Boðskiptum

Boðskiptum is an Icelandic term describing the formal exchange of messages or communications between individuals, offices, or institutions, especially in historical or administrative contexts. The word is typically used to refer to diplomatic correspondence, summons, decrees, and negotiations conveyed through official channels. In older Icelandic and Norse-influenced legal and political texts, boðskiptum denotes the procedural aspect of sending and receiving official communications, often as part of assemblies, royal or chieftainly orders, and the coordination of legal or political actions.

Etymology: boð means message, invitation, or command, and skipti means exchange or division; together they form a compound associated with the exchange of formal communications. The form boðskiptum represents a case-inflected form used in particular grammatical contexts.

Usage: Today the term is primarily found in scholarly discussions of medieval diplomacy, legal history, and Icelandic language history. It is relatively rare in contemporary everyday Icelandic, where more common words for communication might be used. The scope and nuance of boðskiptum thus depend on the source, and scholars may translate it as “the exchange of official messages,” “diplomatic correspondence,” or “courier communication.”

See also: boðskapur, skipti, diplomacy, medieval Icelandic, Alþingi.