Daner
The
Daner were an ancient
North germanic tribe residing in modern day southern
Sweden and on the
Danish islands. They were not mentioned by
Tacitus, whose famous work
Germania mentions the
Gothones (
Geats and/or
Goths?) and the
Suiones (Swedes). They seem to be, however, mentioned by
Jordanes, as the
Dani, and also by
Procopius.
The name
Daner is the etymological root of
Dane.
Jordanes maintains that the
Dani were the of the same stock as the
Suetidi (Swedes,
Suithiod?) and expelled the
Heruli and took their lands. If Tacitus simply did not overlook the Dani, and if Jordanes's information was correct, it is possible that they first appeared, as an off-shoot of the
Swedes, sometime in the
2nd or
3rd century A.D. This would have been about the time that
Dan the Proud, gave his name to the
Danes, arcording to
Sven Aggesen.
*
Northmen*
Normans*
Norsemen*
Norse*
Rus'*
Varangians
*
Vikings
