Site of Iceland's ancient parliament
Þingvellir
(
Icelandic:
[?θiŋk?v?tl?r?]
ⓘ
, anglicised as
Thingvellir
[Note 1]
) was the site of the
Alþing
, the annual
parliament
of Iceland from the year 930 until the last session held at
Þingvellir
in 1798.
[2]
Since 1881, the parliament has been located within
Alþingishusið
in
Reykjavik
.
[3]
Þingvellir
is now a
national park
in the municipality of
Blaskogabyggð
in southwestern
Iceland
, about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Iceland's capital,
Reykjavik
.
Þingvellir
is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a
rift valley
that marks the crest of the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
and the boundary between the
North American
and
Eurasian
tectonic plates
. To its south lies
Þingvallavatn
, the largest natural lake in Iceland.
[4]
Þingvellir
National Park (
þjoðgarðurinn a Þingvollum
[?θjouð?karð?r?n
au
?θiŋk?vœtl?m]
) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area and was designated as a
World Heritage Site
in 2004.
Toponymy
[
edit
]
The name
Þingvellir
is derived from the
Old Norse
Þingv?llr
(
Old Norse pronunciation:
[?θiŋ??w?lːz?]
), from
þing
(“
thing
, assembly”) and
v?llr
(“field”), meaning
assembly fields
. Compare the English
thing
and
weald
(“Thingweald”) from
Anglo-Saxon
þing
and
weald
. The site takes its name from
Alþing
(
Althing
), the national parliament of Iceland, which was founded at
Þingvellir
in 930 and held its sessions there until 1798. A
thing
was a form of governing assembly found in
Germanic
societies, and a tradition that endures to this day in one form or another across
Northern Europe
.
Although the name
Þingvellir
is plural, the older form
Þingv?llr
is singular, and the modern singular form
Þingvollur
can still be heard.
The name is most commonly anglicised as
Thingvellir
, and might appear as
Tingvellir
,
Thingvalla
or
Tingvalla
in other languages. The spelling
Pingvellir
is also seen, although the letter “p” does not correspond to the letter
“þ” (thorn)
, which is pronounced
[θ]
, like the
th
in
thirst
.
Dingwall
and
Tingwall
in
Scotland
,
Thingwall
in
England
,
Tynwald
on the
Isle of Man
,
Dinklage
in
Germany
, and
Tingvoll
in
Norway
bear names of the same root and meaning.
History
[
edit
]
Þingvellir
became a
national park
as a result of legislation passed in 1928 to protect the remains of the parliament site, thus creating the first national park in Iceland. The park was decreed "a protected national shrine for all Icelanders, the perpetual property of the Icelandic nation under the preservation of parliament, never to be sold or mortgaged."
[5]
Founding of Iceland's parliament
[
edit
]
According to the
Book of Settlements
(
Landnamabok
), the
settlement of Iceland
began in 874, when the Norwegian chieftain
Ingolfr Arnarson
became the first permanent
Norwegian
settler on the island.
[6]
[7]
Over the next centuries, people of
Norse
and
Celtic
origin settled in Iceland. Early on, district assemblies were formed, but as the population grew, there was a need for a general assembly. The descendants of Ingolfur who dominated the region of southwest Iceland had become the most powerful family in the country, and other chieftains felt a need for a general assembly to limit their power.
Grimur Geitskor
was allotted the role of rallying support and finding a suitable location for the assembly. At about the same time, the owner of
Blaskogar
(the contemporary name for the
Þingvellir
region) was found guilty of murder. His land was declared public, and then obligated to be used for assembly proceedings, and the building of temporary dwellings, and the forest to be used for kindling and the
grazing
of horses. The
Þingvellir
area was chosen for this reason and its accessibility to the most populous regions of the north, south, and west.
[8]
The longest journey a
goði
(chieftain) had to travel was 17 days, from the easternmost part of the country where mountains and glacial rivers proved bothersome obstacles.
[9]
The foundation of the Icelandic parliament is said to be the founding of the nation of
Iceland
, and the first parliamentary proceedings in the summer of 930 laid the ground for a common cultural heritage and national identity.
Þingvellir
played a central role in the history of the country, and its history runs almost parallel with the history of the
Icelandic Commonwealth
.
From commonwealth to foreign rule
[
edit
]
Snorkeling in the
Silfra
canyon.
Scuba diver
in the
Silfra
.
The
Alþingi
(assembly) at
Þingvellir
was Iceland's supreme legislative and judicial authority from its establishment in 930 until 1271. The
Logberg
or Law Rock was the focal point of the
Alþingi
and a natural platform for holding speeches. The Lawspeaker, elected for three years at a time, presided over the assembly and recited the law of the land. Before the law was written down, he was expected to recite it from memory on the
Logberg
throughout three summers along with the complete assembly procedures every summer. Inauguration and dissolution of the assembly took place at the
Logberg
, where rulings made by the Law Council were announced, the calendar was confirmed, legal actions were brought and other announcements made which concerned the entire nation. Anyone attending the assembly was entitled to present his case on important issues from the Logberg.
