The Viking Thing

[denmcdough]

As taken from IrishAbroad



The thing about 'The Thing'
by Dougal Hazel on 02 November 2010 22:11PM

" ' Hamlet: Act 2, scene 2.................... I'll have grounds

More relative than this

The play's the thing

Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.'


The Viking' Thing' was an assembly, which acted as a court of law. At which trials were held crimes were punished, people were sentenced and even put to death. From the election of a King to the more mundane decisions of local government the ' Thing ' ruled. Held about twice a year in Spring and Autumn and lasting for a week, Thing's became an important social events. In Dublin the Thingmote (Thingmount) was a raised mound, 40 foot high and 240 foot in circumference. Located on the south side of the river Liffey, between Suffolk Street and St. Andrew's Street Church (now Dublin's main tourist information office).The mound lasted until 1685 CE and once had steps or terraces similar to other Norse,Thing mounds. Dublin settled by Vikings in 841 CE, first as a fortified camp, then becoming a Norse town and eventually a city, had at it's heart the Thingmote. Down through the centuries, even with the increasing size of the city, the area of the Thingmote was deemed common ground by the municipal authorities. Who in 1635 CE reinforced its position in Dublin's landscape, as a place where people could take the air. It remained an open area until 1661 CE, when it became part leased to Dr. Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath. Finally in 1682 CE after coming into the possession of Sir William Davis, the Chief Justice of the King's Bench and Recorder of the city, permission was granted to have it removed. It's earth becoming land fill for the raising of Nassau Street, then called Saint Patrick's Well Lane.

[Vegan Scot]

And to think all this time I just thought it was a clever turn of phrase.

[xman]

Thank-you for this interpretation. .

[ohiopiper]

It's often been said that if not for the vikings, there'd be no red-headed Irish.

If you're ever up for some entertaining reading, look into the Jomsburg vikings.

[Woot22]

If you are interested in Viking Sagas then read The Saga of the Volsungs. It is one of the best stories I have ever read.

[Morris at Heathfield]

Given that the English "thing" had most, if not all, of its modern meanings during the Anglo-Saxon age, I think it's doubtful Shakespeare had some sort of council in mind when he wrote those lines, if that is what Dougal Hazel meant to imply.

Still, nice bit of history and etymology.

[ohiopiper]

While I cannot get inside the mind of a man dead 500 years, remember the context of "Hamlet". Hamlet was written as a Dane. The meaning may well have been intended.

[Lallans]

Shakespeare was an incredibly clever man who must have done some research into the Danish background of the story, and puns were well-regarded in his day. However, if the great man could be asked about this he might reply, as did Freud in another context, that sometimes a thing is just a thing. Very interesting thought though- I tend to agree with the OP's premise.

[tripleblessed]

It may be well to remember that German is the largest single source of
words in our language. Yes, if you combine Latin with French, Italian,
Spanish, etc., they outweigh it by less than half a percentage point,
as always, if memory serves. Sort of a moot point, wouldn't you say?
The Danes moved in with their Angle-ish language, married into their
Saxon cousins and combined their DNA with Gaels and Britons who'd
been raided by Germanic peoples from time out of mind, and their memory
was better trained than ours. Shakespeare's plays, regardless who
wrote them, were written in a time when that was nearer history,
and constantly referenced events of a period when Norse influence was
still very much a reality in Man and the Western Isles, and the Norse
still ruled the Orkneys and parts of mainland Scotland. The practice
of mootings was the root of much common law, language affected
still survives in the Orkneys and the Western Isles. No way to prove
either way .....moot point.

[auld argonian]

It's often been said that if not for the vikings, there'd be no red-headed Irish.

How about the Tuatha DeDannan?

http://www.burlingtonnews.net/redhairedrace.html

...watch out...our starships will be coming back so stay on our good side.

Best

AA