Medieval Iceland’s early laws are found in lawbooks collectively known as
Grágás.
Grágásis a vital source for understanding medieval Icelandic society. It provides unique insights not only into the functioning of Iceland’s legal system, but also into the culture, values, attitudes, and beliefs of medieval Icelanders whose lives were shaped by its laws.
Grágáshas served as a basis for numerous anthropological, sociological, literary, and historical investigations of medieval Iceland and Scandinavia. Particularly effective are studies which make comparative use of
Grágásand Icelandic sagas, which were composed roughly contemporaneously with chief manuscripts of
Grágás, in order to draw conclusions about life in Iceland during the Viking Age and into the…
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Citation: Lawing, Sean. "Grágás". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40795, accessed 12 October 2024.]