The Law Council served as both parliament and supreme court. Laws were passed and approved there, and rulings were made on points of law. The Law Council appointed members of the Fifth Court (a kind of
appellate court
) and the Lawspeaker and took part in the election of the bishop. Unlike the
Alþingi
, the Law Council was a closed body in which only certain people enjoyed full rights: chieftains who held the office of
goði
, their
Þingmen
and later also bishops. However, everyone at the assembly was entitled to watch and listen to the Law Council at work.
From the earliest times until the 15th century, the Law Council met at
Neðri-Vellir
on the east bank of
Oxara
, but when the river changed its course around 1500, the council was moved to an islet in the river. In 1594, the Law Council was relocated to the foot of the ancient Law Rock, where it remained until the
Alþingi
was finally transferred from it in 1798.
The
Alþingi
was Iceland's legislative and chief judicial authority for the duration of the
Commonwealth
, until 1271. Executive power was in the hands of the chieftains and parties to individual cases. This proved to be quite an adequate arrangement for as long as the balance of power remained, but flaws emerged when it was disrupted.
In the final decades of the Commonwealth, there were clashes between chieftain families, which resulted in Iceland coming under the Norwegian crown. Executive power was strengthened under this new order, while legislative and judicial authority at first remained in the hands of the
Alþingi
, but was gradually transferred to the Norwegian and later the Danish rulers, until in 1662 when the King of Denmark became the absolute monarch of Iceland.
Þingvellir covered in snow
Social centre
[
edit
]
Þingvellir
was the centre of Icelandic culture. Every year during the Commonwealth period, people would flock to
Þingvellir
from all over the country, sometimes numbering in the thousands.
They set up temporary dwellings (
buð
[?puːθ]
,
pl.
buðir
[?puːð?r?]
) with walls of turf and rock and temporary roofing of homespun cloth, and stayed in them for the two weeks of the assembly. There were no permanent buildings on
Þingvellir
apart from a farm and, later, two churches.
[10]
Although the duties of the assembly were the main reason for going there, ordinary people gathered at
Þingvellir
for a wide variety of reasons. Merchants, sword-sharpeners, and tanners would sell their goods and services, entertainers performed, and ale-makers brewed drinks for the assembly guests. News was told from distant parts; games and feasts were held. Young people met to make their plans, no less than leading national figures and experts in law. Itinerant farmhands looked for work and vagrants begged.
Þingvellir
was a meeting place for everyone in Iceland, laying the foundation for the language and literature that have been a prominent part of people's lives right up to the present day.
[
citation needed
]
Nationalist symbol
[
edit
]
During the 19th century,
Þingvellir
emerged as a nationalist symbol.
[11]
[12]
According to Icelandic political scientist
Birgir Hermannsson
, "Thingvellir can be likened to a church or building which serves as a pilgrimage destination and as a site for the nation-state’s ritual ceremonies."
[11]
Geology
[
edit
]
Flosagja
canyon
Oxararfoss
Þingvellir
is notable for its unusual
tectonic
and
volcanic
environment in a
rift valley
.
[13]
The
continental drift
between the
North American
and
Eurasian Plates
can be clearly seen in the cracks or
faults
which traverse the region, the largest one,
Almannagja
, being a veritable canyon. This also causes the often measurable
earthquakes
in the area.
[14]
Some of the rifts are full of clear water. One,
Nikulasargja
[?n?ːk??lauːsar?cauː]
, was bridged for the occasion of the visit of
King Frederik VIII of Denmark
in 1907. On this occasion, visitors began to throw coins from the bridge into the fissure, a tradition based on European legends.
[
citation needed
]
The bottom has become littered with sparkling coins, and the rift is now better known as
Peningagja
[?p?ːniŋka?cauː]
, or "coin fissure".
Þingvellir
is situated on the northern shore of
Þingvallavatn
, the largest natural
lake of Iceland
. The river
Oxara
traverses the national park and forms a waterfall at the
Almannagja
[?al?manːa?cauː]
, called
Oxararfoss
. On the lake's northern shore, the
Silfra
fissure is a popular diving and snorkelling tour location.
[15]
Þingvellir
was designated a
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
based on cultural criteria. It may also qualify on geological criteria in the future, as there has been ongoing discussion of a possible "serial transboundary nomination" for the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which would include other sites in the Atlantic such as
Pico Island
.
[16]
Together with the waterfall
Gullfoss
and the
geysers
of
Haukadalur
,
Þingvellir
is part of a group of the most famous sights of Iceland, the
Golden Circle
.
[
citation needed
]
The painting "From
Þingvellir
" by the Icelandic painter Gunnar Gestsson, 1970.
