Svitjod or SvíÞjóð, is an ancient name for Sweden. It appears in Beowulf as Sweoðeod, and in Jordanes as Suetidi.

Etymology

The name is a composite of Svia, old English Sweon (tribal name) and Þjóð, Old English ðeod, which meant "people" (see its cognates Teutons, Deutsch and Dutch).

The English name Sweden is an old plural of Swede (cf. the German name for Sweden, Schweden), which is derived from Sweoðeod .

Synonyms

Another name was Svia rike, or Sweorice in Anglo-Saxon, which meant "the realm of the Svear". This is still the formal name for Sweden in Swedish, Svea rike and the origin of its current name Sverige.

A second name was, according to the Voyage of Ohthere Sweoland , which corresponds to Svealand, in modern Swedish.

A third name was Sviaveldi, which meant "rule of the Swedes".

See also

• Svealand
• Suiones