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23-794: The powerful Icelandic goði (chieftain) Gissur Þorvaldsson had returned from Norway with the Norwegian King's favour, and had settled in Flugumýri , an old homestead in Blönduhlíð in Skagafjörður where the chieftains of the Ásbirningar held their seat. Gissur was at this time engaged in making amends and settling his quarrels with the Sturlungar clan. Not all the followers of the Sturlungar were ready to forgive and forget. On 22 October 1253, Eyjólfur ofsi Þorsteinsson and his followers put Flugumýri to

46-664: A thegn , who was the head of the Norse clan and a warchief. The rune carver appeals to the Norse god Thor to hallow the inscription. There are two other runestones that have similar invocations to Thor located in Denmark, DR 110 from Virring and DR 220 from Sønder Kirkeby, and three other stones in Sweden, Ög 136 in Rök, Vg 150 from Velanda and possibly Sö 140 at Korpbron. It has been noted that Thor

69-467: A few formal and informal executive roles, such as confiscating the property of outlaws. They also had a central role in the redistribution of wealth , by holding feasts, giving gifts, making loans, extending hospitality, as well as pricing and helping to distribute imported goods. The holder of the goðorð of the descendants of Ingólfr Arnarson , the first Scandinavian to settle permanently in Iceland, had

92-557: A few placenames, such as Gudby in Södermanland , Sweden, that probably retain the name. Otherwise, there are no further surviving attestations except from Iceland where the goðar would be of historical significance. Ragnhildr placed this stone in memory of Alli the Pale, guþi of the sanctuary , honourable þegn of the retinue. Inscription from the Glavendrup stone From

115-514: A word that only appears in Icelandic sources. Initially many independent goðorð were established, until they united under the Althing around 930. In 964, the system was fixed under a constitution that recognized 39 goðorð . The role of the goðar as secular leaders is shown in how the word was used synonymously with höfðingi , meaning chieftain . Over time, and especially after 1000, when

138-464: Is modern. Ragnhild who ordered the stone also ordered the Tryggevælde Runestone (DR 230) from the runemaster Soti. The runic inscription is classified as being in runestone style RAK. This is the classification for inscriptions with text bands with straight ends that do not have attached serpent or beast heads. It refers to a gothi , who was a pagan priest of a vé , a holy sanctuary, and

161-490: Is often used as a priestly title by modern adherents of various denominations of Germanic neopaganism . Glavendrup stone The Glavendrup stone , designated as DR 209 by Rundata , is a runestone on the island of Funen in Denmark and dates from the early 10th century. It contains Denmark's longest runic inscription and ends in a curse . The runestone forms the end of a stone ship . There are other megaliths in

184-724: Is the only Norse god who is invoked on any Viking Age runestones. The inscription ends with a curse, similar to the ones found on the Tryggevælde Runestone and the Sønder Vinge runestone 2 in Denmark and the Glemminge stone and the Saleby Runestone in Sweden . There is some disagreement regarding the translation of one of the words in these curses, rita / rata , which has been translated as "wretch," "outcast," or "warlock." Warlock

207-908: Is the translation accepted by Rundata. However, the use of warlock is not that the destroyer would gain any magical powers, but be considered to be unnatural and a social outcast. The concept that being a warlock or sorcerer was an evil perversion predated the Christian conversion of Scandinavia . raknhiltr Ragnhildr '   sa¶ti satti '   stain sten þonsi þænsi '   auft æft ¶   ala Alla '   saulua Solwa, kuþa goþa ¶   uia wea, l(i)þs liþs haiþuiarþan heþwærþan þia¶kn þægn. raknhiltr ' sa¶ti ' stain þonsi ' auft ¶ ala ' saulua kuþa ¶ uia l(i)þs haiþuiarþan þia¶kn Ragnhildr {} satti {} sten þænsi {} æft {} Alla {} Solwa, goþa {} wea, liþs heþwærþan þægn. Ragnhildr placed this stone in memory of Alli

230-561: The goðar in Iceland are the Gray Goose Laws , the Landnámabók and the Sturlunga saga . After the settlement of Iceland , a hofgoði was usually a wealthy and respected man in his district, for he had to maintain the communal hall or hof in which community religious observances and feasts were held. The office over which a goði had leadership was termed a goðorð ,

253-476: The Christian conversion occurred in Iceland , the term lost all religious connotations and came to mean liege-lord or chieftain of the Icelandic Commonwealth. A goðorð could be bought, shared, traded or inherited. If a woman inherited a goðorð she had to leave the leadership to a man. The office was in many respects treated as private property but was not counted as taxable, and is defined in

