
Commonwealth. The Norse chiefs
who settled in Iceland finding the
country uninhabited solemnly took
possession of the land (Land-nam),
and iu order to found n community
they built a temple and called themselves
by the name of Godi or Hof-
'
temple-priest '; and thus
godi,
the temple became the nucleus of
the new community, which was called
1 Godard.' Hence Hof-godi, temple
priest, and Hof-dingi, chief, became
synonymous.
" Many independent Godi and
Godard sprung up all through the
country, till about A.D. 930, the
Althingi was erected, where all 1 1n-
petty sovereign chiefs (Godar)
entered into a league, and laid the
foundation of a general government
for the whole island. . . . On
tin- introduction of Christianity the
Godar lost their priestly character,
but kept the name. Icelandic-English
Dictionary, by Cleasby and
Vi^fusson ; word Gndi ; 4to, C'hirendon
Press, Oxford, 1874.