þjónar

þjónar is a term from Old Norse and modern Icelandic meaning "servants" or "attendants." The form is the plural of þjónr, referring to people who served a household or lord. In Viking Age and medieval Norse contexts, the word is distinct from þræll, the word for a slave or thrall. While thralls were enslaved and legally owned, þjónar generally denotes individuals who served in a household or retinue, and their status could range from free servants bound by contract to dependents in lifelong service. The exact legal and social position of þjónar varied by region and era, and manumission or changing circumstances could alter their status.

In practice, þjónar performed daily tasks in a lord’s hall or estate, such as cooking, maintaining the household, messenger work, guards, and other support roles. They might accompany their master on journeys and hunts and form part of the retinue or hirð. The term appears in saga literature and other medieval sources to denote a spectrum of service roles within a noble household, sometimes foregrounding loyalty and personal bonds between a master and his attendants.

Today, þjónar survives primarily in historical and literary contexts as a descriptor of household service in Norse society. In modern Icelandic usage, the plural form still conveys the sense of servants or attendants, though contemporary equivalents may be used for service staff in more general or ceremonial contexts. The word illustrates the social structure of Norse households, alongside terms for masters, slaves, and other dependents.