Short answers, pulled from the story.
Lawspeakers memorized centuries of legal customs and recited them aloud to free communities. No written code existed during this period, so the system relied entirely on human recall rather than ink or parchment. When a lawspeaker died, his knowledge could vanish unless passed to another.
In 1117, the Althing decided that all existing laws should be written down permanently. This decision led to work being completed over one winter at Hafliði Másson's farm. The resulting collection became known as the Gray Goose Laws and included civil codes alongside church regulations.
Medieval Norway developed four ancient regional assemblies: Frostating, Gulating, Eidsivating, and Borgarting. Smaller things like Haugating existed but did not evolve into major legislative meetings. Magnus VI issued the first state law covering all of Norway between 1274 and 1276.
Medieval Denmark divided its territory into three jurisdictions governed by Scanian Law, Zealandic Law, and Jutlandic Law. The youngest of these, the Jutlandic Law, was given in 1241. In 1683, King Christian V replaced the three laws with Danish Law except in Schleswig where Jutlandic Law remained in force.
The earliest written law from what is now Sweden appears on an iron ring at the church door of Forsa in Hälsingland. This runic inscription dates to either the ninth or tenth century and lists fines that double for each new offense. The oldest surviving version of the Västgöta Law was written around 1220 in western Sweden.