Origin of rus

Omeljan Pritsak

THE

ORIGIN OF

RUS'

VOLUME ONE

Old Scandinavian Sources other than the Sagas

Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute 1981

Contents

Preface xv Abbreviations PART ONE CHAPTER

xxiii General Introduction

1

1 Exposition to the Entire Work: The Origin ofRus'

3

The Acrimonious Debate between the Normanists and the Anti-Normanists 3 Proposed Concept and Methodology 8 The Franks 9 The Nomads, Sedentary Empires and the Merchants 10 The Anglo-Saxons 20 The Frisians 21 The Vikings and the Vaerings 22 The Rise of Intercontinental Trade 23 The Jewish Radaniya and the Non-Jewish Traders from Rutenicis ( > Rodez) 24 The Emerging Economic Area of Mare Balticum 26 The Rus Kaganate 28 • The Pacification of the Avars and the Moravian Mission 29 The Rise of the Christian Kievan Rus' State and of Rus' Historical Consciousness 30 CHAPTER

2

Introduction to Volumes One and Two: The Cultural Setting: The West

34

Two Periods of Old Norse Literature 34 The First Period 38 Mythology and Epics of the Germanic Peoples 40 Skaldic Poetry and Runic Inscriptions 49 The Intermediate Period 51 CHAPTER

3 Introduction to Volumes One and Two: The Cultural Setting in the East

The Contacts between the Germanic and Steppe Peoples

53

53

vi

Contents

The Bosporus Kingdom and Late Hellenism 56 The Tripartite System of Old Turkic Mythology 73 Odinn's Reform of the Futhark 86 CHAPTER

4

PART T W O CHAPTER

5

Introduction to Volumes One and Two: Historiography of Old Scandinavian Sources Pertaining to Eastern Europe Poetry and Myth as Historical Sources The Eddaic Poems and Their Manuscript

6

107

From Myth to Epic and History: The Helgi Cycle

119

114

The Helgi Cycle 119 Helgi and the Ylfingar 123 Helgi and the Two Haddingjar 139 Oleg the Seer and Oleg "The Grand Prince of Rus'" CHAPTER

7

8

142

From Myth and History to Epic: The Migrational Myth and Two Historical Transplantations 154

The Migrational Myth .154 King Snio 155 Lotha Knut's Transplantation of Peoples CHAPTER

105 Tradition

The Poetic Edda 107 The Snorra Edda 111 Anglo-Saxon Heroic Poetry 112 The Fight at Finnsburg 112 Beowulf 113 Widsith 113 Eastern European Names in the Eddaic Poetry The Poetic Edda 114 The Snorra Edda 116 CHAPTER

93

159

From Myth to Epic and from History to Myth: Hadingus I Haddingjar and the Norse Attack on Constantinople in 860

The Myth of the Maritime Adventure (The Divine Twins) and Its Germanic Re-Creations 164 Saxo's Hellespont 170 The Rus'ian Attack on Constantinople in 860 174 One or Two Attacks? 174 Askold and Dir 175 The Viking King Bjcjrn 176

164

Contents

vii

The Viking Hasting 178 Hasting and Bjorn = Askold and Dir

181

CHAPTER

9

From History to Myth and Epic: Hncef and Hnabij 0nevus. New Approach to the Fight at Finnsburg and Old Danish Conogardia 183

CHAPTER

10 The Transposition of History into Epic: The Battle of the Goths and the Huns

The Source Basis 188 The Structure of the Hervararsaga 188 The Samsey Poetry 193 Widsith and the Battle of the Goths and the Huns 195 The I>ula in the Battle of the Goths and the Huns 197 HarvaSa Fjoll and Graf-a 199 Proper Names in the Saga 200 Ethnic and Geographic Names in the Battle of the Goths and the Huns Rei5-Gotaland and Garoariki in the Hervararsaga 214 The Genesis of the Hervararsaga 220 The Battle of the Goths and the Huns as a Historical Source 224 CHAPTER

11 Snorri's "Gelehrte Urgeschichte": Has it a Historical Basis?

188

206

226

Snorri's Gelehrte Urgeschichte 226 06inn, Kingship, and the Royal Family Tree 232 Tyrkir, Tyrkland and Tyrkjakonungr 236 Vanakvisl and Vanaheimr/Vanaland 242 Svibj65 in Mikla e6a kalda 244 Asgardr/Tyrkland, Troy, and T"mutorokan' 245 Go8heimar 249 CHAPTER

12 The Poetry of the Skalds. Skaldic Poetry as a Historical Source

Skaldic Poetry 251 Individual Works and Their Data 255 Skaldic Poetry's Vistas on Eastern Europe PART THREE CHAPTER

