Politics of Religion in a New Nation: The Origins of the Icelandic goðar

Abstract

This article examines the political and religious role of the Icelandic goðar from the late ninth to the mid-thirteenth century. As local leaders, the goðar held political power in Medieval Iceland, but their title – derived from “god” – suggests deeper religious significance. The study explores how their authority evolved from the settlement period through Christianization and Iceland’s transition from an independent commonwealth to a Norwegian colony. Methodologically, the article reviews existing strands of the research history on the goðar before exploring to what extent theories of transmarine migration and the foundation of new societies may shed light on this and other social institutions of pre-modern Iceland.