Introduction

        HARALD FAIRHAIR

        The sixty years that mark the period of the Settlement of Iceland are in a great measure contemporaneous with the reign of Harald Fairhair. That reign which marks in its record the commencement of authentic history in Norway, seems throughout to have been employed to crush and subdue the Norwegian chieftains, over whom Harald held the nominal rule, and it was because they would not be crushed and because they would not be subdued that so many of them, as related in the following pages, set out with their families and all their belongings for Iceland, to seek that position of self rule and freedom which was so sternly denied them at home.
        Carlyle in his early Kings of Norway, gives a forcible sketch of this state of things. "Till about the year of grace 860," he says, "there were no kings in Norway, nothing but numerous jarls, essentially kinglets, each presiding over a kind of republic or parliamentary little territory, fylke things or folk things, little parish parliaments reproduced by them in the quarter things, founded by those chieftains when they migrated to Iceland and forming when united, that assembly, which as a whole, makes up the Althing or representative and legislative assembly of the whole land."
        Harald Fairhair was the first to put an end to this state of things, by reducing it under one head and making a kingdom of it, which it has continued to be ever since. His father, Halfdan the Black, had already commenced this process, hard fighting followed by wise guidance of the conquered, but it was Harald Fairhair, his son, who carried it out and completed it. Harald's birth year, death year, and chronology in general are known only by inference, but by the latest reckoning his birth is put down at 850, he began, under tutelage doubtless, his reign in 860, and died about the year 933 of our era, a man of 83.
        The business of conquest lasted Harald about 12 years in which he subdued also the Vikings of the out-islands, Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides, and Man. His reign is counted altogether to have been over 70 years. These were the times of Norse colonisation, proud Norsemen flying into other lands, to freer scenes, to Iceland, more especially to the Faroe Islands, to the Orkney and the Shetland Islands, the Hebrides, and other countries where Norse squatters and Norse settlers already were.
        Settlement of Iceland, settlement of the Faroe Islands, and settlement of Normandy by Rolf the Ganger, (12) according to the Saxon Chronicle 876. Anent this season of subduing and driving out the recalcitrant Norwegian jarls to Iceland and elsewhere by Harald, the following relation is made in the Heimskringla or History of the Kings of Norway, concerning his ten or twelve years of conquest and the epithet by which he was afterwards known. King Harald sent his messengers to a certain maiden called Gyda, the daughter of King Eric of Hordaland, to ask her in marriage. She replied to his messengers as follows: "Give this my word to King Harald, that only so will I engage to being his sole and lawful wife if he will first do so much for my sake, as to lay under him all Norway, and rule that realm as freely as King Eric rules the Swede realm, or King Gorm, Denmark, for only such an one may be called aright a King of the People." Harald replied as follows: "This oath I make, first and swear before the God who made me and rules over all things, that never more will I cut my hair or comb it, till I have gotten to me all Norway and the tithe thereof, and dues, and will rule thereover or else I will die rather." Then follows the fierce fighting, crushing, and expatriation of the Norwegian chieftains for 10 or 12 years, at the end of which time we are told King Harald had got to him all the land. So King Harald had his hair combed and Earl Rognvald sheared it --- for histherto it had been uncombed and unshorn for ten winters. Aforetime he had been called Shockhead, but now Earl Rognvald gave him a by-name, and called him Harald Fairhair, a name which he has ever since received.

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        THINGS, THE QUARTER THINGS, AND THE ALTHING.

