Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/290

 278 The Ancient Teutonic Priesthood.

each community was practically independent, but in the year 930 a constitution was adopted which embraced the whole island, a general assembly (al\ingi) being held annually at the Oxara. About 965 further changes were introduced. The country was divided into four quarters, each quarter containing three thing, except the northern quarter, which contained four. Each thing contained three godord. The number of godord was thus limited to thirty-nine, and no temples erected after this date conveyed any magis- terial rights. Every freeman had to belong to some godord, but the delimitation of the godord was not strictly geographical, and persons were free to change from one to another. The logretta, or legislative council, was composed of the thirty-nine godar, to whom nine titular godar, chosen from the east, south, and west quarters, were subsequently added, and ninety-six assessors, two of whom were nominated by each godi. The whole was presided over by the logsogumadr, ' speaker of the law,' an elected official. The right of opening the assembly, how- ever, belonged to the godi who possessed the temple of Kialarnes, within whose jurisdiction the meeting-place of the al]?ingi lay. He is consequently called allsheriar godi, lit. ' priest of the whole host.' This constitution lasted with unessential modifications down to the end of the commonwealth. It is to be observed that the godord was inherited, like any other piece of property, and could even be sold. On the introduction of Christianity the priestly functions of the godi of course disappeared, but the political powers, and curiously even the name, survived.

2. In regard to Norway the accounts are much less com- plete and satisfactory. Before the time of Haraldr Harfagri the small chiefs on the west coast seem to have been prac- tically independent. According to the legendary sagas, kingdoms arose from time to time, but for the most part they seem to have been short-lived, and in many districts the local community owed no external obedience. Since it