THE SESSION OF THE THING
AFTER the departure of the messengers of the Hersir of Svithjod, as was
usual at that time of the year, a great Thing, or assembly of the
people, took place. As the date drew near, Ivar sent the Thing arrow to
all the Thingmen over the island, to call them to the Thing place to
punish those who had violated the laws, and to settle other matters and
controversies.
Accordingly the Thingmen journeyed to Dampstadir, either on horseback or
in ships, each Hauld or Bondi taking with him a large retinue of
followers, according to his wealth and rank. The person of every
Thingman was holy. If any one attempted to disturb them on their way to
or from the Thing, he was declared an outlaw.
The multitude came without their weapons, for on the Thing plain perfect
peace must reign, and any one breaking it by insults or otherwise was
accounted without the pale of the law. It was the same as if he had
violated the temple peace. He was regarded as a wolf in the sanctuary,
an outlaw, or “nithing,” in all holy or inhabited places, until he had
made reparation for his crime.
The Thing plain where the people met was not far from the temple, and
was so holy that it could not be sullied by bloodshed arising from
blood-feud or any impurity. The Thing, from the time it was opened until
it was dissolved, was under the protection of the gods.
In the centre of the Thing plain was the court, a large circle which was
surrounded by hazel poles supporting ropes. These ropes were called
“vebonds,” or sacred bands. Inside the circle sat those who were to
judge the case brought before the Thing. No judge when once within these
holy precincts was allowed to leave, neither could an outsider enter
them.
Before the opening of the Thing, according to ancient custom, Ivar
sacrificed a large bull in the temple, in the presence of the people,
and filled the sacred bowl that stood on the altar with its blood.
Afterwards he took the oath ring which stood upon the altar, and over
which men were to take their oaths, and dipped and reddened it with the
consecrated blood, and then put it on his arm; and then he, with the
Hersirs and Thingmen, made their way to the Thing plain, and took their
places in the court, which stood upon an eminence, from which all who
were assembled could see them and all that took place within the sacred
precincts.
Ivar then made known the boundaries of the Thing, reciting in a loud
voice the following formulary: “With laws shall our land be built, and
not be laid waste by lawlessness; but he who will not allow others the
benefit of the laws shall not enjoy them himself.”
A murmur of assent greeted the last words of the sentence, for the
Norsemen were, above all, a law-abiding people. And as obligatory, he
recited the declaration of peace by first saying, “I establish peace
among all men here.”
Then every Thingman that was to judge, or any man who had to perform
legal duties, took an oath upon the ring, and said: “I call those
present to witness that I take oath on the ring, according to law, to
defend or prosecute this case; and give the evidence, verdict, or
judgment which I know to be the most true and right and lawful; so help
me Frey, Njord, and Odin.”
The first case brought before the Thing was that of a Hauld who had
wounded a man in a fit of anger.
“Thou knowest well,” said Ivar, “that the higher a man is in station,
the greater is the indemnity to be paid by him for breaking the law; he
who is of high birth ought to set the example. The judgment of the court
is, that thou shalt pay for the wound thou hast inflicted six rings of
gold, each ring weighing twelve aurar, which is six times the amount a
freeman should pay for the same offence, or half more than a Bondi.”
A man was next brought up for stealing while on a trading voyage. This
class of thieves were called “gauntlet-thieves.” All the crew of the
vessel was present. “Thou knowest the law,” said Ivar. “It is, that thy
head shall be shaved and tarred, and eider-down or feathers put upon it.
Then the crew shall make a road for thee and stand on both sides, and
thou shalt run to the woods if thou canst. Every one shall throw a stick
or a stone after thee, and whoever does not throw shall pay a fine of
nine ortugar.”
The thief was tarred and feathered; a road was made for him between the
sailors; he ran as fast as he could, but he had hardly reached the end
of the road that had been made for him when he fell exhausted, badly
wounded.
A Bondi came before the court, and declared that he had killed two
robbers who tried to defend themselves. “Well hast thou done, for these
men were unholy, and thou hast no indemnity to pay for their lives,” was
the verdict.
Then a man was brought up who had committed burglary and had been caught
with arms upon him. “Thou knowest the laws,” said Ivar again; “thou art
an outlaw and shalt die. Men like thyself the land does not want.”
A case was next brought up in which a man was supposed to have committed
murder. One of the champions of Hjorvard, named Asgrim, had been slain,
and the people who were there were unable to tell who was the slayer;
but it was suspected that a man by the name of Asmund had done the deed,
though he denied the accusation vehemently. It had been decided at a
preceding Thing, by the kinsmen of Asgrim, that Asmund should take an
oath at the following autumn Thing, which was the one now taking place.
Then Ivar took from his arm the oath ring, and, in presence of the
Thingmen and of the multitude, Asmund named two witnesses, as was
required by law, saying: “I choose Thorvald and Olaf as witness that I
take an oath upon the temple ring that I did not redden point and edge
of any sword where Asgrim was slain. I know this oath to be most true,
so help me Odin, Frey, and Njord.”
A man was brought up that had been caught stealing food; he proved that
he had stolen to sustain life, and that he had gone to several
households to try to get work, but could not get it. Witnesses came
forward to testify that he had come to their houses in search of work,
but they had none to give him. “Go thy way,” said Ivar; “for though the
law is that no man shall steal from another, nevertheless it also
declares that the man who gets no work to live by, and steals food to
save his life, shall not be punished.”
One man was brought before the Thing who had been caught stealing for
the third time. “Thou art irredeemable,” said Ivar. “Thieving is born in
thee, and the law of the land is that a man caught three times stealing
must be hanged; for thou art a born thief, and must pay the penalty of
the law; for the land cannot be burdened with men like thee.”
On the fourth day a very important case regarding an inheritance came
before the court. There was a bitter feeling between the parties. Angry
words followed each other; the litigants in the heat of passion lost
their heads, and, to the utter astonishment of every one, had weapons
hidden under their cloaks, and suddenly the Thing ground was covered
with blood. A great uproar arose; the multitude was horror-stricken;
such a thing had never happened before at Dampstadir. The men who had
committed this great offence were outlawed, and had to flee for their
lives.
Ivar declared that the plain was desecrated by the blood of hate, and
consequently no holier than any other ground, and that no Thing could
ever take place there again.
Then Ivar with the Thingmen chose another Thing field, after which they
made preparations to sail for Upsalir.
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