Svear

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Areas of the Svear (yellow) and Gauten (blue) in the 12th century

The Svear were a north Germanic tribe in Sweden . They lived in Sweden in the region of the Mälar Valley , which is spread over the historic provinces of Uppland , Västmanland and Södermanland in the central part of Svealand , and Gästrikland in the northern part of Norrland . Its history ranges from the late Iron Age through the Vendel to the Viking Age. In the Middle Ages they gave their name to the Kingdom of Sweden. In the “Kristofers landslag” under Christoph III. in 1442 the term “Swerikes Rike” (the kingdom of the Svear) is first found.

Svitjod

Since the name of the Svear was used differently by different authors, there are some uncertainties regarding the spatial and temporal allocation. In Old Norse records one spoke of Svitjod (Svíþjóð), a name that is still used in Iceland today for Sweden. The origin of the word Svitjod and its relation to "Det stora Svitjod" (the great Svitjod), a former part of Russia, is unknown. It is likely, however, that this was the area of ​​the Svear in the Gamla Uppsala area or the area on the Mälaren. In the first historical writings on Sweden there is a very different spelling of Svitjod, which is only written in this way by Snorre Sturlasson in the Edda. In the epic Beowulf this part of Sweden is called "Swēoðēod" and on Swedish rune stones you can read "Sviþjúðu" with several local variations.

From Tacitus ' Germania from 98 AD we learn that the suions settled on an island (Scandinavia) in the ocean. Whether these suions were related to the Svear or even identical is controversial. Tacitus also mentions that these suions were a seafaring people. Jordanes mentioned in the Getica around 550 that the Suehans (which may be the Gothic form of Suiones ) on Scandza, like the Thuringians, had extraordinarily good horses.

The Beowulf tells of recurring feuds between the geatas and the Svearn; also it should the Svearn in 6./7. Century have succeeded in the Gauts to subdue and unite Sweden into one kingdom that of the king gender of Ynglinge with center at Old Uppsala was performed. These traditions are viewed critically by historical scholars, since the formation of the Swedish empire was much more lengthy and complicated than presented in this founding myth and a unified empire did not exist before the 12th century.

In the Kristofers landslag from 1442 by Christoph III. one finds the term "Swerikes Rike" (the kingdom of the Svear) for the first time, which was transformed into "Swerghe" and "Swirghe" and finally became Sverige.

See also

literature