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Eið

Eið is a noun in Old Norse and modern Icelandic meaning an oath, vow, or solemn pledge. In Norse and Icelandic usage, an eið denotes a formal promise that binds the person who swears it, and often their kin or allies. Oaths could be sworn to a deity, to the law or to the thing (the assembly), to a ruler, or to another individual. In legal and narrative sources, eið functions as a central instrument for establishing trust, testifying to truth, and guaranteeing agreements or compensation arrangements.

Breaching an eið carried serious consequences. Honor was at stake, and violations could trigger social sanction,

In modern Icelandic, eið remains the ordinary term for oath and is studied as part of Norse

compensation
demands,
or
feuds.
Oaths
were
commonly
sworn
in
public
settings
and
witnessed
by
others,
sometimes
accompanied
by
ritual
acts
or
symbolic
tokens
that
reinforced
the
commitment.
The
integrity
of
an
eið
was
seen
as
essential
to
the
balance
of
kinship,
lordship,
and
community
law.
law
and
saga
literature.
The
word
is
a
direct
reflection
of
historical
conceptions
of
sacred
and
legal
obligation
in
the
Norse
world,
and
it
retains
its
moral
and
legal
associations
in
contemporary
usage.
Eið
has
cognates
in
other
Germanic
languages
and
continues
to
be
used
in
scholarly
discussions
of
oath-taking,
oath-keeping,
and
related
ritual
practices
in
medieval
Scandinavia.