[gothic-l] Re: Snorri on Reidgotaland

[trbrandt at POST9.TELE.DK]

Anders and Keth

Sorry for the empty letter yesterday.

--- In gothic-l at y..., keth at o... wrote:
> Ór SKÁLDSAKAPARMÁL K. 75 :
> 
> 
> The term gotnar comes from the name of a king called Goti, whom
> Gotland is named after. He was called after one of Odin's names,
> it was derived from the name Gaut, for Gautland or Gotland was
> called after this name of Odin, while Sweden is from the name
> Svidur. This is also one of Odin's names. At that time all the
> mainland that he ruled over was known as Reidgotaland, and all
> the islands Eygotaland. These are now known as the Danish realm
> and the Swedish realm.
> 
>            (English translation by Anthony Faulkes)

When I read this I must admit, that here Reidgotland is defined as 
Jutland and the Scandinavian Peninsula as Anders claims, but it does 
not make sense to make a group with a common name out of Jutland and 
Sweden against Sealand/Fyen because of the word mainland. There was 
more water between Sweden and Jutland than between these places and 
the islands, and who cared about a geographical connection throug the 
forests of Finland/Russia? You have to make Jutland to a 
Swedish/Goetic region if this connection shall make sense.  

You also have to explain the name in the same way as Eygothland. From 
the Roek-stone Keth quoted:

>Raiþ  þiaurikz bin þurmuþi
>Stiliz flutna strandu Hraiþmaraz.
>Sitiz nu garuz a guta sinum
>Skialdi ub fatlaþz skati Maringa.

What does Hraid/Reid mean? 

What does Maringa/Maeringer mean?

Keth also wrote about the Roek-stone:
>The interesting part is that he speaks about
>a great battle that took place nine generations
>earlier. That would have been around A.D. 500.
>(maybe these were Bertil's returning Heruls ?)

If we fix the year to 800AD (How sure can we be about this age of the 
stone?) the length of a generation will be 33,3 years (From fathers 
birth to the first surviving boys birth). This should not be much 
more than 25-28 years in those days dating the battle around 550-75. 
The Heruls arrived around 512 and might of course have joined the 
battle. From Snorre we know a battle between Ases and Vanes, and  
from Beowulf we also know a battle around that time between the 
Danish king of Lejre and the Heathobeards and a battle between the 
Swedes and the Goetes. From Hervarar Saga we hear about Goths and 
battles far away in South Eastern Europe. 

Keth is right that we have to look for explanations south of the 
Baltic Sea too - even in the south eastern corner - but who were the 
Heathobeards and the Hreidgoths? Any ideas?

Troels




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