attunger (OSw) atting (ODan) áttungr (ON) noun

Literally an ‘eighth’ of something. In SkL, VSjL and ÖgL the attunger was primarily a land assessment unit and an administrative district in the organization of the military levy system, leþunger. ‘Most probably the original purpose of the taxation was to create an adequate base for the military levy system [i.e. in ÖgL, eastern Småland and Närke]. Several indications show that the attunger originally corresponded to one family’s normal holding of land. The usefulness of the attunger for other purposes was soon realized. Besides taxes it also became the base for tenant’s land rent, tithes to a particular hospital (domus Sancti Spiritus), compensation for plowing of fallow fields but also for the subdivision of common fields on a pro rata basis. The right to an easement could also be connected to the attunger. At the same time a subdivision of the attunger unit in several fractions was created which facilitated the trading of landed property.’ (Ericsson 2007, Abstract). In the Västgöta laws and Svea laws (SdmL, UL) attunger was an administrative district on a low level. In the Svea laws area the land assessment unit was the markland (q.v.) around the late thirteenth century. The attunger in DL denotes an eighth of a legally divided village. In Norwegian laws it was used about an eighth of a fylki (q.v.), but in some laws it was an important unit in the organization of the leiðangr (see leþunger).


{attunger} OSw ÄVgL Jb
OSw ÖgL Gb Jb Bb
OSw YVgL Kkb, Jb, Föb

descendant within the third degree OSw UL Kmb
OSw VmL Äb

eighth ODan SkL 73, 75, 76
ODan VSjL 78−80
ONorw FrL Mhb 8
OSw ÄVgL Jb
OSw DL Bb
OSw SdmL Kkb, Kgb, Bb
OSw YVgL Jb

eighth of a {fylki} ONorw GuL Krb, Leb
eighth of a {hundari} OSw UL Kgb, Blb, Rb, Add. 4
eighth of a village OSw DL Bb
eighth of the inhabitants of an area ONorw GuL Krb
Expressions:

halver attunger (OSw)

descendant within the fourth degree OSw VmL Äb

Refs:

Dovring 1947b; Ericsson 2007, Abstract and passim; Ericsson 2012, 181−82, 329−41 and passim; KLNM s.v.v. attung, bol, byamål, hundare, jordmått, jordskatter, leidang, markland, sogn, öresland, örtugland; Lindkvist 1995, 20−21; Lundberg 1972, 92−93; Schlyter, s.v. attunger

Citation
  • ‘attunger’. A Lexicon of Medieval Nordic Law.

  • http://www.dhi.ac.uk/lmnl/nordicheadword/displayPage/389
    (03/28/2024)