The Gutes (old west norse ''Gotar'', old gutnish ''Gutar'') were a
North Germanic tribe inhabiting the island of
Gotland. The ethnonym is related to that of the ''
Goths'' (''Gutans''), and both names were originally
Proto-Germanic *''Gutaniz''. Their language is called
Gutnish (''gutniska''). They are one of the progenitor groups of modern
Swedes, along with historical
Swedes and
Geats
The Geats ( ; ang, gēatas ; non, gautar ; sv, götar ), sometimes called ''Goths'', were a large North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the late Middle Ages. They are one of th ...
.
Name
The name of the Gutes in
Old West Norse is ''Gotar (adj. gotneskr)'', which is the same as that used for the Goths. Old Norse sources such as the sagas do not distinguish between the Goths and the Gutes. In accordance, the
Old East Norse term for both Goths and Gutes seems to have been ''Gutar'' (
adj. ''gutniskr''). Only the Goths and Gutes bear this name among all the Germanic tribes, even if ''
Geat'' is closely related.
The fact that the ethnonym is identical to ''Goth'' may be the reason why they are not mentioned as a special group until
Jordanes'
Getica, where they may be those who are called ''
Vagoth
The Vagoth (latinised ''Vagothae'') were a Germanic tribe mentioned by Jordanes as living in Scandza. They have been identified with the Geats of Vikbolandet and with the Gutes of Gotland, both in Sweden. They have been variously connected with ...
'' (see
Scandza
Scandza was described as a "great island" by Gothic-Byzantine historian Jordanes in his work '' Getica''. The island was located in the Arctic regions of the sea that surrounded the world. The location is usually identified with Scandinavia.
...
). However,
Ptolemy mentions the Goutai as living in the south of the island of
Scandza
Scandza was described as a "great island" by Gothic-Byzantine historian Jordanes in his work '' Getica''. The island was located in the Arctic regions of the sea that surrounded the world. The location is usually identified with Scandinavia.
...
; these could be identical to the Gutes, since the "ou"-spelling in Ancient Greek corresponds to the Latin and Germanic "u".
History
The oldest history of the Gutes is retold in the ''
Gutasaga
Gutasaga (''Gutasagan'') is a saga regarding the history of Gotland before its Christianization. It was recorded in the 13th century and survives in only a single manuscript, the Codex Holm. B 64, dating to , kept at the National Library of Swede ...
''. According to legend they descended from a man named
Þjelvar who was the first to discover Gotland. Þjelvar had a son named
Hafþi who wedded a fair maiden named
Hvitastjerna. These two were the first to settle on Gotland. Hafþi and Hvitastjerna later had three children,
Guti,
Graipr and
Gunfjaun. After the death of their parents, the brothers divided Gotland into three parts and each took one, but Guti remained the highest chieftain and gave his name to the land and its people.
It is related that because of overpopulation one third of the ''Gutes'' had to emigrate and settle in southern Europe:
:''Over a long time, the people descended from these three multiplied so much that the land couldn't support them all. Then they draw lots, and every third person was picked to leave, and they could keep everything they owned and take it with them, except for their land. ... they went up the river Dvina, up through Russia. They went so far that they came to the land of the Greeks. ... they settled there, and live there still, and still have something of our language.''
Some scholars, as for instance Wessén, Wenskus, Hoffman etc., have argued that this tale might be a reminiscence of the migration of the Goths.
Certain linguists, as for instance
Elias Wessén
Elias Wessén (15 April 1889 – 30 January 1981) was a prominent Swedish linguist and a professor of Scandinavian languages at Stockholm University (1928–1956). In 1947, he was honoured with one of the 18 seats at the Swedish Academy (which f ...
, point out that there are similarities between
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
and
Gutnish that are not found elsewhere in the
Germanic languages. One example is the use of the word ''lamb'' for both young and adult sheep, which is only seen in Gutnish and Gothic.
[Fornvännen 1969, Elias Wessén]
Before the 7th century, the Gutes made a trade and defence agreement with
Swedish kings, according to the
Gutasaga
Gutasaga (''Gutasagan'') is a saga regarding the history of Gotland before its Christianization. It was recorded in the 13th century and survives in only a single manuscript, the Codex Holm. B 64, dating to , kept at the National Library of Swede ...