298

The Runic Inscriptions

13 The Runic Inscriptions

Runic Inscriptions as a Historical Source Ninth Century Inscriptions 309

251

303 in Younger Futhark

305

305

viii

Contents

The Gotland Inscriptions 311 The Sparlosa and Kdlvesten Inscriptions 311 The Rok Inscription (Gotland) 313 The Danish and Norwegian Inscriptions 316 The Inscriptions from Old Ladoga, Daugmale, and Great Novgorod The Pre-Jelling Inscriptions 317 Runic Inscriptions from 940 to 1000

316

319

Danish Inscriptions 321 The Jelling Inscriptions 321 Manx Inscriptions 325 Norwegian Inscriptions 325 The Pilgards Inscription 326 Runic Inscriptions from 1000 to 1100

327

Danish Inscriptions 327 Norwegian Inscriptions 333 Inscriptions from Jamtland 337 Swedish Inscriptions 337 Gotland's Inscriptions 343 East European Inscriptions 347 The Structure of a Swedish Runic Inscription of the Eleventh Century CHAPTER

14

349

The Geographical Vistas of the Runic Inscriptions

General Designations for Foreign Countries East European Place Names 359

356

Finland and Tafeeistaland 359 ailati, *0yland = "Aland (?)" 359 Estonia 362 Latvia 363 Rus' 365 AustrvegR 365 Gar8ar 366 Risaland 368 RiuskR 368 Holmgar5r 369 GardrI Gardar "Kiev," Vitaholm, and Ustaholm Aifur and the Berezan' Inscription 373 The Blokumenn 373 The Byzantine Empire

371

374

The Death of Varangians and Other Norsemen in Byzantium Travelers to Greece 379 The East: Jorsala, Ssrkland and Karusm 381 Geographic Names Used as Proper Names 382

377

356

Contents CHAPTER

ix .

15 The Varangians at Home and Abroad

385

General Observations 385 Iarlabanki and His Clan 388 t>orstaeinn and His Varangian Retinue in Rus' during the 1050's 395 FroygaelRR's Retinue in the Baltic Areas 397 CHAPTER

16

Jakun,

the Varangian

King of the Year 1024

CHAPTER

17

Yngvarr hinn vidforli and His Campaign Scerkland (1041)

404

in 423

Who Was Yngvarr hinn viSforli? 423 An Arabic Source for Rus' Expeditions to the Caucasus 434 The Expedition to Khwarizm 443 The Message of the Ingvarr's Stones 451 CHAPTER

18 Merchant Guilds in Eleventh-Century Sweden

PART FOUR CHAPTER

The Laws as a Historical Source

19 The Old Scandinavian Laws

461 465

467

The Legal Literature of the Old Northmen 467 The Provincial Laws 470 Norway 470 Reference to Eastern Europe 471 Sweden 471 The Gautar 473 Reference to Eastern Europe 475 Gotland 475 Denmark 476 Iceland 479 "Armenian" Bishops 479 Tiundargjald and the Travelers to Rus' 481 The Municipal Laws 483 Birka Laws and Rus' 485 Hir5 Laws 488 CHAPTER

20

The Old Frisian Laws

The Lex Frisionum 490 The Common Old Frisian Laws 491 The Basic Common Old Frisian Laws 492 The Seventeen Statutes 492 The Twenty-four Constitutions 493 The Common Frisian Wergeld Chapter 496

490

x

Contents

The General Statutes 496 The Synod Laws 498 Two Legendary Stories about Frisian Liberties 499 The Law of Magistrates 501 PART FIVE CHAPTER

Old Icelandic Geographic Literature

21

Human Geography in the Religious Literature

503

505

Translational Religious Literature: Scitia = "Sweden the Great" 505 The Itinerary Literature 510 The Icelandic Mappa Mundi of about 1150 or 1250 514 CHAPTER

22

Human Geography in the Encyclopedic Collections 517

The Climates 5 to 7 and the Old Norse Name for Caspian Sea 517 A Biblical Genealogy of Nations 520 Sons of Shem 520 Sons of Japhet 523 Descriptions of Europe 529 Information on Eastern Europe: A General Review 530 A Listing of the Baltic Lands 538 Remarks on Wendland, Reiogotaland and Hunaland 538 Redactions 1 and 2 on Eastern Europe 539 The Redaction 2 on Northern Europe 541 An Old Scandinavian List of Rivers 545 PART six

Old Scandinavian Chronicles and Annals

CHAPTER 23

The Danish Chronicles

and Annals

551 553

The Development of Historical Writing 553 The Danish Chronicles 557 The Lists of Danish Kings 558 The Latin Annals 561 Eastern Europe in the Danish Chronicles and Annals 565 CHAPTER

24

The Icelandic Annals

568

The Development of Annalistic Work 568 Eastern Europe in the Icelandic Annals 574 Preliminary Conclusion CHAPTER 25

Preliminary

579 Conclusions

581

Contents

xi

Appendices Appendix

1

A Runic Viking-Varangian "Who's W h o ? "

587

Introduction 587 Special Abbreviations 588 Who's Who 589 List of Inscriptions 640 Appendix 2

