fiærþungsmaþer (OSw) fjarthingsman (ODan) fjórðungsmaðr (ON) fiorþongs maþer (OSw) fiorþungs maþer (OSw) noun

Literally, ‘man of the quarter’. In JyL (2 §56) it occurs in the context of the nomination of a replacement (nævning, see næmpning) for one of the pair of men from a quarter of a district who were to form part of the adjudication panel of eight for that district. Those making the nomination would seem to include to all the qualified men from that quarter. In FrL, Grg and Js, it refers more generally to the inhabitants of a quarter, an administrative district in Norway and Iceland. The word has two different meanings in VmL. The first meaning relates to the levy and refers to a man or the men of the quarter of the skiplagh (q.v.) (presumably the population division called elsewhere the hundari (q.v.)) from whom the troops in the levy are drawn. The second meaning relates to reversion inheritance and refers to ascendants two generations removed from the deceased person, who were thus entitled to one quarter of the inheritance each according to the laws of inheritance set out in VmL.

man entitled to a quarter OSw VmL Äb
man of the quarter ONorw FrL KrbA 7
OIce Grg Þsþ 49, 50 Ómb 138, 143 Misc 240
OIce Js Rkb 2
ODan JyL 2
OSw VmL Kgb Refs:

KLNM, s.v. fjerding; Schlyter 1877, s.v.v. fiærþungs maþer, skiplagh, skiplæghi; SL VmL, 41 note 24, 42 note 26, 62 note 71