Word - Город (Gorad)

"Gardariki is such a big country that there are many kingdoms there. There was a king called Marró. He ruled over Móram, this country is in Gardariki. There was a king called Rádstafr, he rules over Rádstofa (Rostov ).There was a king called Eddvall, he ruled over the kingdom called Súrsdal (Suzdal). There was a king called Hólmgeirr, he ruled after Kvillánus over Hólmgardr (Novgorod). There was a king called Paltes. He reigned over Palteskjubrg (Polotsk). There was a king called Koenmarr, he reigned over Koenugardr (kyiv), but Magok (Magog) son of Japheth, son of Noah lived there first." Can we read in the Saga of Ørvar-Oddr (chapter 30).

I will have the opportunity to talk about the reference to a grandson of Noah in another note. But, why this name "land of enclosures"? The Vikings were probably struck by the Slavic custom of surrounding not only towns and villages, but also any farm or dwelling, with a palisade forming an enclosure, to shelter in the evening the livestock which during the day grazed freely around. The observation was relevant. Since throughout all the vicissitudes of history, and although there are no longer any livestock to shelter, this practice has remained anchored in habits until today and perhaps, it seems to me, can be considered a characteristic feature of the traditional Russian house.

Vikings, Varègues, Rús...

Of the 4 Viking routes, the Eastern Route (austrvegr) is the least talked about. This route, which from the bottom of the Gulf of Finland then via the Russian rivers (with occasional portages) reached Byzantium, but also included variants pushing even further east, to the Caspian, and beyond, Tashkent, Samarkand, Baghdad... On this road, the Vikings were called "Varangians" (Norse vœringr, Greek varangoi, Arabic varankh). And, just as the Pope later had his "Swiss Guard", the Basileus had his "Varangian Guard". The other name that we frequently encounter is that of "Rús". It is also this word that the Scandinavians living in Russia themselves chose to describe their first great kingdom, born from the unification of the principalities of kyiv and Novgorod, and from which the words "Russian" and "Russia" will arise. "

*   *   *

Réf: La Russie des Vikings - Saga d'Yngvarr le Grand Voyageur suivie du Dit d'Eymundr Hringsson. Texts presented, annotated and translated in French from ancient Icelandic by Régis Boyer. Éditions Anacharsis.