Forseti's lay and his scales.
According to the old story's
hidden deep in time, Thorsvig the great war leader had challenged the
Friesians to show that they were civilized, by showing him their code of
laws other than the barbarian horde they showed themselves be to the outside
world.
Having existed as independent tribes, the Friesians had
no unified law code. It is possible that Thorsvig believed they were
vulnerable to conquest as separate tribes.
The Friesians chose twelve elders, one from each of the
tribes to write their law code and unify them. The elders went out to sea in
a longship, seeking an isolated place in which to debate the code. As soon
as they left sight of land, The sky turned black, the wind began to blow
with such force Skol and Hati the wolves that chased the sun and moon would
be hard pressed to be abroad. Then they were struck by the storm, blown to
and fro, the waves crashed down upon the long-ship. The rudder man was
washed over board such were the power of the swells and on it came, the
waves twice the height of the ship and on they came.
On the verge of sinking one of the elders called out to
Forseti to save them, immediately a thirteenth man appeared at their rudder.
Tall and dark he stood at the rudder his hair and beard was plastered to his
face, his homespun shirt clung to his powerful frame. Slowly, slowly he
turned the stricken ship into the heart of the storm, without speaking a
word, the man held their new heading.
The ribs of their ship protested at the battering and
there seemed to as much water in the boat as out. But once the thirteenth
man had set the coarse nothing could the waves do to shift it from its
heading. Suddenly as the ship rolled from the crest of a wave into the most
violent breakers coming out on the strand of an island. Still silent, he
motioned for all to leave the boat.
Awe-struck into silence, as well, the twelve obeyed.
As soon as all had disembarked Forseti,
for that’s who the thirteenth man was, cast his axe. A stream gushed forth
where the axe landed.
Snorri reports that the name of this well was called
Axenhove.
The men silently ran forth to drink from the well. When
they had taken their fill of fresh water they turned and noticed above the
beach was a long house, quickly they made their way inside. They then sat
silently glade to be out of the storm that should have drowned every one of
them, looking upon the stranger.
Each of the twelve recognised some quality of themselves
in the man, yet also his difference from all of them.
Then the stranger broke his silence, and speaking in low
tones, expounded to them a complete code of laws.
When he finished, he immediately disappeared from their
sight. Those laws spoke of the rights of men and the balance that effects
all, man, beast and the land around them. Last of all it spoke of the
council and that which we sow in life so shall we reap in death.
The twelve elders slept that night as babes and woke at
first light and eat a breakfast from a great table of food that had appeared
in the long house. In the centre of the table laden with fruit in one basket
and salted meats in the other, stood a set of scales.
The twelve took the scales and pushed their ship back
into the breakers once out in the sea again a brisk wind carried them safely
back to their home where they told the other Friesians of their story.
The Twelve tribes unified and the twelve elders began to
organize a council which became known as the magistrates council where the
scales rested as a symbol of their devotion to Forseti
When Thorsvig returned to the Friesians he was surprised
to see the order of the tribes and the Law code. Thorsvig took of his helm
and with a great smile asked them to become part of the Norscan people and
act as the arbiters or Norsca. The magistrates agreed and the rest as they
say is history.
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