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'Garðaríki' (Anglicized 'Gardariki' or 'Gardarike') or 'Garðaveldi' is the Old Norse term used in medieval times for the states of Rus' Khaganate and Kievan Rus'. The shortened form 'Garðar' also refers to the same country, as does the general term for "East", 'Austr', with its various derivations: ''Austrvegr'' ("Eastern way"), ''Austrlönd'' ("Eastern lands") and ''Austrríki'' ("Eastern realm"). A third set of names consisted of 'Svíþjóð hin mikla'^[1] and 'Svíþjóð hin kalda',^[2] which probably referred to an east Scandinavian origin of many of the Norse settlers in the region.
The meaning of the word ''Garðaríki'' is usually interpreted as "the kingdom of cities", or "the realm of towns" ^[3], which probably referred to a chain of Norse forts along the Volkhov River, starting with Lyubsha and Ladoga. ''Gardar'' contains the same root as Slavic ''grad'' ("town") and English ''garden''. For Germanic etymology of the latter element, see the article on Reich.
As the Varangians dealt mainly with Northern Russian lands, their sagas regard the city of Holmsgardr (''Holmgarðr'', Novgorod the Great) as the capital of Gardariki. Other local towns mentioned in the sagas are Aldeigjuborg (Old Ladoga), Kœnugarðar (Kiev), Pallteskja (Polotsk), Smaleskja (Smolensk), Súrsdalar (Suzdal), Móramar (Murom), and Ráðstofa (Rostov).

Contents

Legendary kings of Garðaríki

See also

Notes

Legendary kings of Garðaríki

★ Sigrlami (''Hervarar saga'')

★ Svafrlami (''Hervarar saga'')

★ Rollaugr (''Hervarar saga'')

★ Ráðbarðr (''Sögubrot'')

★ Hreggviðr (''Göngu-Hrólfs saga'')

★ Hálfdan Brönufostri (king of Svíþjóð hin kalda in ''Sörla saga sterka'')

See also

★ Gord (Slavic settlement)

★ Varangian Runestones

Notes

1. ''Ynglinga saga''
2. ''Sörla saga sterka''.
3. ''Sagas of the Icelanders'', Penguin Group