með lögum skal land byggja
Icelandic
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Literally, “with laws shall land be built”, or more loosely translated as “land shall be built by laws”. The phrase is the opening words of the preamble to Jyske Lov (Law of Jutland) issued 1241 by King Valdemar II in Vordingborg.
Compare Old Danish mæth logh skal land byggiæs, Danish med lov skal land bygges, Faroese við lóg skal land byggjast, Norwegian med Lov skal Landet byggjast, Swedish land skall med lag byggas, med lag skall land byggas.
Phrase
[edit]- "a country shall be built by laws", "the land will be built by laws", "with laws shall we build the land", the motto of Shetland Islands Council, Víkingasveitin and the Icelandic Police
See also
[edit]- In Njáls saga the proverb með lögum skal land byggja en með ólögum eyða (“land shall be built by laws, but desolated without them; with laws shall land be built, but desolated without laws”) appears. In the Frostathing Law the passage at lögum skal land várt byggja en eigi at ulögum øyða (“our land shall be built on laws and not desolated with lawlessness”) appears. (Note, ólög can also represent bad laws, or laws that are not in harmony).