        In Iceland the term Thing has a twofold meaning.
        1st. An assembly or meeting; a general term for any public meeting, especially for the purpose of legislation, also the place where such assembly was held.
        2nd. A district; county; shire; a thing community; a political division of a county.
        A careful comparison of the notices upon the subject in the Book of the Settlement will give the best idea of what is meant by the Icelandic Thing, Part II, 12, page 48, will show how Thorolf, a distinguished chieftain from Norway, formed the first Icelandic Quarter or District Thing.
        It was the legislative district assembly; the doom or law court and the temple parish; the godi or chieftain himself being the priest. An account of the godi will be found I, 20, page 26. It was formed apparently upon the methods of the Folk Things or parish Parliaments they had had in Norway. A reference to the map will show that they were thirteen such Quarter Things or spring Thing in the whole island, each having three godi or temple priests. The other twelve Quarter Things or spring Things were formed doubtless by the chieftains as they landed and by omen, fire or battle, took possession of their respective districts, and they were doubtless upon very much the same lines as Thorolf is recorded to have formed Thorsness Thing. An account of the division of the land into quarters and also the form of oath taken at the Thing will be found at IV, 7, page 177. In the year 930 Ulfljot united all those district Things and formed of them the Althing bringing a code of laws for their government from Norway. The Althing seems to have held the same relationship to the whole island that the district Things had to their respective quarters, and it was the Parliament or general assembly of the Icelandic Commonwealth, invested with supreme legislative and judicial power. The President is called logmaðr or lögsögu-maðr, law Speaker, or Speaker-at-Law, and his office was to preside at the assembly, and as in heathen times the law was not written he had to say from memory on the Lögberg, or law hill, before the assembled people what was the law of the land.
        The Logretta or law-righter was the legislative body of the Althing, and on the Lögretta depended the duty of making laws for the whole land, framing new laws, and deciding what should be the law when a point was doubtful though not connected with any actual suit.
        Before 930, the general assembly met at Kjalarness, see I, 9, page 10, whence it was removed, in 930, under the name of Althing, to Oxara or the Axe river, see Alþing and Þingvöllr upon the map. For a description of the place see Part V, 13, note. The Parliament at first met on the Thursday commencing which fell between the 11th and 17th of June, but by a new law of the year 999 its opening was deferred until the next following Thursday between 18th and 24th of June, old style. It continued for two weeks.

        The Quarter Things with the Quarters in which they are included.

        The Quarter of the Western Firths, part II.
                                Thverar-thing
                                Thorsness-thing
                                Thorskalfjardar-thing
        The Northern Quarter, Part III.
                                Hunavatns-thing
                                Hegraness-thing
                                Vaðla-thing
                                Thingeyjar-thing
        The Quarter of the Eastern Firths, Part IV.
                                Sunnudal-thing
                                Kidjafells-thing
                                Skaptafells-thing
        The Quarter of the Southern Firths, Part V.
                                Rangar-thing
                                Arness-thing
                                Kjalarness-thing

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        CHRONOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF THE SETTLEMENT AND OF THE SPEAKERS-AT-LAW TO THE FALL OF THE ICELANDIC REPUBLIC. (13)

A.D.
852 --- The Norse Sea King, Olave the White, landed at Dublin and founded a Norse Principality.
860 --- Harald Fairhair becomes King of Norway.
871 --- Accession of Alfred the Great.
875 --- Ingolf first settled Iceland.
878 --- Alfred's Treaty with the Danes.
884 --- Thorolf Mostbeard took land at Thorsness.
886 --- Biorn the Eastman, and Hallstein, son of Thorolf, settle Broadfirth.
892 (about) Queen Aud came to Iceland and settled all the Dale lands.
901 --- Death of Alfred the Great.
901 --- Accession of Edward, son of Alfred.
913 --- Thorstein Codbiter born.
918 --- Death of Thorolf Mostbeard.
927 --- Ulfljotr brought a system of law from Norway to Iceland. He first promulged a system of law in Iceland and by his advice the Althing was established.
930 --- The Althing is inaugurated; Rafn, son of Ketil the Salmon, first had the office of Speaker-at-Law and said law for 20 years.
950 --- Thorarin Ragabrodir, son of Olaf, was Speaker-at-Law for 20 years.
970 --- Thorkel Mani, son of Thorstein, was Speaker-at-Law for about 15 years.
985 --- Thorgeir, son of Thorkel, was Speaker-at-Law for 17 years.
1000 --- Christianity introduced into Iceland. Discovery of Vineland or America by the Norsemen, described in Saga of Eirek the Red.
1002 --- Grim, son of Sversting from Mossfell, was Speaker-at-Law for about 2 years.
1004 --- Skapti, son of Thorodd the Priest, was Speaker-at-Law for about 26 years.
1031 --- Stein, son of Thorgest, was Speaker-at-Law for 3 years.
1034 --- Thorkel was Speaker-at-Law (the second time) for 19 years.
1054 --- Gellir, son of Bolverk, was Speaker-at-Law for 9 years.
1056 --- Isleif was consecrated first Bishop of Iceland at Skalholt.
1063 --- Gunnar, son of Thorgrim the Seer, was Speaker-at-Law for 3 years.
1066 --- Kolbein, son of Flosi, was Speaker-at-Law for 6 years. That summer King Harald, son of Sigurd, fell in England.
1071 --- Gellir was Speaker-at-Law the second time for 3 years.
1075 --- Gunnar Speaker-at-Law the second time for 1 year.
1076 --- Sighvat Speaker-at-Law for 8 years.
1080 --- Gellir Speaker-at-Law for the third time.
1084 --- Markus, son of Skegg, Speaker-at-Law that summer and died 1093.
1093 --- Bergthor, son of Hrafn, Speaker-at-Law.
1097 --- Tuindargjald took law to Iceland.
1106 --- Bergthor Speaker-at-Law the second time. About this time the Christian Scriptures were brought to Iceland.
1107 --- Ulfedin took law to Iceland.
1122 --- Gudmund, son of Thorgeir, was Speaker-at-Law for 17 years.
1139 --- Hrafn Ulfhedin's son Speaker-at-Law for 4 years.
1143 --- Finn, son of Hall, Speaker-at-Law for 6 years.
1149 --- Hrafn Ulfhedin's son Speaker-at-Law for 10 years.
1159 --- Snorri Speaker-at-Law for 15 years.
1174 --- Styrkar, son of Odd, Speaker-at-Law for 10 years.
1184 --- Gizur, son of Hall, Speaker-at-Law for 22 years.
1206 --- Hall, son of Gizur, Speaker-at-Law for 8 years.
1214 --- Styrmir, son of Kara, Speaker-at-Law for 5 years. Styrmir was one of the later editors of Book of Settlement.
1219 --- Snorri Sturluson, the Historian, Speaker-at-Law for 4 years.
1223 --- Teitr, son of Thorvald, Speaker-at-Law for 3 years.
1226 --- Snorri Sturluson second time Speaker-at-Law for 10 years.
1236 --- Styrmir second time Speaker-at-Law for 4 years.
1240 --- Teitar, son of Thorvald, second time Speaker-at-Law for 12 years.
1252 --- Olafr, son of Thord, Speaker-at-Law for 3 years.
1256 --- Olafr, son of Thord, second time Speaker-at-Law for 1 year.
1257 --- Teitr, son of Einar, Speaker-at-Law for 6 years.
1262 --- Final submission of Iceland to Norway.

