Frith facts for kids

Frith is an old word from Old English that means "peace," "protection," "safety," or "freedom." It's like a feeling of calm and security.

What Does Frith Mean?

The word Frith comes from an old English word, friðu. It's related to words in other languages that also mean "peace" or "calm." For example, the German word Friede and the Dutch word vrede both mean "peace."

You might even notice it sounds a bit like the word "friend"! This is because they share a common root. In some languages, like Swedish, the word developed into two different meanings: fred (meaning no war) and frid (meaning no disturbance). They even have an expression, "fredat," for things that are protected and shouldn't be touched, like certain animals or flowers.

The word Frith itself isn't used much in English today. It mostly disappeared after the Middle English period, though you might find it in old terms like frith-silver, which was a type of payment long ago.

Frith in Anglo-Saxon Culture

In the time of the Anglo-Saxons (an early English people), Frith was much more than just peace. It was about how people got along and kept things stable and safe in their communities.

Safe Places: Friþgeard and Frith-Stool

The Anglo-Saxons had special safe places called friþgeard. This word meant "asylum" or "sanctuary." A friþgeard was a protected area, often around places where people worshiped their gods. If someone needed protection, they could go to a friþgeard to be safe.

Sometimes, to claim safety in certain English churches, a person had to sit on a special seat called a frith-stool. This was a way to show they were seeking protection.

Loyalty and Family Connections

Frith also described the relationship between a lord (a powerful leader) and his people. It was about the loyalty and trust they shared.

The idea of Frith was also strongly linked to kinship, which means family ties. It was so important that it was often used with another old word, sib, from which we get our modern word "sibling." So, Frith wasn't just about blood relatives; it included all the good things and duties that came with being part of a family or a close group.

Frith and the Law

Frith even played a role in the law. In Anglo-Saxon times, peace was kept by groups called frith-guilds. These were early forms of local justice where people worked together to solve problems quickly.

After the Normans took over England, the word deorfrið (which literally means "animal-frith") was used. This referred to the royal forests that William the Conqueror created, like the New Forest. In this case, Frith meant the legal protection given to these areas.

See also

• Frith-borh
• Fridstoll
• Grith