Because of its natural environment, Þingvellir has been a subject in the works of several Icelandic painters, including
Johannes Sveinsson Kjarval
and
Asgrimur Jonsson
. The National Gallery of Iceland owns more than 150 paintings by
Asgrimur Jonsson
that have
Þingvellir
as their subject.
Þingvellir
grew popular among artists not only for its natural environment but also because it was close to the capital of Iceland,
Reykjavik
and thus relatively inexpensive to travel there.
[
citation needed
]
Tourism
[
edit
]
Map showing the extent of the park.
Þingvellir
National Park is popular with tourists and is one of the three key attractions within the famous
Golden Circle
.
[17]
There is a visitor centre, where visitors can obtain an interpretation of the history and nature of
Þingvellir
.
[18]
There is an information centre near the camping grounds.
[19]
There are hiking trails, such as the Execution Trail
[20]
and the nearby Leggjabrjotur
[?l?cːa?prjouːt?r?]
. Scuba diving has also become popular at
Silfra Lake
as the continental drift between the tectonic plates made it wide enough for divers to enjoy unparalleled visibility.
[
clarification needed
]
Related places
[
edit
]
Culturally related places
[
edit
]
Things (assemblies)
[
edit
]
Cognate toponyms
[
edit
]
Geologically related places
[
edit
]
Trivia
[
edit
]
- The
Thingvalla Line
, a
Danish
shipping company active between 1879 and 1898, was named after
Þingvellir
. At its peak, the company had ten ships in its fleet, one of which was named the
S/S
Thingvalla
, launched in 1873. The company operated four other ships which bore Icelandic names, namely the S/S
Geiser
, S/S
Island
and two vessels named S/S
Hekla
.
[25]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes and references
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
The spelling
Pingvellir
is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter
"þ" (thorn)
, which is pronounced as "th".
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"National Park History"
. Retrieved
18 January
2015
.
- ^
"A short history of Alþingi - the oldest parliament in the world | European Youth Portal"
.
europa.eu
. Retrieved
2020-09-03
.
- ^
"The Parliament House"
.
Alþingi
. Retrieved
2020-09-03
.
- ^
Geology and Tectonics
- ^
Lagasafn. Log um þjoðgarðinn a Þingvollum, 2004 nr. 47 1. juni, 1.gr.
- ^
Tomasson, Richard F. (1980).
Iceland, the first new society
. University of Minnesota Press.
ISBN
0-8166-0913-6
.
- ^
I. Marc Carlson.
"History of Medieval Greenland"
. Personal.utulsa.edu
. Retrieved
2010-02-10
.
- ^
Bergsteinn Jonsson, Bjorn Þorsteinsson.
Islands Saga til okkar daga
. Reykjavik: Sogufelag, 1991
- ^
Bjornsson, Bjorn Th.
Þingvellir
. Reykjavik: Bokautgafa Menningarsjoðs, 1984.
- ^
Somerville, Angus A.; McDonald, Russell Andrew (2013).
The Vikings and Their Age
. University of Toronto Press. p. 55.
ISBN
9781442605220
.
- ^
a
b
Birgir Hermannsson (2012).
"Hjartastaðurinn : Þingvellir og islensk þjoðernishyggja"
.
Bifrost Journal of Social Science
.
- ^
Jon Karl Helgason (Fall 2017). "Hver skop Þingvelli sem sogulegt minnismerki?".
Saga
.
- ^
"Geology and tectonics of Þingvellir"
. Olafur Ingolfsson
. Retrieved
2020-08-16
.
- ^
"Earthquakes: Iceland"
. Icelandic Meteorological Office
. Retrieved
2008-10-05
.
- ^
"SILFRA"
.
Dive.is
. Retrieved
12 November
2023
.
- ^
"Mid-Atlantic Ridge"
. Retrieved
19 January
2015
.
- ^
"The famous Golden Circle Iceland tour"
. 6 October 2016.
- ^
"Visitor Centre"
. Retrieved
9 February
2015
.
- ^
"Information Centre"
. Retrieved
10 February
2015
.
- ^
"The Execution Trail in Thingvellir National Park"
. Retrieved
6 October
2019
.
- ^
"Tingwall"
. Retrieved
2023-08-31
.
- ^
"Tingwall, Orkney"
. Retrieved
2023-08-31
.
- ^
Johnson, Sveinbjorn (1906). Libby, Orin Grant (ed.).
The Icelandic Settlement of Pembina County
. Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Vol. 1.
Bismarck, ND
: Tribune, State Printers and Binders. p. 109.
OCLC
01773487
.
- ^
"Thingvalla History (Thingvalla Lutheran Church Memorial)"
.
thingvalla.org
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-28
. Retrieved
2010-07-02
.
- ^
"The Thingvalla Line"
.
NorwayHeritage.com
. Retrieved
21 July
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Þingvellir
.
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