Ting og konfliktløsning i vikingtidas Norge

Abstract

The assembly was a place where legal cases were solved, but also where various issues with relevance for the whole community were discussed. In this paper I have explored the assembly as an arena for conflict resolution in Viking Age Norway, and a search through the family sagas and Heimskringla has brought to light some relevant examples, most of which have survived from the late Viking Age. One area of conflict stands out. The confrontations between the conversion kings and the adherents of the pagan faith often took place at assemblies. Otherwise, conflicts following in the wake of disagreements over inheritance, manslaughter, theft, and seduction or rape of women were also debated at the assemblies. I have explored who was involved and how the conflicts were solved, and I have concluded that the sources suggest that the conflicts taking place at assemblies reflect a late Viking Age reality.