Almáttki áss

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Almáttki áss, meaning “the almighty god,” is the name given to an unknown Norse deity who is invoked in an Icelandic legal oath. The reference appears in Landnámabók (in the Hauksbók version, section 268), in a passage about old heathen laws for swearing oaths. In the oath, the speaker calls Freyr, Njörðr, and the almáttki áss as witnesses to swear that he will prosecute or defend a case, bear witness, pronounce doom, or settle judgments according to what is right, true, and lawful while he is at the Thing.

Scholars differ on who the almáttki áss might be. The most common guess is Thor, since the word “almighty” fits him and he was a prominent god at the time Iceland was settled. Ullr is another possibility because of a similar reference to Ullr’s ring in Atlakviða, though some scholars think Ullr’s cult was too minor for this role. Other candidates include Odin or Týr, both tied to law and justice. Some suggest the author was Christian and used the phrase as a pagan-sounding name, making the almáttki áss a transitional or symbolic figure rather than a specific deity.