--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:
>
>
> > Wikipedia interprets the Swedish title as "King of the
> > Swedes, Geats and Wends" and explains that the Geats
> > are the people of Götaland. But the Swedish title in
> > Latin states "Vandalorum et Gothorum" and that's the
> > conflation I'm referring to.
>
Note that "Goths" is a prestigious name of those who made history and
conquered the Western Roman Empire. Götaland was interpreted as the
land of the Goths to give glory to the Swedish king.
However, Göt- (from Gaut-) and Got- (the th in the end is a later
decoration) are in no way lauthistorisch compatible.
The island of Gotland, however, might have connexion with the Goti
around the estuary of Wistula.
Another hypothesis proposed at a seminar in Lidköping 1990 was that
the Gothic invasions were merely consisting of warlords of
professional soldiers of heterogenous nationality forming plundering
bands taking advantage of the collapse of the Roman state and that
these soldiers called themselves the "lads", the "guys": cf.
Norwegian "guter" which is lautlich compatible with "Goths".
Lars