Learnings: The Boender, or Freemen

Sickles and foliage knives / c. Viking Age

The bóndi (singular form of boender) played a major role in everything related to justice and lawmaking. They had the right and the duty to attend to the þing, or 'thing': the freemen's assembly. Any bóndi could serve as a judge or as a member of the jury during legal processes. They also had the right to bear arms, which was not the case for women or slaves.

Pictured here are some of the tools used by boender as they worked in the fields.