lögbók

Lögbók is the Icelandic term for a book that contains a collection of laws. The word is used to describe both historical law codices and contemporary statutory compilations. In discussions of medieval Icelandic legal history, a lögbók refers to a formal written collection that codified customary laws.

Historically, Icelandic law developed from local customs administered by assemblies. Beginning in the 12th and 13th centuries, these laws were written down and compiled into what is commonly called a lögbók. The best known example is Grágás, the law book of the Icelandic Commonwealth, which survives in medieval manuscript copies. Grágás covers areas such as private rights, criminal liability, fines, and procedural rules, and it reflects the legal practices of its time as well as the authority of the Althing and other legislative bodies. The surviving texts served as a reference for legal decision-making during the late medieval period and beyond.

In modern usage, lögbók remains a general term for a codified collection of statutes in Icelandic. It can refer to historical manuscripts as well as contemporary editions of Icelandic laws published by official bodies or legal publishers. The concept encompasses both the traditional practice of recording laws in written form and the ongoing production of updated statutory compilations used in legal administration.