The God of Justice and Truth
Son of Balder, god of light, and of Nanna, goddess of immaculate
purity, Forseti was the wisest, most eloquent, and most gentle of all
the gods. When his presence in Asgard became known, the gods awarded
him a seat in the council hall, decreed that he should be patron of
justice and righteousness, and gave him as abode the radiant palace
Glitnir. This dwelling had a silver roof, supported on pillars of gold,
and it shone so brightly that it could be seen from a great distance.
"Glitner is the tenth;
It is on gold sustained,
And also with silver decked.
There Forseti dwells
Throughout all time,
And every strife allays."
Sæmund's Edda (Thorpe's tr.).
Here, upon an exalted throne, Forseti, the lawgiver, sat day after
day, settling the differences of gods and men, patiently listening
to both sides of every question, and finally pronouncing sentences
so equitable that none ever found fault with his decrees. Such were
this god's eloquence and power of persuasion that he always succeeded
in touching his hearers' hearts, and never failed to reconcile even
the most bitter foes. All who left his presence were thereafter sure
to live in peace, for none dared break a vow once made to him, lest
they should incur his just anger and be smitten immediately unto death.
"Forsete, Balder's high-born son,
Hath heard mine oath;
Strike dead, Forset', if e'er I'm won
To break my troth."
Viking Tales of the North (R. B. Anderson).
As god of justice and eternal law, Forseti was supposed to preside
over every judicial assembly; he was invariably appealed to by all
who were about to undergo a trial, and it was said that he rarely
failed to help the deserving.
The Story of Heligoland
In order to facilitate the administration of justice throughout their
land it is related that the Frisians commissioned twelve of their
wisest men, the Asegeir, or elders, to collect the laws of the various
families and tribes composing their nation, and to compile from them
a code which should be the basis of uniform laws. The elders, having
painstakingly finished their task of collecting this miscellaneous
information, embarked upon a small vessel, to seek some secluded spot
where they might conduct their deliberations in peace. But no sooner
had they pushed away from shore than a tempest arose, which drove
their vessel far out to sea, first on this course and then on that,
until they entirely lost their bearings. In their distress the twelve
jurists called upon Forseti, begging him to help them to reach land
once again, and the prayer was scarcely ended when they perceived, to
their utter surprise, that the vessel contained a thirteenth passenger.
Seizing the rudder, the newcomer silently brought the vessel round,
steering it towards the place where the waves dashed highest, and in
an incredibly short space of time they came to an island, where the
steersman motioned them to disembark. In awestruck silence the twelve
men obeyed; and their surprise was further excited when they saw the
stranger fling his battle-axe, and a limpid spring gush forth from
the spot on the greensward where it fell. Imitating the stranger, all
drank of this water without a word; then they sat down in a circle,
marvelling because the newcomer resembled each one of them in some
particular, but yet was very different from any one of them in general
aspect and mien.
Suddenly the silence was broken, and the stranger began to speak in
low tones, which grew firmer and louder as he proceeded to expound
a code of laws which combined all the good points of the various
existing regulations which the Asegeir had collected. His speech
being finished, the speaker vanished as suddenly and mysteriously as
he had appeared, and the twelve jurists, recovering power of speech,
simultaneously exclaimed that Forseti himself had been among them, and
had delivered the code of laws by which the Frisians should henceforth
be judged. In commemoration of the god's appearance they declared the
island upon which they stood to be holy, and they pronounced a solemn
curse upon any who might dare to desecrate its sanctity by quarrel
or bloodshed. Accordingly this island, known as Forseti's land or
Heligoland (holy land), was greatly respected by all the Northern
nations, and even the boldest vikings refrained from raiding its
shores, lest they should suffer shipwreck or meet a shameful death
in punishment for their crime.
Solemn judicial assemblies were frequently held upon this sacred isle,
the jurists always drawing water and drinking it in silence, in memory
of Forseti's visit. The waters of his spring were, moreover, considered
to be so holy that all who drank of them were held to be sacred, and
even the cattle who had tasted of them might not be slain. As Forseti
was said to hold his assizes in spring, summer, and autumn, but never
in winter, it became customary, in all the Northern countries, to
dispense justice in those seasons, the people declaring that it was
only when the light shone clearly in the heavens that right could
become apparent to all, and that it would be utterly impossible to
render an equitable verdict during the dark winter season. Forseti
is seldom mentioned except in connection with Balder. He apparently
had no share in the closing battle in which all the other gods played
such prominent parts.