Loforð

Loforð is an Old Norse term for a formal oath or pledge spoken aloud. The word combines lof ("praise" or "glory") with orð ("word"), and it designates a performed utterance that binds the speaker to a promised action, loyalty, or religious commitment. The form is typically described in sagas and poetry as a ceremonial instrument, delivered at moments of transition—granting of land or titles, the taking of fealty to a lord, or vows before deities.

In use, loforð is usually framed as a public statement, witnessed by others, and accompanied by social expectations and possible sanctions if the oath is broken. Because the sources are largely oral-derivative literature, loforð often appears with formulaic language and is embedded in larger narratives about honor, obligation, and reputation.

Scholars treat loforð as evidence for the importance of spoken pledges in Norse culture and as a key example of the performative aspect of oaths in medieval Icelandic and Norse texts. The term is primarily of philological interest and helps illuminate how promises were enacted and policed in historical communities.

See also: lof, orð, oath, fealty, Norse literature.