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frið

Frið is the Old Norse noun meaning peace, safety, and protection. In Norse society, it signified more than quiet; it denoted a social condition and, in some contexts, a formal guarantee of safety that could be observed for a time or within a protected space, such as during a truce or in a designated area where violence was forbidden.

Etymology and cognates

Frið derives from the Proto-Germanic root associated with peace and security. It is closely related to cognates

Usage in historical context

In Old Norse literature and law, frið appears in contexts related to diplomacy, conflict resolution, and the

Modern forms and legacy

In modern Icelandic, the direct word for peace is friður, with frið surviving in linguistic studies and

found
in
other
Germanic
languages,
such
as
Old
English
frith
and
Danish
fred
(peace).
The
term
reflects
a
shared
Germanic
concept
of
social
order
anchored
in
safety
and
nonviolence.
maintenance
of
social
order.
It
represents
the
ideal
of
a
ruler
or
community
that
upholds
safety
for
its
members
and
adheres
to
agreed
terms
of
nonviolence.
The
concept
could
be
invoked
to
describe
periods
of
nonhostility,
as
well
as
the
protections
granted
to
individuals
or
property
within
a
recognized
peace.
in
the
broader
family
of
related
terms.
The
Old
Norse
concept
of
frið
continues
to
be
discussed
in
scholarship
on
Norse
law,
poetry,
and
cultural
history,
illustrating
how
peace
and
protection
were
embedded
in
political
and
social
structures
of
the
Norse
world.