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'''North Germanic peoples''' are a [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[ethnolinguistic group]] originating in southern [[Scandinavia]].<ref name="Europeans"/> They are identified by their use of the [[North Germanic languages]], cultural similarities and common ancestry.
Several North Germanic tribes are mentioned by [[Classical antiquity|classical]] writers in [[antiquity]], in particular the [[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Swedes]], [[Danes (Germanic tribe)|Danes]], [[Geats]] and [[Gutes]]. During the subsequent [[Viking Age]], seafaring North Germanic adventurers, commonly referred to as [[Vikings]], raided and settled territories throughout [[Europe]] and beyond, founding several important political entities and exploring the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]] as far as [[Vinland|North America]]. Ethnic groups that arose from this expansion were the [[Normans]] and the [[Rus' people]]. The North Germanic peoples of the Viking Age went by various names among the cultures they encountered, but are generally referred to as '''Norsemen'''.<ref name="D'Epiro"/>
With the end of the Viking Age in the 11th century, the North Germanic peoples were [[Christianization of Scandinavia|converted]] from their [[Norse paganism|native religion]] to [[Christianity]], while their previously tribal societies were centralized into the modern kingdoms of [[Denmark]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]]. Modern North Germanic ethnic groups are the [[Danes]], [[Faroese people]], [[Icelanders]], [[Norwegians]] and [[Swedes]]. These ethnic groups are generally referred to as '''Scandinavians'''.<ref name="WM_830">{{harvnb|Waldman|Mason|2006|p=830}}</ref><ref name="Iowa"/>
==Names==
In the [[Old Norse]] language, the term ''norrœnir menn'' (''northern men''), was used correspondingly to the modern [[English language|English]] name ''Norsemen'', referring to North Germanic peoples.
The modern [[North Germanic languages]] have a common word: the word ''nordbo'', ([[Swedish language|Sw.]]: ''nordborna'', [[Danish language|Da.]]: ''nordboerne'', [[Norwegian language|No.]]: ''nordboerne'' or ''nordbuane'' in the [[Definiteness|definite]] [[plural]]) which is used for both ancient and modern North Germanic peoples.
In the early [[Medieval]] period, as today, ''[[Viking]]s'' was a common term for attacking Norsemen, especially in connection with raids and [[monastic]] plundering by Norsemen in the [[British Isles]]. The word Vikings: ''Vikinger'' in Danish and Norwegian Bokmål, and ''Vikingar'' in Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk is not used as a word for Norsemen by natives, as "Viking" is the name for a specific activity/occupation (a "raid"), and not a demographic group. The Vikings were simply people (of any ethnicity, or origin) partaking in the raid (known as "going viking").<ref>{{cite web | quote=The name 'Viking' comes from a language called 'Old Norse' and means 'a pirate raid'. People who went off raiding in ships were said to be 'going Viking'. | accessdate=19 January 2017 | title=Primary History, Vikings: Who were the Vikings | publisher=[[BBC]] | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/vikings/who_were_the_vikings/}}</ref>
The Norse were also known as ''Ascomanni'' (Ashmen) by the [[Germans]],<ref>[[Adam of Bremen]] 2.29.</ref> and ''Dene'' (Danes) by the [[Anglo-Saxons]].<ref name="Richards">{{cite book|url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/beloit-ebooks/detail.action?docID=422719|title=Vikings : A Very Short Introduction|last1=Richards|first1=Julian D.|date=8 September 2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780191517396|location=UK|pages=15–16|accessdate=7 February 2018}}</ref> The [[Old Frankish]] word ''Nortmann'' "Northman" was [[Latinisation of names|Latinised]] as ''Normanni'' and then entered [[Old French]] as ''Normands'', whence the name of the [[Normans]] and of [[Normandy]], which was conquered from the [[Franks]] by Vikings in the 10th century.