482 



THE LAND. 



" Land becomes the odal of a church if she has owned it for 

 thirty winters " (Frostath., xii. 4). 



The land was bought in the following manner, and the 

 bargain was closed by weapon-taking and the shaking of 

 hands. 



"If a man buys land in the presence of many men, the 

 thingmen shall convey the land to him. He shall summon the 

 other man home, and thence to the Thing, and have witnesses at 

 the Thing that he has lawfully summoned him. He shall take 

 mould, as is mentioned in the laws, to the four corners of the 

 hearth, and to the high-seat, and where field and meadow meet, 

 and where pasture and stone-ridge meet, and have witnesses, 

 and those who were present at their bargain, at the Thing that 

 he has taken the mould lawfully. If he has full witnesses, the 

 Thingmen shall with weapon-taking convey the land to him. 

 Wherever they agree about the bargain, and the sale and the 

 mould is rightly taken, it, and also the conveyance, shall 

 be kept at a church and at an ale-house, and at a manned 

 ship with several rowing-seats, as if it were made at a 

 Thing. Wherever the king conveys land it shall be kept " 1 

 (Gulath., 292). 



" The silver was then all counted, and every yenning paid 

 for the land. Bork then took the money, and by a hand- 

 shaking transferred the land to Snorri ' (Eyrbyggja Saga, 

 c. 14). 



" If a woman is laugryg? she can inherit both odal and 

 (loose) property, and no man can redeem it from her. The 

 women who are odal-women and whom the odals follow are 

 these. Daughter and sister, and father's sister, and brother's 

 daughter, and son's daughter. The daughter and sister are 

 two baugrygs. They can pay and receive wergiJd like men. 

 They also have, like men, the first right to buy the land " 

 (Gulath., 275). 



Leaseholds also existed in these early days. 



" Thrand leased out the lands at Gata to many, and took 

 as high a rent as possible " (Fsereyinga Saga, c. 2). 



Commons. From time immemorial the large extents of land 

 and sea, which belonged to no individual, and used by one or 



1 Of. also earlier Gulathing's Law, 

 267 ; earlier Frostathing's Law, vi. 4. 



2 Baugryg means a woman who, being 



a single daughter, could pay and receive 

 wergild. 



