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. The Þingvellir area was chosen for this reason and for its accessibility to the most populous regions of the north, south and west. 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. At about the same time, the owner of Bláskógar (the contemporary name for the Þingvellir region) was found guilty of murder. Grímur Geitskör was allotted the role of rallying support and finding a suitable location for the assembly. The descendants of Ingólfur 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. Early on, district assemblies were formed, but as the population grew, there was a need for a general assembly. Over the next centuries, people of Norse and Celtic origin settled in Iceland. ( October 2008) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Īccording to the Book of Settlements ( Landnámabók), the settlement of Iceland began in 874, when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first permanent Norwegian settler on the island. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification. The spelling Pingvellir is also seen, although the letter “p” does not correspond to the letter “þ” (thorn), which is pronounced, like the th in thirst.ĭingwall 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. The name is most commonly anglicised as Thingvellir, and might appear as Tingvellir, Thingvalla or Tingvalla in other languages. 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.Īlthough the name Þingvellir is plural, the older form Þingvǫllr is singular, and the modern singular form Þingvöllur can still be heard. 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. Compare the English thing and weald (“Thingweald”) from Anglo-Saxon þing and weald. The name Þingvellir is derived from the Old Norse Þingvǫllr ( Old Norse pronunciation: ), from þing (“ thing, assembly”) and vǫllr (“field”), meaning assembly fields.
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. Þingvellir National Park ( þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum ) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake 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.
Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. Þingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Since 1881, the parliament has been located within Alþingishúsið in Reykjavík. Þingvellir ( Icelandic: ( listen), anglicised as Thingvellir ) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland from the year 930 until the last session held at Þingvellir in 1798.
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