A thing or ting (Old Norse and Icelandic: þing; other modern Scandinavian: ting) was the governing assembly in Germanic societies, made up of the free men of the community and presided by lawspeakers. Today the term lives on in the official names of national legislatures, political and judicial institutions in the North-Germanic countries. The English word 'thing', meaning "object" is also derived from this; the evolution having been roughly "assembly" → "court" → "case" → "business" → "purpose" → "object". The German Tag (day, as in Bundestag the German parliament or Tagung) is called so because things were held at daylight and often lasted all day. Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ... The Scandinavian Mountains, in Swedish Skanderna, Fjällen (The Mountains) or Kölen and in Norwegian Kjølen, with the two latter meaning the Keel, are a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... The Scandinavian Peninsula is a peninsula located at the northwest corner of Europe and bounded by the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea, the Kattegat, the Skagerrak, the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. ... The Viking Age is the name of the period between 793 and 1066 AD in Scandinavia and Britain, following the Germanic Iron Age (and the Vendel Age in Sweden). ... The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Варяги) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. ... The name Viking is a loanword from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, the British Isles, and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century. ... The royal lineages of Norway, Sweden and Denmark for the period around the formation of the Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish: Kalmarunionen) was a series of personal unions (1397–1520) that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden under a single monarch. ... The Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, consisting of Denmark and Norway, including Norways possessions Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, is a term used for the two united kingdoms after their amalgamation as one state in 1536. ... A New Dynasty See also: Charles XIV of Sweden King Charles XIV Charles XIII was both infirm and childless. ... The Scandinavian Monetary Union (Swedish: Skandinaviska myntunionen, Danish: Skandinaviske møntunion) was a monetary union formed by Sweden and Denmark on May 5, 1873 by fixing their currencies against gold at par to each other. ... A Scandinavian defense union that would include Sweden, Norway and Denmark was planned between the three countries after World War II. Denmark and Norway had been occupied by Germany between 1940 and 1945, while Sweden, having escaped the horrors of occupation it had, still felt the effects of the war. ... The history of Scandinavia is the common history of the Scandinavian countries— Denmark, Norway and Sweden. ... The Royal League logo The Royal League is an annual Scandinavian football tournament, starting after the end of the regular domestic seasons of Norway and Sweden. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... The North Germanic languages (also Scandinavian languages or Nordic languages) is a branch of the Germanic languages spoken in Scandinavia, parts of Finland and on the Faroe Islands and Iceland. ... A Lawspeaker (Old Swedish: laghmaþer or laghman, Norwegian: lagmand, Icelandic: lög(sögu)maðr) was a unique Scandinavian legal office. ...

Viking and medieval society

The Icelandic alþing in session, as imagined in the 1870s by British artist W. G. Collingwood.

In the pre-Christian clan-culture of Scandinavia the members of a clan were obliged to avenge injuries against their dead and mutilated relatives. A balancing structure was necessary to reduce tribal feuds and avoid social anarchy. We know from the North-Germanic cultures the balancing institution was the thing although similar assemblies are reported also from other Germanic peoples. Image File history File links W.G. Collingwood 19th Century Alþing in session File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links W.G. Collingwood 19th Century Alþing in session File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Althing (Modern Icelandic Alþingi; Old Norse Alþing) is the national parliament: literally, the all-thing (or General Assembly) of Iceland. ... The Scandinavian clan or Ätt was a social group based on common descent or on the formal acceptance into the group at a Ting. ... Odin riding on Sleipnir (Ardre image stone, 8th century). ...

The thing was the assembly of the free men of a country, province or a hundred (hundare/härad/herred). There were consequently, hierarchies of things, so that the local things were represented at the thing for a larger area, for a province or land. At the thing, disputes were solved and political decisions were made. The place for the thing was often also the place for public religious rites and for commerce. A hundred is an administrative division, frequently used in Europe and New England, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller geographical units. ...

The thing met at regular intervals, legislated, elected chieftains and kings, and judged according to the law, which was memorized and recited by the "law speaker" (the judge). The thing's negotiations were presided over by the law speaker and the chieftain or the king. In reality the thing was of course dominated by the most influential members of the community, the heads of clans and wealthy families, but in theory one-man one-vote was the rule. A famous incident took place when Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker told the Swedish king Olof Skötkonung that it was the people that held power in Sweden and not the king. The king realized that he was powerless against the thing and gave in. In heathen times chieftains were both political and religious leaders, tasked to use their luck to secure the people fred (translated good times - nowadays actually the word for peace). ... The Germanic king originally had three main functions. ... A Lawspeaker (Swedish: lagman, Old Swedish: laghmaþer or laghman, Norwegian: lagmand, Icelandic: lög(sögu)maðr) is a unique Scandinavian legal office. ... Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker (Old Icelandic: Þorgnýr lögmaðr, Swedish: Torgny Lagman) is the name of one of at least three generations of lawspeakers by the name Þorgnýr. ... Coin minted for Olof Skötkonung in Sigtuna Olof of Sweden or Olof Skötkonung/Skottkonung (the meaning of the cognomen is disputed) was the son of Eric the Victorious and Sigrid the Haughty. ...