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        SAGAS.

        As most of the Icelandic Sagas (14) had their origin in the historical events related by Ari in the Book of the Settlement or from persons mentioned there, some of the chief of those Sagas with their district and probable period are noted on the next page.
Nials Saga --- The Saga of Law --- Terminates with the Battle of Clontarf 1014 --- South, V, 2.
Erbyggja Saga --- Treats chiefly on Politics --- Commences with settlement of Thorolf Mostbeard, 884 --- extends over a period of 140 years --- West, II, 12. The Saga of the Battle upon the Heath, 1021, referred to at II, 2, page 29, is contained in this Saga.
Laxdala Saga --- The most romantic of the Sagas --- West. Of uncertain date --- chief character and leading events sketched at II, 17.
Egil's Saga --- A family feud between Kvedulf and Harald Fairhair carried on for three generations --- Ninth and tenth centuries --- Norway, England, and Iceland, I, 18 and 19.
Grettis Saga --- Seems formed from hints found in Book of Settlement, 1010 to 1013. North of Iceland and Norway, III, 19, and note.
The Saga of Howard the Halt is founded upon the tragic event related at II, 18, page 92.
Other Sagas are noted under the chapters with which they are connected.

Notes:
12. See page 178 for Rolf the Ganger. [Back]
13. For the History of the fall of the Icelandic Republic, see Islendinga Saga (A.D. 1196-1262) by Sturla Thordarson. [Back]
14. For an excellent translation of the chief and most interesting of the Sagas, including the Heimskringla or History of the Early Kings of Norway, the reader is referred to the series contained in the Saga Library, commencing its issue in 1891, the volumes of which are still coming out at intervals. For a Picture Book to illustrate the Sagas of Iceland and to supply the background of scenery which the ancient dramatic style of the Sagas takes for granted, the Translator of the Book of the Settlement would refer to "A Pilgrimage to the Sagasteads of Iceland," by W. G. Collingwood, M.A., and Dr. Jón Stefánsson, which is expected to appear about Christmas in the present year, and which will contain 13 coloured plates and 138 engravings from water colour drawings by W. G. Collingwood. The places are such as have all been named and particularized in this Book of Settlement. The illustrations were completed by Mr. Collingwood on the spot in a pilgrimage which took him and Dr. Stefánsson, his companion, in the summer of 1897, over a rough and roadless country in a journey of over a thousand miles. [Back]