Til árs ok friðar

While the phrase's origins are debated by scholars, it was likely adopted by the Church during the Christianisation of Scandinavia, leading to its inclusion in the Medieval Scandinavian law codes Gutalagen from Gotland and Den ældre Gulathings-Lov from Norway.

Its usage its very similar in both heathen and Christian contexts, in which figures relevant to each religion are appealed to in order to bring a good year and peace, typically by a societal elite.

[11][12] Similarities have also been drawn with the Stentoften stone, which has an inscription typically interpreted as using jāra as a begriffsrune to mean "good year crops", in an equivalent way as ár.

[13] Hákonar saga góða in Heimskringla describes a blót in Trøndelag where toasts were to be drunk, first to Óðinn for victory and power to the king, then to Njǫrðr and Freyr til árs ok friðar ("for good harvest and peace").

[14] In addition to the formula appearing in the context of ritual drinking, it is also used later in the text, where King Hákon is expected by the farmers of Trøndelag at the Frostaþing to blót til árs ... ok friðar, as his father, Harald Fairhair had done.

[19][20][2] Blót for árs only are also well attested, including the in Óláfs þáttr Geirstaðaálfs in Flateyjarbók, which similar to the account of Freyr, describes how after the death of the king Ólafr, offerings are made to him for ár and he is called Geirstaðaálfr ("the Álfr of Geirstaðir").

The stanza containing this phrase is quoted in Ágrip, where it is further stated in contrast that when Ælfgifu of Northampton and her son with Cnut, Sveinn took control in Trondheim, there was famine and misery fyr því at aldregi var ár á þeira dǫgum ("because the seasons were never good in their time").

[22][23] The formula is also found in medieval Scandinavian law codes such as Den ældre Gulathings-Lov from Norway, which begins by saying that that "we should bow to the east and pray to the holy Christ for ars ok friðar and that heathendom should be revoked.