. This seems to have been due to Swedish military aggression. Although the Gutes were victorious in these battles, they eventually found it more beneficial (as a nation of traders) to try to negotiate a peace treaty with the Swedes.
It gives as the man who arranged the mutually beneficial agreement with the king of Sweden and the event would have taken place before the end of the ninth century, when
Wulfstan of Hedeby
Wulfstan of Hedeby was a late ninth century traveller and trader. His travel accounts, as well as those of another trader, Ohthere of Hålogaland, were included in the '' Old English Orosius''. It is unclear if Wulfstan was English or indeed if ...
reported that the island was subject to the Swedes.
Because of Gotland's central position in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
, from early on the Gutes became a nation of traders and merchants. The amount of silver treasure that has been found in Gotlandic soil during the
Viking Age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...
surpasses that of all the other Swedish provinces counted together, which tells of a traders' nation of indisputable rank among the North Germanic tribes.
[ p 9] The Gutes were the leading tradesmen in the Baltic sea until the rise of the
Hanseatic League.
The Gutes were both yeomen farmers and traveling merchants at the same time: so-called ''farmenn''. This was an exceptionally dangerous occupation during the Middle Ages, since the Baltic Sea was full of pirates. The Gutnish ''farmenn'' always had to be ready for battle. The division and organisation of the early Gutnish society shows a nation constantly ready for war. The "ram" seems to have been an early symbol for the Gutes, and is still seen on the Gotlandic coat of arms.
Gallery
File:Axe of iron from Swedish Iron Age, found at Gotland, Sweden.jpg, Axe of iron from Swedish Iron Age, found at Gotland
File:Järnåldern, Lerkärl, Nordisk familjebok.jpg, Clay pot from Swedish Iron Age, found on Gotland
File:Trojeborg, Nordisk familjebok.png, Trojeborg, a stone labyrinth from Visby on Gotland
Sources
The history of Gotland can be read in the book ''
Gutasaga
Gutasaga (''Gutasagan'') is a saga regarding the history of Gotland before its Christianization. It was recorded in the 13th century and survives in only a single manuscript, the Codex Holm. B 64, dating to , kept at the National Library of Swede ...
''. The ''Gutasaga'' is a saga treating the history of Gotland prior to Christianity. It was recorded in the 13th century and survives in only a single manuscript, the ''Codex Holm B. 64'', dating to ca. 1350. It is kept in the
National Library of Sweden
The National Library of Sweden ( sv, Kungliga biblioteket, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedis ...
in
Stockholm together with the ''
Gutalagen
''Gutalagen'' is an early Swedish (or Gutnish) law book from Gotland that officially was in use until 1595, but in practice until 1645. The law book originated in about 1220 and, apart from laws, it also contains the Gutasaga
Gutasaga (''Gutas ...
'', the legal code of Gotland. It was written in the
Old Gutnish dialect of
Old Norse.
See also
*
Old Gutnish
*
Gothic alphabet
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet used for writing the Gothic language. Ulfilas (or Wulfila) developed it in the 4th century AD for the purpose of translating the Bible.
The alphabet essentially uses uncial forms of the Greek alphabet, wit ...
*
Danes (Germanic tribe)
*
Proto-Norse language
*
Viking
*
Norsemen
*
Scandinavian prehistory
*
Scandinavia
*
Swedish language
*
Sweden proper
Sweden proper ( sv, Egentliga Sverige) is a term used to distinguish those territories that were fully integrated into the Kingdom of Sweden, as opposed to the dominions and possessions of, or states in union with, Sweden. Only the estates of t ...
*
Sweden
*
Danes
*
Danish language
*
Denmark
*
Norwegians
*
Norwegian language
*
Norway
*
Germanic peoples
References
External links
GutasagaThe Gotlanders - The people of Gotland IslandHistory of Gotland and the Gotlanders
Other sources
*Ferguson, Robert ''The Vikings: a history'' (New York City: Penguin Group. 2009)
*
Nerman, Birger ''Det svenska rikets uppkomst'' (Stockholm: 1925)
{{Germanic peoples
Early Germanic peoples
Goths
Gotland
North Germanic tribes