The island of Gotland, as an example, had in late medieval time twenty things, each represented at the island-thing called landsting by its elected judge. New laws were decided at the landsting, which also took other decisions regarding the island as a whole. The landsting's authority was successively eroded after the island was occupied by the Teutonic Order in 1398. In late medieval times the thing-court consisted of twelve representatives for the farmers, free-holders or tenants. Gotlandia, or Gotland, a historical Province or landskap, of Sweden. ... Teutonic Knights, charging into battle. ... Events Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland destroyed. ...

The assembly of the thing was typically held at a specially designated place, often a field or common, like þingvellir, the old location of the Icelandic Thing. The parliament of the Isle of Man is still named after the meeting place of the thing, Tynwald, which etymologically is the same word as "þingvellir". Other equivalent placenames can be found across northern Europe; in the United Kingdom, there is Dingwall in Ross-shire; Tingwall, occurring both in Orkney and Shetland; and Thingwall on the Wirral. Similarly in Sweden, there are several places named Tingvalla, which is the modern Swedish form of "þingvellir". Þingvellir in autumn Þingvellir (Icelandic Þing: parliament, vellir: plains) is a place in the southwest of Iceland near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. ... The Tynwald is the bicameral legislature of the Isle of Man. ... The Royal Burgh of Dingwall (Inbhir Pheofharan in Gaelic) is a burgh in the highlands of Scotland. ... Ross-shire (Siorrachd Rois in Gaelic), or simply Ross, is a traditional county of Scotland bordering on Sutherland, Cromartyshire (of which it contains many enclaves), Inverness-shire and on an exclave of Nairnshire. ... Name of places in Orkney (ferry terminal) and Shetland (airport). ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ... See Shetland (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... Thingwall is a village on Wirral, Merseyside,England Originally a village in Woodchurch Parish, Wirral Hundred. ... The Wirral is a peninsula bounded by the River Dee to the west and the River Mersey to the east. ...

In the Yorkshire and former Danelaw areas of England, which were subject to much Norse invasion and settlement, wapentakes (another name for the same institution) were, until recently, still used in public records. Several places ending in the "by"(village) placename suffix originally possessed their own law (bylaw) and jurisdiction subject to the wapentake in which they served, which often extended over a surrounding ground called a "thorpe" (hamlet). If there was a riding surrounding the wapentake, the wapentake would merely be a local assembly coordinating the power of the Riding, which in Jorvik's case, would be under the king's command at what is now King's Square in York. The Kingdom of East Anglia was in control of the Danelaw which had been organised as the Five Boroughs. Those Five were martial law fortresses defending land against Wessex, or against the Vikings, depending on who ruled there; together with Lindsey, which was divided into three ridings like Yorkshire. The White Yorkshire rose. ... The Danelaw (from the Old English Dena lagu) was an area of England under the administrative control of the Vikings (or Danes, or Norsemen) from the late 9th century. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... A Bylaw (sometimes also seen as By-Law or ByLaw) was originally the Viking town law in the Danelaw. ... In the British Isles since Anglo-Saxon times, a riding is traditionally a sub-division (especially in three) of a county, in Australia analogous. ... Jorvik was the Viking name for the English city of York and the kingdom centered there. ... York is a city in northern England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... The name Viking is a loanword from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, the British Isles, and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century. ... See also: Lindsey, Suffolk Until 1974, Lindsey was a unit of local government in Lincolnshire, England. ...

National parliaments and current institutions

The national parliaments of Iceland, Norway and Denmark all have names that incorporate thing: The British Houses of Parliament, London, UK A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system derived from that of the United Kingdom. ...

• Alþingi - The Icelandic General Thing
• Folketing - The Danish People's Thing
• Storting - The Norwegian Great Thing

The parliaments of the self-governing territories of Åland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Isle of Man also have names that refer to thing. The Althing (Modern Icelandic Alþingi; Old Norse Alþing) is the national parliament: literally, the all-thing (or General Assembly) of Iceland. ... The Folketing, or Folketinget, is the name of the national parliament of Denmark. ... This article is part of the Politics of Norway series. ... Motto: None Anthem: Ã…länningens sÃ¥ng Capital Mariehamn Largest city Mariehamn Official language(s) Swedish Government Governor Premier Autonomous Province Peter Lindbäck Roger Nordlund Autonomy 1920 Area  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Water (%)   6,784 km² (n/a) 77. ...

