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| '''Geatas''' (but also often '']'', ''Gautar'' ], ''Götar'' in ]) is the ] spelling of the name of the ''Geats'', a ]n people living in ], land of the Geats, currently within the borders of modern ]. The name of the Geats lives on in the ] of ] and ], the Western and Eastern lands of the Geats, as well as in many ]s. The city ''Göteborg'', known in English as ], was |
'''Geatas''' (<!-- but also often '']'', --please don't anticipate your argument -->''Gautar'' in ], ''Götar'' in ]) is the ] spelling of the name of the ''Geats'', a ]n people living in ], land of the Geats, currently within the borders of modern ]. The name of the Geats lives on in the ] of ] and ], the Western and Eastern lands of the Geats, as well as in many ]s. The city ''Göteborg'', known in English as ], was the Geats (''Geatsburg'' or ''fortress of the Geats''), when it was founded in ].{{fact}} <!--what about Gautlefr River? and why should this contentios data belong to the lead? --> | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| The earliest mention of the Geats may appear in ] (] A.D.), where they are referred to as '''Goutai'''. In the ], they were referred to as '''Gautigoths''' and '''Ostrogoths''' (the Ostrogoths of ]) by ] and as '''Gautoi''' by ]. In the Norse ] they are referred to as '''Gautar''', and in '']'' and '']'' as '''Geatas'''. | The earliest mention of the Geats may appear in ] (] A.D.), where they are referred to as '''Goutai'''. In the ], they were referred to as '''Gautigoths''' and '''Ostrogoths''' (the Ostrogoths of ]) by ] and as '''Gautoi''' by ]. In the Norse ] they are referred to as '''Gautar''', and in '']'' and '']'' as '''Geatas'''. | ||
| The Geats were formerly politically independent of the ], whose old name was '']'' (''Sweon'' or ''Sweonas'' in OE). However, starting in the ], the Geats slowly lost their independence and became tributaries of the Swedish kings. | The Geats were formerly politically independent of the ], whose old name was '']'' (''Sweon'' or ''Sweonas'' in OE). However, starting in the ], the Geats slowly lost their independence and became tributaries of the Swedish kings.{{fact}} <!-- chronology is suspect: what do you know about the "Swedes" in the 500s? seems to be some sort of Swedish megalomania at play--> | ||
| This has been explained with their involvement in the Gothic wars in southern Europe, which brought a great deal of Roman gold to Götaland, but also naturally depleted their numbers (see '']''). ] |
This has been explained with their involvement in the Gothic wars in southern Europe, which brought a great deal of Roman gold to Götaland, but also naturally depleted their numbers (see '']''). ] is believed by enthusiasts to contain such traditions handed down from the ]. It relates that when the ] ] invaded the land of the Goths and the Gothic king ] desperately tried to marshal the defenses, it was the ] ] who answered his call. This piece of evidence clearly demonstrates that the Goths and Geats were different peoples. | ||
| ''Beowulf'' and the ]s name several ], but only ] finds confirmation in ''Liber Monstrorum'' where he is referred to as ''Rex Getarum'' and in a copy of ''Historiae Francorum'' where he is called ''Rege Gotorum''. These sources concern a Viking raid into ], ca ], which is also described in ''Beowulf''. Some decades after the events related in this epic, Jordanes described the Geats as a nation which was ''bold and quick to engage in war''. | ''Beowulf'' and the ]s name several ], but only ] finds confirmation in ''Liber Monstrorum'' where he is referred to as ''Rex Getarum'' and in a copy of ''Historiae Francorum'' where he is called ''Rege Gotorum''. These sources concern a Viking raid into ], ca ], which is also described in ''Beowulf''. Some decades after the events related in this epic, Jordanes described the Geats as a nation which was ''bold and quick to engage in war''. | ||
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| One of these Swedish kings was ], who in ] was riding with his retinue in order to be accepted as king by the Geats of ]. As he despised the Geats, he decided not to demand hostages from their prominent ]. He was slain near ]. | One of these Swedish kings was ], who in ] was riding with his retinue in order to be accepted as king by the Geats of ]. As he despised the Geats, he decided not to demand hostages from their prominent ]. He was slain near ]. | ||
