Jón Bjarnason Academy - 01.05.1931, Page 39

Thingvellir. On this plain the national assembly met until
1798, when the Althing moved from the plains to the city of
Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. In the latter place it meets
today.
It is not strange that even up to the present time there are
distinguished men in Iceland who believe that a national as-
sembly should meet on that grandly picturesque and historic
spot. Undoubtedly the actual process of lawmaking can better
take place in the comfortable Parliament House in Reykjavik;
but it is a debatable question whether a national gathering at
Thingvellir, for a few days annually, for the discussion of
national problems might not be fruitful of wholesome results,
helpful in fostering a national consciousness and in keeping
alive popular interest in the government, as well as a means
of imparting information concerning public sentiment to pub-
lic officials. Public opinion in Iceland has decidedly limited
vehicles of expression; most newspapers are seemingly per-
sonal, group, or party organs; at any rate, they seem intensely
partisan. Beyond a doubt Iceland has lost a great national in-
stitution in giving up the meeting at Thingvellir, just as the
Greeks lost something when the Olympic games were
abandoned.
The founders of the Icelandic commonwealth took a long
step in advance of contemporary Europe when they separated
the lawmaking from the judicial function. There is some dis-
pute among the authorities whether the separation existed from
the beginning, or whether it was effected about 965. In any
event, it is clear that by 965 the separation had been complete-
ly brought about and one body decided controversies and an-
other tribunal made the laws. It is my personal view, that
the separation dates from 965, for one reason, because in Nor-
way, from which the Icelandic law-giver received the main in-
spiration for his system, the legislative and the judicial power
were combined as one function in Logretta. This latter term,
is therefore a Norwegian importation, and it is probable that
the function was, in the main, borrowed with the name. By
965 experience had demonstrated the evils of combining the
functions in one body.
Space does not permit an extended description of the
structure and functioning of the Althing. At one time the
island was divided into twelve things, and there were three
godords in each thing, it resulting that the godis were at once
the religious and political leaders in the community. It is not,
however, proper to speak of the godord as an office; it is rather
in the nature of a property, and transferable by the holder.
Thirty-six men (godis) originally constituted the law-
making membership of the Althing, i.e. Logretta, together with
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