THE GODI AND THE THING. 529 



me to slay Silfri ? ' ' Yes,' answered Thorgrim. The lot of 

 the godiship had then been drawn by Silfri. Thorkel walked 

 into the room, and so near Silfri that he touched his foot ; 

 Silfri pushed him away and called him the son of a bond- 

 maid. Thorkel jumped up on the next seat and struck his 

 head with the axe (taparox) ; Silfri at once died, and Thorkel 

 said the axe was not too dear. Thorgrim said the boy had 

 been badly tempted, and did not stand it well, but had shown 

 himself to be a kinsman of the Yatnsdaelir (by his bravery), 

 and he would acknowledge that he was his son. Thereupon 

 Thorgrim got the godiship, and was called the godi of Karnsa " 

 (Vatnsdaela, c. 41, 42). 



" The godi if he likes shall go upon the Thing-slope at the 

 Spring-thing and name witnesses that he asks all Thingmen of 

 his district (thridjung) to go to the Althing, and they shall 

 decide it with lots or in other ways. Every ninth of his 

 Thing-men shall go. The Spring-thing shall be dissolved at 

 mid-day when men have been four nights at it, but not before, 

 unless all the Thingmen agree otherwise and all cases brought 

 before it are decided " (Gragas, i. 116). 



Every Thing-district had a fixed Thing called Herad-thing, 

 which was presided over by the three godis of the Thing- 

 district. 



The godi in whose district the Thing-place lay declared the 

 Thing holy ; if the Thinguian could not come himself, he could 

 send a freeman of his house in his place. 



" We shall have a Spring-thing in our country. Three godis 

 shall have one together. They shall not hold a Thing for 

 longer than one week, nor for less than three nights, unless 

 they are allowed by the Logretta. 1 . . . The godi who owns 

 Thingtielgi (declaration of thing-peace) there shall declare the 

 Thing holy the first evening when they come there. . . . The 

 godi shall decide what are the Thing-boundaries, and he shall 

 declare it holy, as at the Althing, and declare what is its 

 name " 2 (Gragas, p. 96, 56). 



A Thingman could declare himself the Thingman of another 

 godi. Every godi had to have a booth on the plain, large 

 enough to hold all his Thingmen ; but the great bo3ndr often 

 had with them their own booths, and their friends, women, 

 children, and servants, &c. The godi who declared the 



1 The high court of justice composed 

 of 48 Godars, also held in the sacred 

 precincts inside of the vebond. See p. 



534-538. 



2 Each district has its name, e.g., 

 Kjalnesinga district. 



VOL. I. 2 M 