| The distinction between Swedes and Geats lasted during the Middle Ages, but the Geats became increasingly important for Swedish national claims of greatness due to Geats' old connection with the Goths. They argued that since the Goths and the Geats were the same nation, and the Geats were part of the kingdom of Sweden, this meant that the Swedes had defeated the Roman empire. The earliest attestation of this claim comes from the ], ], during which the Swedish delegation argued with the Spanish about who among them were the true Goths. The Spaniards argued that it was better to be descended from the heroic ] than from stay-at-homers. This cultural movement, which was not restricted to Sweden went by the name '']'' or in Swedish ''Göticism'', i.e. ''Geaticism'', as ''Geat'' and ''Goth'' were synonymous |
The distinction between Swedes and Geats lasted during the Middle Ages, but the Geats became increasingly important for Swedish national claims of greatness due to Geats' old connection with the Goths. They argued that since the Goths and the Geats were the same nation, and the Geats were part of the kingdom of Sweden, this meant that the Swedes had defeated the Roman empire. The earliest attestation of this claim comes from the ], ], during which the Swedish delegation argued with the Spanish about who among them were the true Goths. The Spaniards argued that it was better to be descended from the heroic ] than from stay-at-homers. This cultural movement, which was not restricted to Sweden went by the name '']'' or in Swedish ''Göticism'', i.e. ''Geaticism'', as ''Geat'' and ''Goth'' were considered synonymous back then. | ||
| To this day, the Swedish kings still formally call themselves ''svears och götars konung'' (''king of Swedes and Geats'', or ''Rex Sweorum et Gothorum''). | To this day, the Swedish kings still formally call themselves ''svears och götars konung'' (''king of Swedes and Geats'', or ''Rex Sweorum et Gothorum''). | ||
| ==On Geats and Goths== | ==On Geats and Goths== | ||
| ⚫ | :''Main article: ]'' | ||
| ] and the dark pink area is the island of ]. The red area is the extent of the Wielbark Culture in the early ], and the orange area is the ], in the early ]. The dark blue area is the ]]] | ] and the dark pink area is the island of ]. The red area is the extent of the Wielbark Culture in the early ], and the orange area is the ], in the early ]. The dark blue area is the ]]] | ||
| ''Geatas'' was originally ] *''Gautoz'' and ''Goths'' and '']'' were *''Gutaniz''. *''Gautoz'' and *''Gutaniz'' are two ablaut grades of a Proto-Germanic word *''geutan'' with the meaning "to pour" (modern Swedish ''gjuta'', modern German ''giessen'') designating the tribes as "pourers of semen" or "men". They were consequently two |
''Geatas'' was originally ] *''Gautoz'' and ''Goths'' and '']'' were *''Gutaniz''. *''Gautoz'' and *''Gutaniz'' are two ablaut grades of a Proto-Germanic word *''geutan'' with the meaning "to pour" (modern Swedish ''gjuta'', modern German ''giessen'') designating the tribes as "pourers of semen" or "men".{{fact}} <!--obsviously a far-fetched speculation, one of many --> They were consequently two derivations from the same proto-Germanic ethnonym, cf. ] and ], ] and ], ] and ] in ]s. | ||
| It is a long-standing controversy whether the ] were Geats. ] claimed that the ] came from the island of ]. He also claimed that on this island there were three tribes called the ''Gautigoths'' (cf. ''Geat/Gaut''), the ''Ostrogoths'' (cf. the Swedish province of '']'') and ''Vagoths'' (]s?). | It is a long-standing controversy whether the ] were Geats. ] claimed that the ] came from the island of ]. He also claimed that on this island there were three tribes called the ''Gautigoths'' (cf. ''Geat/Gaut''), the ''Ostrogoths'' (cf. the Swedish province of '']'') and ''Vagoths'' (]s?). | ||
| Some enthusiasts interpreted the findings of ] archaeologists as supporting Jordanes' claim. They found the Gothic finds in Poland to be similar to those of southern Sweden. Scandinavian burial customs, such as the ] (domarringar), which are most common in Götaland and Gotland, and ] (bautastenar) appeared in northern Poland in the ] AD, suggesting an influx of Scandinavians during the formation of the Gothic ] . Moreover, in ], in Sweden, there is a sudden disappearance of villages during this period. The languages of Goths and Geats were strikingly different, however. <!--Polish archeologists are not neutral, either. Their agenda is to prove that the Slavs were settled in Poland before the coming of Goths and other Germanic tribes. --> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==On Gautar and Geatas== | ==On Gautar and Geatas== | ||
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| Moreover, the story of Beowulf, who leaves ''Geatland'' and arrives at the ] court after a naval voyage, where he kills a beast, finds a parallel in ]'s saga. In this saga, ] leaves ''Gautland'' and arrives at the ] court after a naval voyage and kills a beast that has been terrorizing the Danes for two years (see also ]). | Moreover, the story of Beowulf, who leaves ''Geatland'' and arrives at the ] court after a naval voyage, where he kills a beast, finds a parallel in ]'s saga. In this saga, ] leaves ''Gautland'' and arrives at the ] court after a naval voyage and kills a beast that has been terrorizing the Danes for two years (see also ]). | ||
