The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1967, Blaðsíða 101

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
99
attested that the memories of primitive
races unacquainted with the art of
writing are amazingly capacious and
retentive. Necessity and constant use
sharpen the faculty, while distracting
occupations and interests such as read-
ing and allied arts do not scatter the
attention. A classic example of this is
Caesar’s reference to the Gallic Druids.
The Icelandic Althing (parliament)
was instituted and a code of laws
agreed upon in 930. A provision of
the laws required the appointment of
a spokesman-at-law who had the code
in his keeping and whose task it was
to enumerate and elucidate the entire
code to the assembly, the recital to be
completed every third year. He also
served as the final arbiter where inter-
pretation of the point of law was in
question. The Icelanders of that day
were keenly interested in this code
and apt pleaders; sons of leading men
studied under those more learned in
the law, a wide knowledge in this
respect being a necessary qualification
for intelligent participation in Al-
thingi as well as an aid in possible
future disagreements with their fel-
lows. But the code of the republic was
not only involved but voluminous, and
not many in our day would be equal
to the task of memorizing it word by
word with a thoroughness enabling
them to recite it in toto and at the
same time render judgment in what-
ever dispute might arise. But these an-
cient scholars appear to have met this
difficulty with singular efficiency for
no reference is to be found of spokes-
men being brought to nonplus or rend-
ering unconstitutional judgment al-
though intimations may be found in
the sagas that validity of certain laws
was at times in question. There ap-
pears to have been no difficulty in
finding candidates for the office of
spokesman equal to the position among
the comparatively small class socially
eligible—chieftains and their sons—al-
though evidence supports the view that
a satisfactory incumbent was encour-
aged to remain in office, being elected
again and again to three year terms.
This condition obtained for nearly two
centuries during which eighteen
spokesmen held office. In the light of
tltis we may the batter understand how
the vast store of historical knowledge
in prose and rhyme found a repository
in the minds of the people and was
passed on to succeeding generations.
Illustrative of how faithfully tradi-
tions were preserved with succeeding
members of families the descriptions
of foreign places may be cited. As
might be expected they were more
often brief and inexact and sometimes
more or less inaccurate. In other in-
stances foreign places are described
correctly and with amazing minute-
ness. In the Saga of Egill Skallagrims-
son may be found an account of a bat-
tle between the forces of King Athel-
stane of England and those of the
Scots in which the former was victor-
ious. With King Athelstane were the
brothers Thorolfur and Egill Skalla-
grimssynir, Thorolfur losing his life
in the battle. In the account a fairly
close description of the battlefield is
given, and is called Vinheidr (The
Heath of Vines). It has been long
determined that the battle in question
is that which Anglo-Saxon historical
accounts place at Brunanburgh, or
Wendune, in the year 937. A British
scientist, Neilson, has, on the strength
of three separate Anglo-Saxon ac-
counts, determined the location as
Burnswork Hill in Dumfriesshire, and
this is accepted as final. He has subse-
quently made a survey of the ground
in the light of the description of it