Althing
33
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13
EPISODES
11
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Search complete. 33 mentions across 13 episodes found for "Althing".
Oct 16, 2026
AndyHOST
[laughs]
JohnHOST
"Look, your father certainly didn't behave this way when he lost his son, Ljot, at the Althing.
JohnHOST
He spoke of forbearance then, even though it was a real test of his manhood, which this isn't." Which is hilarious.
AndyHOST
So we men- A hilarious thing to say.
JohnHOST
It's rough, man.
JohnHOST
Um, we mentioned this in the last episode.
JohnHOST
Uh, Ljot Sighvatsson was killed in the Battle at the Althing, uh, after the Trial of the Burners.
AndyHOST
Mm-hmm.
Einar BlackthornHOST
That's why it matters to be clear about what the role actually was.
Einar BlackthornHOST
Back in 930 CE at Þingvellir, the Althing was established, and with it came a system that was equal parts legal framework, social gathering, and pressure valve for a society that could very easily tear itself apart over honor and grievance.
Einar BlackthornHOST
The gothar weren't central to that system.
Einar BlackthornHOST
They weren't just ritual leaders standing at an altar murmuring to the gods.
Patrick LaneHOST
Royal court Scalds were a recognized position.
Patrick LaneHOST
So what's going on here? One possibility is that though the Graugaus Laws originate with the oral tradition of reciting the laws at the Allthing and were first written down in 1117, the manuscripts we have date from the mid to late 13th century.
Patrick LaneHOST
So in either case, some of the laws may have changed significantly since the Saga Age.
Patrick LaneHOST
Though Snorri Sturluson was something of a court scald in the 13th century without facing prosecution for writing praise poetry.
Riley KnightHOST
And this led to the development of a society with a very strong focus on community and cooperation, on the importance of reputation and public standing, on peaceful dispute resolution.
Riley KnightHOST
In the year 930, the year Iceland is said to have been completely settled, the Icelandic Althing was established, an early sort of parliament, essentially, a political assembly where laws were made and justice was dispensed.
Riley KnightHOST
And although the actual authority of the Althing was generally pretty minimal, if like meaningfully challenged...
Riley KnightHOST
It was nonetheless a fundamental part of what facilitated the governance and good order of the Icelandic Commonwealth, as it became known, a society that was based on communal, decentralized governments.
Riley KnightHOST
It was a society that was much more focused on whether someone had a good reputation, whether they were honest and trustworthy, rather than whether they were the strongest or had the sharpest sword.
Riley KnightHOST
Iceland was and remained highly decentralized throughout its early history under the authority of local chieftains or lords, although it would eventually come under the authority of Norway in the mid-13th century, long after the Viking Age had ended in this part of the world.
Riley KnightHOST
But the Althing itself, this legislative assembly that emerged in the early 10th century, it has survived.
Riley KnightHOST
It's still around today.
Richard FidlerHOST
And he finds, though, when he gets there, that King Olaf... who believes his life has been saved by Christianity, is very evangelical about spreading the Christian religion amongst the Norse peoples.
Richard FidlerHOST
It's King Olaf, who's the Norwegian king, who successfully cajoles the Icelanders into accepting the Christian faith in their fateful meeting of the Althing, their parliaments in the year 1000.
Richard FidlerHOST
So when Leif arrives in Trondheim, he joins the king's personal bodyguard.
Richard FidlerHOST
And Olaf is very impressed with his new recruit.
3 more episodes mention Althing.
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