Lög-þing

Meaning of Old Norse word "lög-þing" (or lǫg-þing)

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

Old Norse word lög-þing can mean:lög-þing

lög-þing (lǫg-þing)

and lög-þingi, a, m., also spelt lögðing, Ó. H. 64; [Swed. lagthing; Orkneys lawting, Jamieson]:—a Norse, Swed., and Dan. law term, a general assembly or parliament, a general assembly of the community ‘lög,’ thus answering to alþingi, which word is peculiar to Icel., whereas lögþing is not used in the Grágás or the Sagas of the Icel. Commonwealth, except in a derived sense; en er Kristni var í Svíþjóð, þá hélzk þar þó lögðing ok markaðr, Ó. H. 64; í hverri þessi deild landsins er sitt lögþing, ok sín lög, 65; á hana at sækja á lögþingi því er hér er í þessu fylki, en þat er Þrándarness-þing, Fms. v.i. 133; þvíat ek hygg þat lög vera, … at mál yrði eytt á þremr lögþingum, at þaðan af skyldi aldrei verða uppreist þess máls, 142; þat skal til vegar ganga á lögþingi einhverju, Frosto-þingi, Gula-þingi, eðr Heiðsævis-þingi, 136, (opp. to the lesser fylkis-þing); var hann þá til konungs tekinn á hverju lögþingi, Fb. ii. 309; vér skolum lögþingi várt eiga á tólf mánaðum hverjum, Bótólfs messu aptan, í Gulöy á þingstað réttum, Gþl. 5.

lög-þing (lǫg-þing)

II. in Norway and Sweden, in the later Middle Age, it came to mean a law court of a district, a kind of county assizes, presided over by the lagman, see D. n. passim, and Schlyter s. v. lagh-thing.

lög-þing (lǫg-þing)

2. in Iceland at the union with Norway, the old althing was remodelled in Norse style, and even the old name althing was in law abolished and replaced by the Norse lagthing; thus in the Jb., en vér skulum lögþingi várt eiga at Öxará á þingstað réttum; whence lögþingis-bækr, f. pl. the records of the lagthing. lögþingis-maðr, m. a member of the lagthing, Gþl. 21. lögþingis-skrifari, a, m. the secretary of the lagthing, Esp. passim.

lög-þing (lǫg-þing)

III. in Iceland in the Saga time, a public meeting; Gunnarr reið til allra mannfunda ok lögþinga, Nj. 113; þann baug skyldi hverr goði hafa á hendi sér til lögþinga allra, þeirra er hann skyldi sjálfr heyja, Landn. 258, Fsyg.

Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, lög-þing may be more accurately written as lǫg-þing.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛚᚢᚴ-ᚦᛁᚾᚴ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements