Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2015, Page 15

Surveying The Assembly Site And Churches Of Þingeyrar
Figure 2. The alleged dómhringur of Þingeyrar.
of Icelanders, the Contemporary Sagas
and Annals that refer to assemblies being
held in the Húnavatn area, the so-called
Húnavatnsþing (Friðriksson et al. 2005, 22;
Whitmore 2013, 336-45). Húnavatnsþing
was one of the four assembly sites in the
Northern Quarter during the Common-
wealth period, located centrally within a
region clearly defined by natural bounda-
ries (Vésteinsson 2006, 309 and 316). Most
sources refer to it as a spring assembly
(vorþing), although Kormáks saga (ch.
21, íslenzk fornrit VIII, 281) refers to it
as Húnavatnsleið (leið meaning autumn
assembly).
The identification of the location and di-
mensions of the assembly site is problematic,
despite some investigations by antiquarians
and archaeologists. The place name, clearly
indicating an assembly function, is men-
tioned in Landnámabók (fslenzk fornrit I,
220). One reference for its location - be-
sides the place name - is Heiðarvíga saga,
set between 975 and 1024 and possibly writ-
ten at the end of the 12th century. This saga
is generally believed to be one of the oldest
Icelanders’ sagas, but its reliability is disput-
ed (Finlay 2003). In chapter 16, Þórarinn of
Lækjamót tells of an assembly at Þingeyrar,
between Hóp and Húnavatn (fslenzk fornrit
III, 264). In addition, Þingeyrasveit is men-
tioned in Vatnsdcela saga (ch. 16, íslenzk
fornrit VIII, 46).
We do not know when the site was cho-
sen for assemblies nor when it fell out of
use. During the Commonwealth period
(AD 930-1262), the assembly place was an
important part of a central area, including
the Þingeyrar church and monastery, the
trading sites of Blönduós, Borðeyri and
Stígandahróf, and Hof in Vatnsdalur, the
possible location of a regional feasting hall
(Jónsson 1895, 7; Vésteinsson 2006, 314
and 318-319; Whitmore 2013, 336-45).
The monastery of Þingeyrar is said to
have been founded by Jón Ögmundarson,
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