Njars
Encyclopedia
Njarar or Njars were an ancient Germanic people of Närke
, Sweden
, that appears in the Scandinavian version of the Lay of Weyland the smith. In the early part of the lay, King Níðuðr is introduced as a king in Sweden
:
Later he is specified as the lord of the Njars:
The Njars probably lost their independence early to the Swedish
king at Uppsala
, and they are not mentioned by Jordanes
in his thorough listing of tribes in Scandza
, in the 6th century. There are few mentions of the Njarar/Nerikjar in Old Norse
sources, but for exceptions see King of Nerike
.
sources. However, njar is a breaking of an older ner. The same sound change happened with eka and hertõ which resulted in jag (I) and hjarta (heart). However, in the case of Njar, the sound change never became established, and the older form ner continued to be used for the province and its population.
Ner is, in its turn, an umlaut from an older nar which is cognate to English narrow. The name referred to the narrow inlets that characterized the geography. The north-eastern (Kvismaren-Hjälmaren) has disappeared artificially, but the southern part of the province still has a large fjord.
Närke
' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the southwest, and Värmland to the northwest...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, that appears in the Scandinavian version of the Lay of Weyland the smith. In the early part of the lay, King Níðuðr is introduced as a king in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
:
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Later he is specified as the lord of the Njars:
|
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The Njars probably lost their independence early to the Swedish
Suiones
The Swedes e, "one's own [tribesmen/kinsmen]"; Old English: Sweonas; , Suehans or Sueones) were an ancient North Germanic tribe in Scandinavia...
king at Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
, and they are not mentioned by Jordanes
Jordanes
Jordanes, also written Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat, who turned his hand to history later in life....
in his thorough listing of tribes in Scandza
Scandza
Scandza was the name given to Scandinavia by the Roman historian Jordanes in his work Getica, written while in Constantinople around AD 551. He described the area to set the stage for his treatment of the Goths' migration from southern Sweden to Gothiscandza...
, in the 6th century. There are few mentions of the Njarar/Nerikjar in Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
sources, but for exceptions see King of Nerike
King of Nerike
The Norse sagas relate of a number of kings of Nerike who ruled during the mythological past of Scandinavia.They were:* Nidud from Völundarkviða....
.
Linguistic notes
At first glance, the name is hard to recognize, because the people of Nerike are otherwise called the Nerikjar in Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
sources. However, njar is a breaking of an older ner. The same sound change happened with eka and hertõ which resulted in jag (I) and hjarta (heart). However, in the case of Njar, the sound change never became established, and the older form ner continued to be used for the province and its population.
Ner is, in its turn, an umlaut from an older nar which is cognate to English narrow. The name referred to the narrow inlets that characterized the geography. The north-eastern (Kvismaren-Hjälmaren) has disappeared artificially, but the southern part of the province still has a large fjord.