I have never been to Iceland or Norway but several relatives have been. My father, a botanist went to Iceland in 1957 as a grant scholar during the International Geophysical year. He brought back a lot of photos, including of the Althing. The Norstogs all came from a farm by that name in Mo, at the head of Ran Fjord in Nordland County, near the Arctic circle. They likely were Saamis who may have settled there at the head of a major fjord for more than a thousand years. Recently my extended family has donated money to the Mo church for repair and upkeep of old Norstog gravestones, and I hope to go there this year for a small celebration.

My father told me that the Althing was a parliament intended to settle land and blood disputes without bloodletting. Likely they conducted trade as well, played music (they sang in a quarter-tone scale) and drank mead. Maybe they soaked in one of the many hot springs and swore oaths to Odin and Freya?

Thanks for the post, Charles!