Reidgotaland, Reidgothland, Reidgotland, Hreidgotaland or Hreiðgotaland was a land mentioned in
Germanic heroic legend
Germanic heroic legend () is the heroic literary tradition of the Germanic peoples, Germanic-speaking peoples, most of which originates or is set in the Migration Period (4th-6th centuries AD). Stories from this time period, to which others were ...
(mentioned in the
Scandinavian sagas as well as the Anglo-Saxon
Widsith) usually interpreted as the land of the
Goths
The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
.
Etymology and Location
Oddly, ''hreiðr'' can mean "bird's nest" and perhaps it was a
kenning for the Goths tradition of moving and "nesting" in new territories, but ''hreið-'' is also a name-prefix meaning "beautiful", "eager", "great", "famous", "noble". Another possibility is that it was originally ''reið'' "ride, journey" (see
Raidô). The use of the prefix is simple as the same tribal name was used for the
Gutes of
Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
. The identification of the territory varies between the sources. This is the list of meanings given by
Nordisk familjebok:
# The Island of
Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
.
#
Götaland.
# The land of the
Goths
The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
, i.e.
Gothiscandza and their later territories. In
Hervarar saga, it was the same as
Oium
Oium was a name for Scythia, or a fertile part of it, roughly in modern Ukraine, where the Goths, under a legendary King Filimer, settled after leaving Gothiscandza, according to the ''Getica'' by Jordanes, written around 551.
It is general ...
and bordered the land of the
Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
from which it was separated by
Myrkviðr.
# The territories of the
Goths
The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
in southern Europe, according to
Anglo-Saxon sources.
#
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
(according to Snorri's Edda it was the earthly kingdom of
Odin).
#
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
.
#
Jutland.
The second edition of
Nordisk familjebok explains that Hreidgoths was originally applied to the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...
in south-eastern Europe. It appears as hraiþkutum ''hręiðgotum'' on the
Rök Stone in
Östergötland. In
Hervarar saga, the name ''Hreiðgotaland'' is applied to the territories of the Ostrogoths in south-eastern Europe. In
Widsith, the traveller has been with the ''Hreðgotum'', ruled by
Eormanrīc, historic king of the Goths. In
Snorri's Edda, it is either applied to
Jutland or to
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
as a whole, while the islands are called ''Eygotaland''.
In the
Legendary sagas however, Eygotaland is used only for the island of
Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
in the
Baltic Sea.
See also
*
Ermanaric
*
Oium
Oium was a name for Scythia, or a fertile part of it, roughly in modern Ukraine, where the Goths, under a legendary King Filimer, settled after leaving Gothiscandza, according to the ''Getica'' by Jordanes, written around 551.
It is general ...
*
Chernyakhov culture
*
Goths
The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
Footnotes
Saga locations
Goths
Tyrfing cycle
Exonyms
{{saga-stub