THE PLACE OF THE COURT HOLY. 531 



all the bcendr had to appear, and produce for inspection the 

 arms which every man was legally obliged to have. 



" Wherever a weapon-thing is to be, the king's steward 

 (arman) or a lendman shall announce it in the autumn, and 

 hold the Thing in the spring. All free and full-grown men 

 shall come to it or pay a fine of three aurar each. Then men 

 shall show their weapons as is laid down in the laws. A man 

 shall have a broad-axe or a sword, a spear, and a shield which 

 must have at least three iron-rims across it, and whose handle 

 must be fastened with iron nails. Three aurar are to be paid 

 for every folk-weapon (missing or not in good order). For 

 every rowing-bench the bcendr shall furnish two dozen arrows 

 and one bow. One eyrir shall be paid for every missing arrow, 

 and three aurar for a bow " (Earlier Gulathing's Law, 309). 



The place where the judges sat was holy, and ropes, vebond, 

 marked out the boundaries of the enclosure. 



" The court was held in a level field and hazel poles were 

 put down in a circle into the ground with ropes around them ; 

 these ropes were called vebond (sacred bands). Inside the 

 circle sat the judges, twelve from Firdafylki, twelve from 

 Sygnafylki, and twelve from Hordafylki ; these thirty-six men 

 were to judge in all cases. Arinbjorn chose the judges in 

 Firdafylki, and Thord of Aurland (the brother of Bjorn) those 

 from Sygnafylki and these twenty-four acted together " (Egil's 

 Saga, c. 57). 



" It is an old right that stewards from every Fylki shall 

 make the vebond on the Thing-plain. The vebond shall be 

 so wide that those appointed for the law-court shall have room 

 to sit inside. The stewards shall name for the law-court as 

 many men as are fixed for each Fylki. From the inner 

 Thrandheini forty men shall be named for each Fylki, and 

 from the outer Thrandheim sixty men from each Fylki, and 

 the oldest and most able men shall be named into the law- 

 court. No lendirmen must go into the law-court unless the 

 boendr allow it. It is also law that no man who is not named 

 must sit inside the vebond without being liable to pay a mark. 

 If a man leaves the law-court and goes outside the vebond to 

 another place he is to pay a full mark " (Frostathing's Law, i. 2). 



2 M 2 



