Appendix C: Borders, Boundaries and Boundary Markers
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- a type of witness and derive their name from the legal term for a three-man oath (ON lýrittareiðr), though at least one scholar has argued that the stones predate the oath (cf. Páll Vídalín 1854 s.v. lýrittar).
- See also lýrittr, mark, marksteinn, mærki, tiældrusten.
- Refs: Fritzner's.v. lýrittarstein, lýritti; Hertzberg's.v. lýriti, lýrittarstein; KLNM s.v.v. jordejendom, lýrittr; Páll Vídalín 1854 s.v. lýrittar.
- marksteinn (OIce) n.
- Boundary stone.
- Refs: CV s.v. marksteinn.
- mærki (OSw) , merki (ON) n.
- A mark of any kind. When meaning boundary marker, it is often preceded by a qualification: ra- 'stake' (VgL), rör'cairn of stones'(MELL), skóga- 'forest' (ON), skogs- 'forest' (HL), sokna- 'parish' (YVgL), sten- 'stone'(HL), træ- 'wooden'(HL).
- Refs: CV s.v. merki; Schlyter s.v. mærki.
- merkibjörk (ON) n.
- A birch tree which served as a boundary marker between land plots in Iceland.
- Refs: CV s.v. merkibjörk; KLNM s.v. gränsläggning; NGL V s.v. merkibjörk.
- merkióss (ON) n.
- The outlet of a river or lake serving as a boundary marker.
- Refs: CV. s.v. merkióss.
- ra (OSw) n.
- A stake used as a boundary marker and, when preceded by a qualification, the boundary itself: (bolstaþa), 'village' (UL, VmL), (delda), 'strip field' (UL, VmL), (farvægs UL), 'highway', (tompta UL, SdmL, VmL), 'plot' or 'village'. Tompta ra is supposed to have been a boundary marker in a corner of the boundary enclosing all village plots. Another word for this is skötra ('corner' + 'boundary marker', DL). The marker as a whole was a stake (ra) thrust into a small cairn of stones (rör).
- Refs: KLNM s.v. gränsläggning; Schlyter s.v.v. tompta ra, ra; Tollin 1999, 51–63.
- rör (OSw) , hreysar ON n.
- Boundary marker consisting of a small cairn of stones. According to UL (Blb 18) the rör should consist of five stones, one in the middle and four around it. The text continues describing when a rör may contain fewer stones. The important idea was that you should be able to distinguish a rör from an ordinary heap of stones. The alliterative expression ra oc rör is generally used where an attribute to ra is not specified. The marker as a whole was a stake thrust into a small cairn of stones, the rör.
- Refs: KLNM s.v. gränsläggning; Tollin 1999, 51–63.
- skæl (OSw) , skial (ODan) n.
- Boundary or boundary marker. Often preceded by a qualification, bolstaþaskæl 'farmland-' (SdmL UL), byaskæl 'village-' (SdmL), skoghaskæl 'forest-' (SdmL), tomptaskæl 'plot-' (SdmL). Etymologically related to a verb originally meaning 'to split' realized as skilia in OSw. See skæl in the lexicon.
- Refs: Gammeldansk ordbog (beta online) s.v. skjal; ONP (online) s.v. skil; Schlyter's.v. skæl.
- sten ok ren (OSw) n.
- 'Stones and edges' i.e. boundary markers standing on the edges of a field (VgL).
- tiældra (OSw) n.
- Boundary marker. Tiældrubrut: to break up the stones of a boundary marker; tiældru sten: stone used to form a boundary marker. In YVgL Jb 22 it says that two stones should be dug into the ground with a third on top to form a boundary marker; tiældrubyrd: to move a boundary stone to another place.
- Refs: Schlyter s.v. tiældra.
- þræstene (OSw) n.
- A boundary marker consisting of only three stones.
- Refs: Schlyter s.v. þræstene.