• Lagting - The Åland Law Thing
• Løgting - The Faroese Law Thing
• Landsting - The Green Land Thing
• Tynwald - The Manx Thing

The Swedish national parliament, since medieval times, has borne a different style, Riksdag, which is cognate to the old name of the German national assembly, Reichstag. In Sweden ting is however used to name the subnational county councils, which are called Landsting. That name was also used in medieval times for the tings that governed the historical Landskap provinces, that were superseded by the Counties in the 17th century. The name ting is also found in the names of the first level instances of the Swedish and Finnish court system, which are called Tingsrätt (Finnish: käräjäoikeus), the Court of the Thing. The Lagting, or Lagtinget, is the parliament of Ã…land, an autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish territory of Finland. ... The Løgting, or Løgtingið is the parliament of the Faroe Islands, a self ruling dependency of Denmark. ... The Landsting is the parliament of Greenland, a self ruling dependency of Denmark. ... The Tynwald is the bicameral legislature of the Isle of Man. ... The Riksdag or Sveriges Riksdag is the Parliament of Sweden. ... The Reichstag (German for Imperial Diet) was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945. ... A County Council, or Landsting, is an elected assembly of a County in Sweden. ... The provinces or landskap were the subdivisions of Sweden until 1634, when they were replaced by the counties of Sweden (län). ... A county, or län, is an administrative and political subdivision of Sweden. ... A court is an official, public forum which a sovereign establishes by lawful authority to adjudicate disputes, and to dispense civil, labour, administrative and criminal justice under the law. ...

Folkting is also the name of the Swedish Assembly of Finland, a semi-official body representing the Swedish-speaking population. The Swedish Assembly of Finland (Svenska Finlands Folkting or Folktinget) is a semi-official body representing the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. ... ...

See also

• Germanic paganism
• Politics of Denmark
• Politics of Iceland
• Politics of Norway
• Politics of Sweden
• Politics of Finland
• Politics of Åland
• Politics of the Faroe Islands
• Politics of Greenland
• Politics of the Isle of Man

• Veche
• Wiec (Polish)
• Kurultai
• Witenagemot
• Loya Jirga
• Parliament
• Ecclesia (ancient Athens)
• States-General (The States)

Germanic paganism refers to the religion and mythology of the Germanic nations preceding Christianization, including Norse, Anglo-Saxon mythology, information obtained from archaeological finds and remnants of pre-Christian beliefs in the folklore of medieval and modern Germanic peoples. ... // Government Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with an almost unbroken link of monarchs for more than 1,000 years (except for an interregnum of eight years from 1332 to 1340). ... Iceland is a republic. ... Norwegian politics officially have the structure of a constitutional monarchy, giving the King mainly symbolic power while maintaining a stable Western democracy. ... Popular government in Sweden rests upon ancient traditions. ... Finland has a primarily parliamentary system, although the president also has some notable powers. ... The Ã…land Islands, or Landskapet Ã…land, in Swedish, is an autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish territory of Finland. ... Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Føroyar Data code: FO Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948 Government type: Constitional Monarchy Capital: Tórshavn Administrative divisions: 36... Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat (meaning Land of the Greenlanders in Kalaallisut, the Greenlandic Inuit language) Data code: GL Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979... National motto: Quocunque Jeceris Stabit (Latin: Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand) Official languages None, though English is the working language of the Government. ... Removal of the veche bell from Novgorod to Moscow in 1478. ... Removal of the veche bell from Novgorod to Moscow in 1478. ... Kurultai (Tatar: Qorıltay) is a political and military council of ancient Mongol chiefs and khan. ... The Witenagemot (or Witan) was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated between approximately the 7th century and 11th century. ... Loya Jirga (June 13, 2002) Loya jirga, occasionally loya jirgah, is a large meeting held in Afghanistan, originally attended by Pashtun groups but later including other ethnic groups. ... The British Houses of Parliament, London, UK A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system derived from that of the United Kingdom. ... The ecclesia or ekklesia was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens. ... The word States-General, or Estates-General, refers in English to : the Etats-Généraux of France before the French Revolution the Staten-Generaal of the Netherlands. ...

References

• Nordic FAQ of soc.culture.nordic (with permission)