| Since the 19th century, several other nations have been suggested to correspond to the Geats, such as the ] (Curt Weibull), the ] (Pontus Fahlbeck 1884), the Goths and the ], (See e.g. the '']'' which identifies the Geats through '''''Eotas''''', '''''Iótas''''', '''''Iútan''''' and '''''Geátas''''') with the '''Jutes''' referred to in the ]'s ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People.'' ' | |||
| These hypotheses have been suggested in spite of the fact that, in both Beowulf and ], the Geats are clearly distinguished from both Jutes ''Eótenas'' (or ''Ytum'') and ]. Thus any identification between the Geatas and these two nations is refuted by the two source texts themselves. | These hypotheses have been suggested in spite of the fact that, in both Beowulf and ], the Geats are clearly distinguished from both Jutes ''Eótenas'' (or ''Ytum'') and ]. Thus any identification between the Geatas and these two nations is refuted by the two source texts themselves. <!-- this is so obviously POV, that I'll have to remove the passage if the wording is not changed within several days --> | ||
| In addition, the reconstructed root for both ''Geat'' and ''Gaut'' is *''Gaut-'', whereas the reconstructed root of ''Goth'' and ''Got''(-land) is *''Gut''-. The root of ''Jute'' is usually regarded as ''unknown''. | In addition, the reconstructed root for both ''Geat'' and ''Gaut'' is *''Gaut-'', whereas the reconstructed root of ''Goth'' and ''Got''(-land) is *''Gut''-. The root of ''Jute'' is usually regarded as ''unknown''. <!-- this is so obviously POV, that I'll have to remove the passage if the wording is not changed within several days --> | ||
| Even if the identification made in this article is generally accepted, the matter is not dead and it will continue to raise harsh feelings even in the future—especially in ], where the debate about Sweden's history prior to the 11th century is infected. | Even if the identification made in this article is generally accepted, the matter is not dead and it will continue to raise harsh feelings even in the future—especially in ], where the debate about Sweden's history prior to the 11th century is infected. | ||
| ⚫ | <!-- Some ]s of the highly controversial ] deny the connection between the Geats and the ''Gautar'', and consider the established version of history to be a '''fraud'''. Since '']'' depicts the Geats and the Swedes as two opposing tribes, and as they want to make the '']'' (whom scholars place in ]) synonymous with the ''Gautar'' in ], they have to argue that ''Geat'' and ''Gaut'' aren't related. Unfortunately, their argumentation is limited to referring darkly to Curt Weibull, who speculated that the Geats were the same the Danes (who are also described as a different tribe from the Geats in ''Beowulf'', save a single ] where the Geats are called "]", cf. ''Danish'' as a generic name for Scandinavians in ]). For such a discussion see the following link (the text is in Swedish): http://home.swipnet.se/dx/vaggan/skolan.htm --totally unscientific piece of Swedish chauvinism, declaring any opposing point of view a "fraud". These flames belong to the talk page more than to the article itself. --> | ||
| ⚫ | Some ]s of the highly controversial ] deny the connection between the Geats and the ''Gautar'', and consider the established version of history to be a '''fraud'''. Since '']'' depicts the Geats and the Swedes as two opposing tribes, and as they want to make the '']'' (whom scholars place in ]) synonymous with the ''Gautar'' in ], they have to argue that ''Geat'' and ''Gaut'' aren't related. Unfortunately, their argumentation is limited to referring darkly to Curt Weibull, who speculated that the Geats were the same the Danes (who are also described as a different tribe from the Geats in ''Beowulf'', save a single ] where the Geats are called "]", cf. ''Danish'' as a generic name for Scandinavians in ]). For such a discussion see the following link (the text is in Swedish): | ||
| http://home.swipnet.se/dx/vaggan/skolan.htm | |||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 09:21, 29 December 2005
Geatas (Gautar in Old Norse, Götar in Swedish) is the Old English spelling of the name of the Geats, a Scandinavian people living in Götaland, land of the Geats, currently within the borders of modern Sweden. The name of the Geats lives on in the Swedish counties of Västergötland and Östergötland, the Western and Eastern lands of the Geats, as well as in many toponyms. The city Göteborg, known in English as Gothenburg, was the Geats (Geatsburg or fortress of the Geats), when it was founded in 1621.