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276-591: The Norwegian king . The institution came to an end when the major goðar pledged fealty to king Haakon IV of Norway in 1262–1264, signing the Old Covenant , and the Norwegian crown abolished the goðorð system. In the early 1970s, the words goði , goðorð and allsherjargoði were adopted by the Icelandic neopagan organization Ásatrúarfélagið . Following this, goði , godi or gothi

299-651: The Bible as gudja for "priest", although the corresponding form of this in Icelandic would have been an unattested * gyði . In Scandinavia , there is one surviving attestation in the Proto-Norse form gudija from the Norwegian Nordhuglo runestone ( Rundata N KJ65 U), and in the later Old Norse form guþi from three Danish runestones: DR 190 Helnæs, DR 192 Flemløse 1 and DR 209 Glavendrup . There are

322-459: The Gray Goose Laws as "power and not wealth" ( veldi er þat en æigi fe ); nevertheless the goðar are frequently portrayed in the sagas as concerned with money and expected to be paid for their services. During the Icelandic Commonwealth, the responsibilities of a goði or goðorðsmaður (" goðorð man") included the annual organization of the local assemblies várþing in

345-498: The ceremonial role of sanctifying the Althing each year, and was called the allsherjargoði ("all-people goði "). The followers of a goði were called þingmenn . Every free landowner in possession of a certain amount of property was required to be associated with a goði , although he was free to choose which one—a goðorð was not a geographical unit. The goði would help his þingmenn to bring cases before

368-519: The court and to enforce their rights, and the þingmenn would in return provide the goði with armed manpower for his feuds and carry out legal sentences. By the 13th century, all the goðorð were controlled by five or six families and often united under office holders who in modern studies are known as storgoðar ("great goðar ") or storhöfðingjar ("great chieftains"). These goðar struggled for regional and sometimes national power, and occasionally sought to become retainers for

391-482: The function of a guþi , but mention a guþi named Roulv whose name also appears on two other runestones, the lost Avnslev stone and the Flemløse 2 stone. The early 10th-century Glavendrup stone uses the term for a local dignitary who was associated with a vé , which is a religious structure. It thus attaches the title to a simultaneously secular and religious upper strata . The most reliable sources about

414-566: The leader of the attackers, escaped him. Eyjólfur would later fall in the Battle of Þverá on 15 May 1255. The Flugumýri Arson lived for a long time in folk tales, and some scholars believe that it was inspired by the arson in Njáls saga (or vice versa). This Iceland -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Go%C3%B0i Gothi or goði (plural goðar , fem. gyðja ; Old Norse : guþi )

437-556: The pagan era in mainland Scandinavia, the only sources for the title are runestones. The Norwegian Nordhuglo stone from around AD 400 seems to place the title in opposition to magic, using a word related to the Old Norse gandr . The inscription's Ek gudija ungandiz means "I, gudija " followed by "he who is immune to sorcery" or "he who does not engage in sorcery". The three Danish stones are all from Funen . The early Viking Age Helnæs and Flemløse 1 stones provide no details about

460-457: The spring and leið in the autumn. At the national Althing, they were voting members of the Lögrétta , the legislative section of the assembly. When quarter courts were introduced in the 960s, the goðar became responsible for nominating judges for the Althing courts. When a court of appeals was established in the early 11th century, they also nominated judges for this court. Further, they had

483-469: The torch and clashed with Gissur and his men. Eyjólfur was seeking vengeance for his expulsion from Skagafjörður and for the death of his father-in-law Sturla Sighvatsson who had died in the Battle of Örlygsstaðir at the hands of Gissur and his men. 25 people died in the ensuing fire and conflict, including Gissur's wife Gróa and their sons. Gissur himself escaped death by hiding in a barrel of sour whey and wrought vengeance on those involved, but Eyjólfur,

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506-408: The vicinity, including memorial stones with Latin characters from the early 20th century. In the stone ship, nine graves have been found, but they were all empty. The runestone was discovered when sand was quarried in the area in 1794, and it was saved in 1808 by the archaeologist Vedel Simonssen when stonemasons wanted to buy it. The last restoration was made in 1958, and the mound it is standing on

529-539: Was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth . The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious structure and communal feasts, but the title is primarily known as a secular political title from medieval Iceland . The word derives from goð , meaning "god". It possibly appears in Ulfilas ' Gothic language translation of

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