The Scandinavian clan or ''ætt/ätt'' (pronounced in
Old Norse) was a social group based on common descent, equivalent to a
clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...
.
History
In the absence of a police force, the clan was the primary force of security in
Norse
Norse is a demonym for Norsemen, a medieval North Germanic ethnolinguistic group ancestral to modern Scandinavians, defined as speakers of Old Norse from about the 9th to the 13th centuries.
Norse may also refer to:
Culture and religion
* Nor ...
society, as the clansmen were obliged by honour to avenge one another. The Norse clan was not tied to a certain territory in the same way as a
Scottish clan, where the chief owned the territory. The land of the Scandinavian clan was owned by the individuals who had close neighbours from other clans. The name of the clan was derived from its ancestor, often with the addition of an -ung or -ing ending. The original meaning of ''ætt/ätt'' seems to have simply been "those who are related". A person could technically belong to several clans, but usually the identification of an individual came with ancestry of most prestige. Therefore, through mostly the exception to the rule, a clan could have matrilineal name if the descent of the ancestral mother was considered more important than the father. Family names were not in use, instead patronyms and matronyms were used, likewise depending on the favoured ancestry. Therefore, the clan names reflected the common descent of family groups.
[Harrison, Dick (2002). Jarlens sekel. Stockholm: Ordfront förlag. Sid. 100-101. ]
The heavy dependence on family and kindred in early Scandinavian history was the foundation of the importance clan. The Thing served as a moderating force which could prevent blood feuds between the clans due to the importance of kinship. As
central government gradually was established in
Scandinavia, the ''ætt'' lost its relevance for
commoner
A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...
s. For
royalty and
nobility, however, it remained in use as the name for ''line'' and
dynasty.
Examples of clans:
*
Wægmunding, in ''
Beowulf
''Beowulf'' (; ang, BÄ“owulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
''.
*
Ylfing or ''Wulfing'' in ''Beowulf'' and
Norse Sagas.
*
Scylfing (Yngling)
*
Skjöldung (Scylding)
*
Völsung
See also
*
Sippe
References
{{Germanic peoples
Icelandic family clans
Lists of ancient Indo-European peoples and tribes