Thingvellir, 930 AD
The Law Rock
That er upphaf laganna, at allir menn skulu kristnir vera ok i kristinn dom trua a Islandi.
Nu skulu menn sattir vera ok samir, ok njota sin i milli.
Vorn logrettu skulu sitja logsogumadr ok biskupar tveir ok abbadis.
This is the beginning of our laws: that all people shall be Christian and believe in one God in Iceland.
Now shall all people be at peace and reconciled, and enjoy one another's company.
In our law council shall sit the Lawspeaker, the two bishops, and the abbot.
The Assembly of Free People
At the height of the Commonwealth, 36 godord chieftains gathered each midsummer at Thingvellir to legislate, adjudicate, and speak the law aloud from memory.
The Rift of All People
The longest experiment in self-governance on Earth.
From the Law Rock at Thingvellir to the halls of Reykjavik, the Althing endures.