Thing Sites: í Trøðum Traditional Geocache
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A traditional lock'n'lock box capable of holding a logbook, pencil and small swappable items.
There are Thing Sites caches in and around the locations of Norse and Viking assembly sites in Norway, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, Orkney, Shetland, Highland Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Follow in the footsteps of the Vikings, and explore some of these fascinating sites. The island Sandoy is rich in heritage. The island had good farmland, so it must have been very suitable for settlements. The ancient thing-site was in the valley between Sandur, Skálavík and Skarvanes situated between the two lakes. Later the thing moved to the nearest village “í Trøðum” east of the lake Sandsvatn. When the thing moved to the village, it also moved indoors, but the big flat stone with inscriptions is still known as the thing-table. The village Sandur is known for its lovely lake,s suitable for trout and salmon fishing. The name Sandoy refers to the sandy beaches, and in Sandur you’ll find the only sand dunes in the Faroe Islands. Visit the lovely 19th century church in Sandur, the last of several churches built on the same site. The view to Skúvoy is fantastic. Skúvoy was known as the home to Sigmundur Brestisson, the Viking who introduced Christianity to the thing on Tinganes in 998. General information on the Thingsites Thing sites, from the Old Norse Þing, are the early assemblies found throughout Northern Europe as a result of our shared Norse heritage. When the Vikings and early Norse settlers arrived in a new place they brought with them their customs and legal systems. Political decisions were made at the thing, laws upheld and disputes settled. Proceedings were overseen by the local ruler and the law-speaker (judge), whose job was to memorise and recite the law. At some things, known as Althings, any free man was entitled to vote. At others - Lawthings - the crown and local communities acted together to interpret the law. The thing was also a focus for religious activity, as well as trade and exchange. At Thingvellir in Iceland you can still see the remains of the booths, or huts, where traders came to do business with people attending the meeting. The thing system for sharing and legislating power can still be recognised today. Several things continue to be active. The Icelandic parliament is still known as the Althing, the Norwegian parliament is called the Storting and the Faroese parliament goes by the name of Løgting. The Manx parliament, known as Tynwald, still holds a midsummer court on the thing mound at Tynwald Hill every year. There are several ferries every day to Sandoy. Take the bus from Skopun to Skálavík or Dalur and asked to be dropped of at the petrol station in Trøðum. If you are driving, then park you car next to the petrol station after passing through Sandur. It is then a short walk along the road until you see the signpost “Tingborðið” = the thing-table. The indoor thing meetings were held in the black farmhouse in the background. Park by the petrol station The thing-table – the big flat stone is in farmland, so you cannot get nearer than the fence.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur fvta vf fubjvat gur jnl