Thing (assembly)

• 1. Etymological Origins And Evolution

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  The word thing appears in Old Norse, Old English, and modern Icelandic as þing. It exists in Middle English as thing, and in Old Saxon, Old Dutch, and Old Frisian as þing. The difference between þing and thing is purely orthographical. German uses Ding, while Dutch and Afrikaans use ding. Modern Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Faroese, Gutnish, and Norn all retain the term ting. An alternative Proto-Germanic form of the word was þingsō, which became Gothic time. All these terms derive from þingą meaning appointed time. This root possibly originates in Proto-Indo-European *ten-, meaning stretch. The concept describes a stretch of time for an assembly. In English, the term is attested from 685 to 686 in the older meaning assembly. Later, it referred to a being, entity or matter sometime before 899. Then it also meant an act, deed, or event from about 1000. The original sense of meeting did not survive the shift to Middle English. The meaning of personal possessions first appears in Middle English around 1300. Eventually this led to the modern sense of object. This semantic development from assembly to object mirrors Latin res evolving into French chose, Spanish cosa, Italian cosa, and Portuguese coisa. These words now mean object or thing. The cognate to English sake means purpose. In Norwegian and Swedish, sak means thing, object, or affair. Danish uses sag, Dutch uses zaak, Afrikaans uses saak, and German uses Sache. In languages like Old Norse, these terms meant accusation or lawsuit. Today they carry the sense of thing or object. Today the term lives on in the English term hustings. It survives in names of national legislatures and political institutions of some Nordic countries. Examples include the Icelandic parliament, the Alþing, and the Norwegian parliament, the Storting. The Isle of Man retains the Tynwald.

• 2. Tacitus And Early Roman Records

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  The first detailed description of a thing was made by Tacitus in 98 CE. Tacitus suggested that things were annual delegate-based meetings serving legal and military functions. The oldest written reference to a thing is on a stone pillar found along Hadrian's Wall at Housesteads Roman Fort in Northumberland. It dates from 43, 410 CE and reads Deo Mars Thincsus. The pillar was raised by a Frisian auxiliary unit of the Roman army deployed at Hadrian's Wall. The name Tuihanti refers to the current region Twente, which lies in the east of the Netherlands. These Tuihanti tribesmen have been interpreted by different historians as Frisians. Deo Mars Thincsus means god Mars of the Thing. Mars of the Thing may be interpreted in analogy with the weekday name Tuesday corresponding to Latin dies Martis meaning day of Mars. This links to Tīwaz of the Thing. The god Tīwaz appears in Old English and Old Norse. He was likely important in early Germanic times. Numerous places in England and Denmark bear his name. Possible theonyms Beda and Fimmilena appear in the same inscription. They relate to bodthing and fimelthing, two specific types of assemblies recorded in Old Frisian codices from around 1100 onward. Perhaps the distinction was that the fixed thing was protected by the god Thincsus. The extraordinary thing might be protected by Beda. The informative or non-decision-making thing could be protected by Fimmilena. The Anglo-Saxon folkmoot served as an analogous institution. It functioned as the forerunner to the witenagemōt royal council. This body became a precursor of the modern Parliament of the United Kingdom.

• 3. Functions In Viking Age Society

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  In the Viking Age, things were public assemblies of free men of a country, province, or hundred. They functioned as parliaments and courts at different levels of society including local, regional, and supra-regional. Their purpose was to solve disputes and make political decisions. Thingsteads often served as places for public religious rites. According to Norway's Law of the Gulating, only free men of full age could participate in the assembly. Written sources indicate women were present at some things despite being left out of decision-making bodies. Women attended the Icelandic Althing but did not hold voting power. For prechristian Norse clans, members were obliged to avenge injuries against their dead and mutilated relatives. Feuding is often seen as the most common form of conflict resolution used in Viking society. Things acted as balancing structures to reduce tribal feuds and avoid social disorder in North Germanic cultures. They played an essential role as forums for conflict resolution, marriage alliances, power display, honor, and inheritance settlements. The thing met at regular intervals to legislate, elect chieftains and kings, and judge according to law. Laws were memorized and recited by the lawspeaker who also presided over negotiations. The chieftain or king shared this presiding role with the lawspeaker. More scholarly discussions center on things being forerunners to democratic institutions as we know them today. The Icelandic Althing is considered the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Norwegian Guling dates back to 900, 1300. While things were not democratic assemblies in the modern sense, they built around ideas of neutrality and representation. They effectively represented interests of larger numbers of people. In Norway, free men and elected officials met to discuss matters like taxation. Some scholars say things were dominated by influential clan heads and wealthy families. Other scholars describe how every free man could put forward his case for deliberation. History professor Torgrim Titlestad describes Norway's system as advanced political organization over a thousand years ago. It was characterized by high participation and democratic ideologies. These things served as courts of law. If smaller things could not reach agreement, matters went to bigger things encompassing larger areas. The legislature of Norway remains known as the Storting Big Thing today. Towards the end of the Viking Age, royal power became centralized. Kings consolidated control over assemblies. Things lost most political roles and began functioning mainly as courts in later Middle Ages.

