The chieftains took responsibility for maintaining order in their regions, overseeing communal matters (such as allocating meadows), dealing with people who shirked communal duties, and organizing maintenance for the poor. They established courts to hear legal disputes, considered allegations of theft or sorcery, and were expected to confiscate the property of outlaws. They also had to attend the Althing and convene their local Thing, first purifying the ground on which it was to be held.