The Basic Texts of the Icelandic "Gelehrte Urgeschichte"

661

Snorri's Data on Early Eastern Europe 661 Upphaf allra frasagna 681 Appendix 3

King Alfred's Geography

683

Description of Europe 683 General Description 683 Alfred's Contribution 685 The Accounts of Ohthere and Wulfstan 689 Introduction 689 The "Periplus" of Ohthere 692 The Route from Hdlogaland to the White Sea 692 Ohthere's Ethnographical and Geographical Notes 694 The Route from Hdlogaland to Sciringes-heal 697 The Route from Sciringes-heal to Hedeby 698 Wulfstan's Account 699 The Periplus of Wulfstan 699 The Ethnographical Description of Estland and the Ests 700 Alfred's Gotland 702

Appendix 4 The Texts of the Icelandic Itinerary Literature Nikulas Bergsson's LeiSar-visir 704 WegurtilRoms 719 LeiSir 720

704

xii

Contents

Bibliography and Bibliographical Essays 1. General Bibliography

725 728

Reference Aids 728 Scandinavian and Germanic Philology 730 Medieval Latin Philology 732 Byzantine Philology 733 Turkic and Altaic Philology 734 Slavic Philology 735 Iranian Philology 736 Finno-Ugric Philology 737 Islamic Philology 737

2. Myths and Epics

738

Theoretical Foundations 738 Germanic Myth and Epics 740 Myth and Epics of Other Peoples 742

3. The Eddaic Poetry

743

Special Bibliography of the Eddas 743 The Poetic Edda 743 Manuscripts of the Poetic Edda 743 Basic Editions and Translations 745 Dating of the Eddaic Lays 746 Select Bibliography 748 The Snorra Edda 751 Manuscripts of the Snorra Edda 751 Basic Editions and Translations 751 Select Bibliography 752 The Battle of the Goths and the Hervarar Saga 753 Versions and Editions 753 Select Bibliography 758 The Helgi Cycle 760 Select Bibliography

760

Anglo-Saxon Heroic Poetry

761

Special Bibliographies on Beowulf and Finnsburg Editions and Translations 761 The Fight at Finnsburg 761 Beowulf 762 Widsith 763

761

Contents

xiii

Select Bibliography 763 General 763 The Fight at Finnsburg 764 The Finn Episode of Beowulf Beowulf 766 Widsith 767 Cynewulf's Elene 768 4. Skaldic

765

Poetry

768

Basic Tools and Editions 768 Select Bibliography 769 5. Runic Inscriptions

773

Basic Tools and Editions 773 Select Bibliography 778 6. Legal Literature

788

The Old Scandinavian Laws 788 Basic Tools and Editions 788 Select Bibliography 789 The Old Frisian Laws

791

Basic Tools and Editions 791 Select Bibliography 794 7. Geographic

Literature

796

Basic Tools and Editions 796 Select Bibliography 801 Old Norse Geographic Literature 801 Alfred, Ohthere and Wulfstan 802

8. Chronicles and Annals The Danish Chronicles and Annals Basic Tools and Editions 806 Select Bibliography 807 The Icelandic Annals

808

Basic Edition 808 Select Bibliography

809

806 806

9. Sources Other than Analyzed Sources of Scandinavian Provenance

in This Volume 810

810

xiv

Contents

Latin and Greek Sources 814 Old Turkic Sources 817 Slavic Sources 818 Islamic Sources 819

10. Secondary

Sources and Literature

821

Indices

837

Index of Inscriptions 839 General Index 850

Tables Table I: Jarmericus' Dynasty (according to Saxo) 134 Table 2: The Jelling Dynasty 137 Table 3: The Dynasty of ReiSgotaland (according to B. Nerman) Table 4: A Rogaland Clan 326 Table 5: Eyvindr's Clan (Sogne) 336 Table 6: A Malsta Clan 340 Table 7: (H)RoovIsl's Clan (Gotland) 345 Table 8: (H)RodgasiRR's Clan (Gotland) 345 Table 9: Illugi's Clan (Ostergotland) 359 Table 10: Clan of Estfarer (Sodermanland) 362 Table II: Ionha's Clan (Uppland) 382 Table 12: The Clan of KylfingR 384 Table 13: Iarlabanki's Clan 390-391 Table 14: The Clan of GaeiRbiorn 397 Table 15: FroygaiRR's Clan 398 Table 16: Jakun (Hakon) and the Ssemingar 421 Table 17: Ingvarr's Origin: Three Stemmata 426 Table 18: The Origin of Ingvarr (Yngvarr hinn vidforli) 432 Table 19: The Swedish Kings, 1051-1112 434 Table 20: The Participants of Ingvarr's Campaign, 1041 454 Table 21: The Clan of Vifastr 456 Table 22: The Clan of GunnlseifR 458

The Icelandic Mappa Mundi following 512

201