með lögum skal land byggja

Icelandic

Etymology

Literally, "with laws shall land be built", "with laws, land shall be built" or "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 Danish mæth logh skal land byggiæs, 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

með lögum skal land byggja

  1. "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, Víkingasveitin and the Icelandic Police

See also
  • 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).
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