Mead hall

[2] The meaning has been preserved in German Saal, Dutch zaal, Frisian seal, Icelandic salur Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsaːlʏr̥], Swedish, Norwegian and Danish sal, Lithuanian salė, Finnish sali, Estonian saal, Izhorian saali, Hungarian szállás, French salle, Italian/Polish/Portuguese/Spanish/Serbo-Croatian sala and Russian зал (zal), (all meaning "hall" or "large room").

[citation needed] From around the year 500 A.D. up until the Christianization of Scandinavia (by the 13th century), these large halls were vital parts of the political center.

Examples that have been excavated include: The mead hall developed from European longhouses: The possibly related medieval longhouse types of Europe of which some examples have survived are among others: There are several accounts of large feasting halls constructed for important feasts when Scandinavian royalty was invited.

It is speculated that, under Alfred the Great's rule, fines protecting property belonging to the king may have also applied to feasting halls.

From at least the tenth century onwards in Norse mythology, there are numerous examples of halls where the dead may arrive.