FORSETI.
[Sidenote: 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. No sooner had his presence been made known in Asgard than 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 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 a sentence which
was so very equitable that none ever found fault with his decrees.
Such were this god’s eloquence and his 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 immediately fall down
dead.
“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, 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.
[Sidenote: The story of Heligoland.]
On one occasion the Frisians selected twelve of their wisest men, the
Asegeir, or elders, and bade them collect all the laws of the various
families and tribes composing their nation, to compile from them a code
which should enable them to have uniform laws throughout all the land,
and to render justice more easily. 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 hold their deliberations in peace. But no sooner had they pushed
away from shore than a tempest arose, driving their vessel far out to
sea and whirling it around, until they entirely lost their bearings. In
their distress the twelve jurists called upon Forseti, begging him to
help them reach land once more, and this 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 around,
steered it towards the place where the waves dashed highest, and in
an incredibly short space of time brought them to an island, where
he motioned to them to disembark. In awe-struck silence the twelve
men obeyed; but their surprise was further excited when they saw the
stranger fling his battle ax at a distance, and a limpid spring gush
forth from the spot on the greensward where it had struck. Imitating
the stranger, all drank of this water without saying a word; then they
sat down in a circle, marveling because the newcomer resembled each one
of them in some particular, but was still very different from them all.
Suddenly the silence was broken, and the stranger began to speak in low
tones, which grew firmer and louder, as he clearly expounded a code
of laws which combined all the good points of the various existing
regulations. This speech being finished, he vanished as suddenly and
mysteriously as he had appeared, and the twelve jurists, recovering the
power of speech, simultaneously exclaimed that Forseti himself had been
among them, and had drawn up the code of laws by which the Frisians
would henceforth be ruled. In commemoration of the god’s appearance
they declared that the island upon which they stood was holy, and laid
a solemn curse upon any who might dare to desecrate it by quarrel or
bloodshed. 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 shameful death in punishment for this 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 there. The waters of his spring were, moreover,
considered so holy that all who drank of them were pronounced sacred,
and even the cattle who had tasted of them could not be slain. As
Forseti was said to hold his assizes in spring, summer, and autumn,
but never in winter, it soon 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 has
no share whatever in the closing battle in which all the other gods
play such prominent parts.