History
The earliest mention of the Geats may appear in Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.), where they are referred to as Goutai. In the 6th century, they were referred to as Gautigoths and Ostrogoths (the Ostrogoths of Scandza) by Jordanes and as Gautoi by Procopius. In the Norse Sagas they are referred to as Gautar, and in Beowulf and Widsith as Geatas.
The Geats were formerly politically independent of the Swedes, whose old name was Svear (Sweon or Sweonas in OE). However, starting in the 500s, the Geats slowly lost their independence and became tributaries of the Swedish kings.
This has been explained with their involvement in the Gothic wars in southern Europe, which brought a great deal of Roman gold to Götaland, but also naturally depleted their numbers (see Nordisk familjebok). Hervarar saga is believed by enthusiasts to contain such traditions handed down from the 4th century. It relates that when the Hunnish Horde invaded the land of the Goths and the Gothic king Angantyr desperately tried to marshal the defenses, it was the Geatish king Gizur who answered his call. This piece of evidence clearly demonstrates that the Goths and Geats were different peoples.
Beowulf and the Norse sagas name several Geatish kings, but only Hygelac finds confirmation in Liber Monstrorum where he is referred to as Rex Getarum and in a copy of Historiae Francorum where he is called Rege Gotorum. These sources concern a Viking raid into Frisia, ca 516, which is also described in Beowulf. Some decades after the events related in this epic, Jordanes described the Geats as a nation which was bold and quick to engage in war.
In the Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson writes about several battles between Norwegians and Geats. He wrote that in the 9th century, there were battles between the Geats and the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair, a battle the Geats had to fight without assistance of the Swedish king Erik Emundsson. He also wrote about Haakon I of Norway's expedition into Götaland and Harold I of Denmark's battle against Jarl Ottar of Östergötland, and about Olaf the Holy's battles with the Geats during his war with Olof Skötkonung.
In the 11th century, the Swedish House of Munsö was extinct with Emund the Old. Stenkil, a Geat, was elected king of Sweden, and the Geats would be influential in the shaping of Sweden as a Christian kingdom. However, this election also ushered in a long period of civil unrest between Christians and pagans and between Geats and Swedes.
The Geats were not treated as equals with the Swedes. In the Westrogothic law, bishop Brynolf Algotsson (1279-1290 of Skara reminded the Geats that they had to accept the election of the Swedes at the Stone of Mora, by adding the following line on the top of the first page: Sveær egho konung at taka ok sva vrækæ meaning It is the Swedes who have the right of choosing and deposing the king.
One of these Swedish kings was Ragnvald Knaphövde, who in 1125 was riding with his retinue in order to be accepted as king by the Geats of Westrogothia. As he despised the Geats, he decided not to demand hostages from their prominent clans. He was slain near Falköping.