• 4. Regional Variations Across Scandinavia

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  In northern and southwestern Norway, chieftains' farms showed close association with sites interpreted as assemblies or court sites. These areas were neutral ground where landowning elite could meet for political reasons and Norse rituals. This view relies partly on Norse sagas narratives about Viking chieftains and distribution of large grave mounds. Neutrality remained important for thing participants cooperation. Royal officials required cooperation to look after king's interests in local areas. Norwegian things became an arena for cooperation between royal representatives and farmers. One deep-rooted custom of Norwegian law areas involved bearing arms from old wapentake tradition. Wapentake refers to rattling weapons at meetings to agree. The Law of the Gulating provides that handling these weapons should be controlled and regulated. Haugating served as the thing for Vestfold in Norway. It was located in Tønsberg at Haugar meaning hill or mound. This site was one of Norway's most important places for proclamation of kings. In 1130, Harald Gille called together a meeting at Haugating where he was declared King of Norway. Sigurd Magnusson was proclaimed king there in 1193. Magnus VII was acclaimed hereditary King of Norway and Sweden at Haugating in August 1319. Similar changes occurred in Swedish administrative organization beginning late tenth and eleventh century. Power struggles arose between rising Christian royal power and old local magnate families maintaining control. Battle for power appears through runic inscriptions at thing sites used to make power statements. Swedish assembly sites featured large mounds, rune-stones, and crossings between roads by land or water. A famous incident took place when Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker told Swedish king Olof Skötkonung people held power not the king. The king realized he was powerless against the thing and gave in. Main things in Sweden included Thing of all Swedes, Thing of all Geats, and Lionga thing. Gotland island had twenty things in late medieval times each represented at landsting by elected judge. New laws decided at landsting also took other decisions regarding island. Landstings authority eroded after island occupied by Teutonic Order in 1398. Late medieval thing comprised twelve representatives for farmers free-holders or tenants. Iceland divided into four administrative quarters during Viking Age with fixed number thirty-nine goðis lawmakers. Twelve goðis served northern quarter nine each in eastern southern and western quarters. Main distinction between Iceland and greater Scandinavia lay in Althing organizational structure. Unlike other European societies in Middle Ages Iceland relied on Althing legislative and judicial institutions rather than executive branch government. Þingvellir hosted Althing where people gathered once year to bring cases render judgments discuss laws politics. Annual Althing saw thirty-nine goðis plus nine others serve as voting members of Law Council Lögrétta. Lögrétta reviewed laws lawspeaker recited made new laws set fines punishments informed about outlawry banishment passed courts local spring assemblies. Besides Althing local assembly districts existed in each four quarters of Iceland. Each year Spring Assembly vorþing brought together three goðis living in local assembly district samþingsgoðar. Four quarters had courts fjórðungsdómar meeting at Althing after constitutional reform around 965. Goðis appointed judges from farmers in their districts. Early twentieth century scholars identified two potential Greenlandic thing sites at Brattahlíð Eiríksfjörður and Garðar Einarsfjörður. Both located Eastern Settlement Greenland. Sites found through written sources and archeological evidence. Overlapping characteristics support hypothesis both booth sites are assemblies. Not all assembly features seen Scandinavia appear every assembly site. Some characteristics recorded Greenland unique to Greenland. Temporary turf structures Greenland only recorded Iceland not seen Viking Age Sweden assembly sites. Booth sites Brattahlíð and Garðar close high-status farms. Trade likely took place these sites given sparse nature Greenlandic settlement. Participants would take opportunity social interaction trade when gathered with others.

