fardagher (OSw) fardagh (ODan) fardagr (ON) noun

The fardaghar, ‘moving days’, was the usual term for coming into possession of a farm, for payment in trade or leasing, assessment of land, payment of fines, etc. These were also the days when the tenant’s right to remain on the land expired. According to the ÄVgL there were four fardaghar, all in the latter half of winter: the twelfth day of Christmas, Candlemas (2 February), Sunday before Lent, and Mid-lent. The ÖgL mentions only one: Mid-lent. The DL has no provisions about fardaghar, but two terms are mentioned for lease agreement: the winter nights (around 14 October) and Easter. In the SdmL and VmL the corresponding terms are Martinmas (11 November) and Whitsun. The VmL mentions three afraþsdaghar (‘days for the annual rent to be paid’) which coincide with the three last fardaghar of the VgL, It is therefore possible that these afraþsdaghar were also fardaghar.

Most ODan provincial laws do not mention fardagh. The only exception (no date is given) is that the SkL ch. 238. Ch. 239 indicates one such day: the first Mass of the Virgin Mary (15 August).

The FrL knows only one fardagr, the first weekday (not holy day) after the thirteenth day of Christmas (6 January). The tenant was nevertheless allowed to keep half of the houses and, in addition, one fourth of the hay until the first day of summer (14 April), if he was homeless. In the GuL the fardagar was a period of nine days after ‘summer day’ (23 April). If the tenant could not move all his property within that period, he might keep half of the houses for another nine days.

In OIce law the fardagar began on Thursday in the seventh week of summer, i.e. in the week beginning 21−27 May, and expired in the night before the following Monday.

moving day ODan SkL 238
ONorw GuL Llb, Olb
OSw ÄVgL Äb
OSw MESt Bb
OSw YVgL Äb
moving days OIce Grg Klþ 6, 8 Þsþ 22, 78 Vís 89, 104 Ómb 128 Lbþ 172, 220 Fjl 224 Hrs 234 Misc 246
OIce Jó Þfb 9 Sg 1 Kge 14 Lbb 1, 7 Llb 1, 7 Kab 4 Þjb 23
OIce Js Lbb 3, 10 Kab 11
OIce KRA 14, 26
ONorw FrL LlbA 1
OSw KrL Jb
OSw MESt Jb
public quarter-day OSw MEL Jb Refs:

Helle 2001, 120–22; Hertzberg s.v. fardagr; KLNM s.v.v. fardag, skiftedag; Schlyter s.v. fardagher