þjónn
þjónn is a noun in Icelandic and Old Norse meaning a servant or attendant. In historical contexts, the term referred to a person in service to a household, a noble, or a temple or court, performing tasks such as cooking, cleaning, or errands. It contrasted with terms for slaves, such as þræll, reflecting different social statuses within Norse and medieval Icelandic society. The exact status of a þjónn varied by time and place, and some were free or semi-free workers bound by obligation or wage.
In modern Icelandic, the word retains its core sense of someone who provides service, and it is
Cultural and linguistic notes: the distinction between þjónn and enslaved or bonded laborers in historical sources