The Origin of the Langobards

This section is intended to present a closer reading of the views of the classical authors on the name Scandinavia (in modern times a designation for Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland). Much of this analysis was presented by Professor J. Svennung in his well-known Scadinavia und Scandia – Lateinisch-Nordische Namenstudien (Uppsala 1963).

The modern name form Scandinavia (Skandinavien) is actually an incorrect reading from bad manuscripts of Historia Naturalis by Pliny the Elder. Correctly it should be Scadinavia.

The Roman geographer Mela in Chorographia (AD 43) used the corrupted form Codanovia, which in turn was influenced by Codanum earlier in the text. Far into the Middle Ages people on the continent thought that the Nordic countries were islands in the Ocean. The Pliny name form was used. The Fredegar used Scathanavia and Origio Gentis Langobardorum introduced Scadan. In the late Middle Ages Scandinavia was identified with Scania (Swedish Skane) which since 1658 is the name of Sweden's southernmost province. Before that it was Danish for around 600 years forming the easternmost part of that kingdom.

It should be noted that the name of Scandinavia cannot be found in Greek texts, only in Latin ones.

Linguists have reconstructed the proto-Germanic form as *Skathin-aujo or *Skadin-aujo, which would correspond to the classical Scadinavia of the Romans. The latter part of the word means 'island' or 'land on the water'. In modern languages it has become ' ö ' (in Swedish), ' ey ' (in Old English), ' ey ' in Icelandic and finally ' Aue ' (in German).

There is disagreement among scholars on the first element of the word (Scadin-). Common is the connection between a fish-name: 'shad in English) and ' skadd ' (in Norwegian). This author is inclined to rely on the interpretation connecting Scadin- to skada (in Swedish) and Old Norse skadi which is equal to 'damage' in the concrete sense of 'danger'. In turn this danger is to be connected to the submarine sandbanks outside the small town of Skanor in Skane. They were extremely dangerous to ships and resulted in a large number of ship-wrecks.

To return to Pliny he did not only use the designation Scadinavia but also Scandiae to mean the islands in the Ocean. Later in the second century AD Ptolemy referred to four Skandiai islands in the Ocean of which the largest was Skandia, situated farthest to the east. It is not hard to imagine that Ptolemy meant the Danish islands and Skane being the largest situated to the east and to the north of the Danish islands.

In his book Getica Jordanes in 551 AD used the vulgar Latin form Scandza. The identity of Scadinavia and Scandia must be rather secure designating the largest island (that of the southernmost part of the Scandinavian peninsula). It can easily be presumed that early travellers had only sighted Scania not parts further north of the peninsula. The different names used must mean that the classical scientists had used different sources. When Jordanes mentioned tribes or peoples living on the Scandinavian peninsula he often named them differently.

Both the Danish islands and Scania have well deserved the designation 'dangerous'. The low sandy coast and the sandbanks always presented dangers to the sea-travellers. Here ought to be mentioned the most notorious and dangerous sandbank, ' Falsterbo rev ' in the vicinity of the small towns of Skanor (mentioned above) and Falsterbo. The Falsterbo sandbank is off a small peninsula in the south-western part of Scania. It moves continually and changes the conditions. Seacurrents is making the shape of the sandbank unpredictable. In the beginning of the Christian era the area was even more dangerous. The whole peninsula was largely under water as the sea-level was then three to six feets higher than it now is. Due to sand-drift it presently has a height of around six feet.

The present name Scandinavia is most likely a confusion of Scandia and Scadinavia. The name of the town Skanor is probably derived from *skathn- and –or ('sand-shore'). The ending –or is common in the region. Compare for instance the city-name Helsingor (Elsinore as in the Castle Elsinore of Shakespeare's Hamlet on the Island of Zealand at the narrowest point of the Baltic Sea, the Sound (Oresund).

Of greatest interest here is the Langobardic scadan and we actually have a strong support for the relation to 'danger' and 'damage' in Origo Gentis Langobardorum itself: "Scadan, quod interpretatur 'excidia'" the last word meaning 'ruin', 'destruction'.

It is also important to note that there are a number of Scandinavian place-names that indicate harm, danger, and risk: Skadeland, Skadholmen, Skadgrund. On the Shetland Island there is the place-name Skadaflekk designating an area submerged at high tide.

Langobards – A Name of a People

The etymology and origin of the people name Langobards has not yet been fully determined. The people was first mentioned by Strabo and Velleius Paterculus.

The first part of the Langobard name belongs to langs (Gothic) and Germanic ' lang ' (Protogermanic *langa-) =long. Paulus Diaconus refers to the special beards of male Langobards. Thus one of the possible etymologies is 'long beards'.

Etymologists have also sought to explain the second part of the name (bard) in relation to a battleaxe. Stonecarvings in Scania and in western Sweden depict a number of men armed with axes from the later Bronze Age (1000 – 500 BC). The battle axe was a common weapon of the vikings. So the relation of axes to Scandinavia is around 2000 years old. The Scanian Hunnestad monument shows a man armed with an axe (one hand battle axe). The variation of viking axes is large and they are archaelogically confirmed. These axes are asymmetric. A onehand battle axe had a handle around 25 inches long. Some of these axes were named " skaggyxa " (beard axe or barda). The most important part was the edge and the weapon smiths devoted most of the time to create broad edges. Thus the one hand battle axes could be as broad as the broad axes. The top part could be made into a hook. Thus the "beard axe" could be used to draw the enemy warrior closer if it was advantageous and if there was opportunity. Twohand axes were broader and the handles could be up to 50 inches.

When foreign rulers hired vikings as bodyguards they were often armed with battle axes as it symbolized the implacability and uncompromising attitude in battle of the Northmen.

Paulus Diaconus refers also to the Langobards as the Vin(n)ili (Gothic winnan) = fight, struggle.

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