THE THING AND THE LAWS

Before absolute kings, Vikings had assemblies: the Thing was the gathering of free men where laws were made, justice dealt and war and peace decided. Each district had its own, and once a year the greatest joined the whole country: Iceland's Althing, founded in 930 at Þingvellir, still sits today as a parliament, making it one of the world's oldest assemblies.

The Thing was also a court. There land, debt and homicide disputes were settled, with penalties ranging from fines (the wergild, "man price") to outlawry: the outlaw lost all protection and anyone could kill him unpunished. Erik the Red was outlawed from Iceland for three years and used the exile to discover Greenland. When words failed, ritual duel (holmgang) on a marked island or field decided who was right.

The Thing's power reached even religion: around 1000, Iceland's Althing voted adopting Christianity to avoid civil war between pagans and Christians. The law reciter before the assembly was the Lögsögumaðr, the "law-speaker" (see Ranks), chosen for memory and eloquence. With no written constitutions or police, the Thing kept Viking order for three centuries through public debate and social pressure.