• 5. Legacy In The British Isles

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  In England Thingwall exists on Wirral Peninsula. Yorkshire former Danelaw areas used wapentakes another name same institution public records. Several places ending -by village suffix originally possessed laws by-laws jurisdiction subject wapentake serving surrounding ground called thorpe hamlet. If riding surrounded wapentake it merely local assembly coordinating power riding. Scandinavian York case under king command King's Square York now. Kingdom East Anglia controlled Danelaw organized Five Boroughs. Five fortifications defended land Wessex Vikings depending ruler Lindsey Lincolnshire divided three ridings like Yorkshire. Naming two roads Inner Outer Ting Tong hill-top Devon Budleigh Salterton Woodbury Exmouth widely derided fanciful may derive Thing-Tun dun hill fort tun settlement around place thing met. Thynghowe important Danelaw meeting place located Sherwood Forest Nottinghamshire England. Lost history until rediscovery 2005, 06 by local history enthusiasts Lynda Mallett Stuart Reddish. Site lies amidst old oaks Birklands area Sherwood Forest. Experts believe indicate boundary kingdoms Mercia Northumbria. English Heritage inspected site confirmed known Thynghowe 1334 1609. Functioned place people came resolve disputes settle issues. Thynghowe Old Norse name though site older Danelaw perhaps Bronze Age. Howe derived Old Norse word haugr mound. Often indicates presence prehistoric burial mound. Dublin Ireland Thingmote raised mound 40 foot high 240 foot circumference where Norsemen assembled made laws. Stood south river Saint Andrew's Church stands today until 1685. Dingwall exists Scottish Highlands Tingwall Orkney Shetland Tinwald Dumfries Galloway Thingwall village Wirral Peninsula Sweden places named Tingvalla modern Swedish form Þingvellir Norwegian equivalent found Tingvoll.

• 6. Modern Legislative Descendants

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  National legislatures Iceland Norway Denmark names incorporate thing. Alþingi means Icelandic General Thing. Folketing translates Danish People's Thing. Storting means Norwegian Great Thing. Legislatures self-governing territories Åland Faroe Islands Greenland Isle of Man names refer thing. Lagting denotes Ålandic Law Thing. Løgting refers Faeroese Law Thing. Faeroes divided six várting administrative districts. Landsting means Greenlandic Land Thing. Tynwald represents Manx Thing Meadow Isle of Man formerly called Ting. Annual public assembly Tynwald Hill each July 5 reads new Manx laws petitions delivered. Thing found name Swedish Assembly Finland Svenska Finlands folkting semi-official body representing Finland Swedish three distinct elected Sámi assemblies called Sameting Norwegian Swedish Northern Sami Sámediggi. Swedish national legislature medieval times bore Riksdag style cognate old German national assembly Reichstag. However ting used name subnational county councils called Landsting. Name also used medieval times tings governed historical Landskap provinces superseded counties 17th century. Name ting found names first level instances Swedish Finnish court system called tingsrätt court thing. Prior 1953 Danish legislature known Rigsdagen comprised two houses Folketing People's Thing Landsting Land Thing. Latter reserved people means abolished constitution 1953. Norwegian parliament Storting historically divided two chambers named Lagting Odelsting translates loosely Thing Law Thing Allodial rights. Much Storting recent history division Lagting Odelsting mostly ceremonial generally operated unicameral parliament. Constitutional amendment passed February 2007 abolished Lagting Odelsting making de facto unicameralism official following 2009 election. Lower administrative level governing bodies county Norway called Fylkesting Thing County. Names judicial courts Norway contain affix ting. Primary level courts called Tingrett same meaning Swedish Tingsrätt. Four six Norwegian Courts Appeal named after historical Norwegian regional Things Frostating Gulating Borgarting Eidsivating. Dutch word geding refers lawsuit trial notably kort geding literally short thing injunction.