The distinction between Swedes and Geats lasted during the Middle Ages, but the Geats became increasingly important for Swedish national claims of greatness due to Geats' old connection with the Goths. They argued that since the Goths and the Geats were the same nation, and the Geats were part of the kingdom of Sweden, this meant that the Swedes had defeated the Roman empire. The earliest attestation of this claim comes from the Council of Basel, 1434, during which the Swedish delegation argued with the Spanish about who among them were the true Goths. The Spaniards argued that it was better to be descended from the heroic Visigoths than from stay-at-homers. This cultural movement, which was not restricted to Sweden went by the name Gothicismus or in Swedish Göticism, i.e. Geaticism, as Geat and Goth were considered synonymous back then.
To this day, the Swedish kings still formally call themselves svears och götars konung (king of Swedes and Geats, or Rex Sweorum et Gothorum).
On Geats and Goths
- Main article: Goths
Geatas was originally Proto-Germanic *Gautoz and Goths and Gutar were *Gutaniz. *Gautoz and *Gutaniz are two ablaut grades of a Proto-Germanic word *geutan with the meaning "to pour" (modern Swedish gjuta, modern German giessen) designating the tribes as "pourers of semen" or "men". They were consequently two derivations from the same proto-Germanic ethnonym, cf. Serbs and Sorbs, Polans and Poles, Slovenes and Slovaks in Slavic languages.
It is a long-standing controversy whether the Goths were Geats. Jordanes claimed that the Goths came from the island of Scandza. He also claimed that on this island there were three tribes called the Gautigoths (cf. Geat/Gaut), the Ostrogoths (cf. the Swedish province of Östergötland) and Vagoths (Gotlanders?).
Some enthusiasts interpreted the findings of Polish archaeologists as supporting Jordanes' claim. They found the Gothic finds in Poland to be similar to those of southern Sweden. Scandinavian burial customs, such as the stone circles (domarringar), which are most common in Götaland and Gotland, and stelae (bautastenar) appeared in northern Poland in the 1st century AD, suggesting an influx of Scandinavians during the formation of the Gothic Wielbark culture . Moreover, in Ostrogothia, in Sweden, there is a sudden disappearance of villages during this period. The languages of Goths and Geats were strikingly different, however.
On Gautar and Geatas
The generally accepted identification between the Götar and Gautar as the Geatas of Beowulf is mainly based on the observation that the Ö monophthong of modern Swedish and the AU diphthong of Old Norse correspond to the EA diphthong of Old English.
Correspondences:
| Swedish | Old Norse | Old English |
|
bröd
|
brauð
|
bread
|
etc.
Thus, Geatas is the Old English form of Old Norse Gautar and modern Swedish Götar.
This correspondence seems to tip the balance for most scholars. It is also based on the fact that in Beowulf, the Geatas live east of the Dene (across the sea) and in close contact with the Sweon, which fits the historical position of the Gautar between the Daner and the Svear.
Moreover, the story of Beowulf, who leaves Geatland and arrives at the Danish court after a naval voyage, where he kills a beast, finds a parallel in Hrólf Kraki's saga. In this saga, Bödvar Bjarki leaves Gautland and arrives at the Danish court after a naval voyage and kills a beast that has been terrorizing the Danes for two years (see also Origins for Beowulf and Hrólf Kraki).
Since the 19th century, several other nations have been suggested to correspond to the Geats, such as the Danes (Curt Weibull), the Jutes (Pontus Fahlbeck 1884), the Goths and the Gotlanders, (See e.g. the OED which identifies the Geats through Eotas, Iótas, Iútan and Geátas) with the Jutes referred to in the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. '
These hypotheses have been suggested in spite of the fact that, in both Beowulf and Widsith, the Geats are clearly distinguished from both Jutes Eótenas (or Ytum) and Danes. Thus any identification between the Geatas and these two nations is refuted by the two source texts themselves.
In addition, the reconstructed root for both Geat and Gaut is *Gaut-, whereas the reconstructed root of Goth and Got(-land) is *Gut-. The root of Jute is usually regarded as unknown.
Even if the identification made in this article is generally accepted, the matter is not dead and it will continue to raise harsh feelings even in the future—especially in Sweden, where the debate about Sweden's history prior to the 11th century is infected.
See also
- Götavirke (Geatish Dyke)
- Viking, Varangian
- Hygelac
- Geatish Society
- Trial by combat
- Trial by ordeal
- Göta
- Goths
- Gotlanders
- Geatish kings
- Jats