Posted by Ed Kiser on June 18, 2014 at 16:14:34 user Kisered.
THING was an important Danelaw open air meeting place where
Vikings would gather to discuss law, politics or to resolve
legal concerns, headed by the King or Chief of that group.
From time to time, the several groups would get together to
have a combined Meeting where the representatives of all the
tribes or groups gathered to resolve inter-tribal legal
concerns. This gathering of the representatives of several
THINGS was called the ALLTHING.
(Please note I am using English spellings here, not Danish
nor Icelandic, not Norwegian.)
Iceland today has a central government, a Parliament, called
the Althing, which is based upon the gathering of Viking
leaders as was done a thousand or so years ago.
Here, in the Land of Ransome, we have our several groups where
in each group, the fans of the works of Ransome get together and
have Ransome-ish activities, making real the adventures of those
beloved characters in Ransome's stories.
These groups logically "gather" at the internet, sharing information
and tales of their Ransome-ish activities. This gathering is
international, with members coming together on the Internet sharing
pictures, stories, hidden meanings, raising questions about his
stories, sharing across national boundaries our love for the
works of Ransome.
This is what the TarBoard is all about - us sharing, and comparing
notes, enhancing our knowledge of Ransome and his writings, regardless
of national boundaries, as this is a world-wide gathering of fans.
Such shared experiences and information has inriched our own personal
enjoyment to an even greater depth that otherwise reachable if just
left on our own.
So this gives us this common meeting place, our own ALLTHING where
the advancement of the admiration of Ransome's efforts is spread
around the world. Perhaps we can better appreciate such a gathering
under a title such as ALL THINGS RANSOME, found in the Internet as:
http://www.allthingsransome.net
At least now you know where that name came from, and what it truly
means. It comes from Viking tradition. And now, you know the
rest of the story...
Ed Kiser, Kentucky, USA