Gotland in the context of the Varange legend of the Tale of Bygone years

Abstract

Gotland is considered in many works as an important geographical point in the context of the ‟Varangian legend” of the Tale of Bygone Years. The obscurity of the general ethnic and geographical attribution of the Varangians, with the more obvious linking of the corresponding chronicle plots to an island in the Baltic Sea, the concentration on this island of evidence of its important role in the international trade of the Viking Age, the finds of Gotlandic artifacts in Eastern Europe make one see in Gotland, if not home, then significant stronghold of the Varangians. However, the origin of the most enigmatic ethnic group, perhaps, is connected with other regions and is rooted in the history of the late Roman Empire and the nomadic states of the Danube that arose on its ruins. Finds of coins, other artifacts, traditions in art and fortification, toponymy data show that the groups that migrated to the island largely adopted the cultural symbols of the Roman Empire. This fact is compared with genetic and other data showing that the migrants could differ from the indigenous Gutnish population of the island.