Talk:Vanlandi

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[edit] Finland or Lapland?

I changed the link to Lapland attached to the name "Finland" to be a link to Finland. Finland is mentioned two times in Ynglingasaga. Whether the saga from these parts is based on real-life events or entirely fictional, can be debated, but based on saga's internal chronologies the events around Vanlande would have roughly happened in the early 3rd century. At that time, there was a strong "Swedish" population on the coasts of later Finland Proper that had apparently arrived there from Gotland. Interesting is that the medieval coastal borders of Finland Proper are almost exactly the same as the area on which these settlements were. Another mention of Finland in Ynglingasaga, based on its internal chronologies again, dates to the late 4th century, when King Agne was said to have heavily raided Finland. Again, that is roughly the same period of time when the "Swedish" settlements in Finland disintegrated and the population merged together with the original proto-Finnish speaking population, that then gradually evolved to what Finns are today. This is all speculative, but IMO both records of Finland in Ynglingasaga may be based on interaction with Germanic nobles living in Finland. --Drieakko 11:06, 24 June 2007 (UTC)

IMHO, we should not take the ethnic labels that seriously, but stick to linguistic criteria when in doubt. What are Goths and Jutes in Ynglinga saga are Danes and Götar in Historia Norwegiae.--Berig 11:12, 24 June 2007 (UTC)

True. Just noting that the events around "Finnland" in the saga and the archaeological reality in Finland Proper together form a strong reason to keep the association with Finland in place. --Drieakko 11:25, 24 June 2007 (UTC)