<ref>Michael Lerche Nielsen, Review of Rune Palm, ''Vikingarnas språk, 750–1100'', ''Historisk Tidskrift'' 126.3 (2006) 584–86 ([http://www.historisktidskrift.se/fulltext/2006-3/pdf/HT_2006_3-577-605_kortrecensioner.pdf pdf pp. 10–11]) {{sv icon}}</ref><ref>Louis John Paetow, ''A Guide to the Study of Medieval History for Students, Teachers, and Libraries'', Berkeley: University of California, 1917, {{OCLC|185267056}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0SQMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA150&dq=%22a+furore+normannorum+libera+nos%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7BA0U77_MvDJsQTz-YLQAg&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22a%20furore%20normannorum%20libera%20nos%22&f=false p. 150], citing Léopold Delisle, ''Littérature latine et histoire du moyen âge'', Paris: Leroux, 1890, {{OCLC|490034651}}, p. 17.</ref>
The [[Goidelic languages|Gaelic]] terms ''Finn-Gall'' (Norwegian Viking or Norwegian), ''Dubh-Gall'' (Danish Viking or Danish) and ''Gall Goidel'' (foreign Gaelic) were used for the people of Norse descent in [[Ireland]] and [[Scotland]], who assimilated into the [[Gaels|Gaelic]] culture.<ref>{{Cite book|title= The Book of Arran |last= Baldour |first= John Alexander |author2= Mackenzie, William Mackay |year=1910 |publisher= Arran society of Glasgow |page=11| url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924091786255 }}</ref> [[Dublin]]ers called them Ostmen, or East-people, and the name Oxmanstown (an area in central Dublin; the name is still current) comes from one of their settlements; they were also known as Lochlannaigh, or Lake-people.<ref name="Richards"/>
The [[Slavs]], [[Finnic peoples|Finns]], [[Muslim world|Muslims]], [[Byzantine Greeks|Byzantines]] and other peoples of the east knew them as the ''[[Rus' people|Rus']]'' or ''Rhōs'', probably derived from various uses of ''rōþs-'', i.e. "related to rowing", or from the area of [[Roslagen]] in east-central [[Sweden]], where most of the Vikings who visited the Slavic lands originated. After the Rus' established [[Kievan Rus']] and gradually merged with the Slavic population, the North Germanic people in the east become known as ''[[Varangians]]'' ([[Old Norse|ON]]: ''Væringjar'', meaning "sworn men"), after the bodyguards of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] known as the [[Varangian Guard]].<ref name="WM_666"/>
==History==
[[File:Tanumshede 2005 rock carvings 5.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|right|250px|Depiction of ancient rituals at the [[Rock Carvings in Tanum]], [[Nordic Bronze Age]]]]
{{See|History of Scandinavia}}
===Ancient history===
{{See|Nordic Bronze Age|Iron Age Scandinavia|Migration Period|Vendel Period}}
The [[Corded Ware culture#Swedish-Norwegian Battle Axe culture|Battle Axe culture]] emerged in the southern [[Scandinavia]] in the early 3rd millenium BC. The [[Proto-Germanic language]] is thought to have emerged from this culture, possibly through is superimposition upon the earlier [[Funnelbeaker culture|megalithic cultures]] of the area.<ref name="EB_Europe"/> The [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] tribal societies of Scandinavia were thereafter surprisingly stable for thousands of years.<ref name="WM_Origins"/> Scandinavia is considered the only area in Europe where the [[Bronze Age]] was significantly delayed for a whole region.<ref name="EB_Bronze">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/The-Bronze-Age |title=History of Europe: The Bronze Age |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher= |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> The period was nevertheless characterized by the independent development of new technologies, with the peoples of southern Scandinavia developing a culture with its own characteristics, indicating the emergence of a common cultural heritage.<ref name="EB_Bronze"/> When bronze was finally introduced, its importance was rapidly established, leading to the emergence of the [[Nordic Bronze Age]].<ref name="EB_Bronze"/>
[[File:Kiviksgraven slab 1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|right|250px|Stone slab from the [[The King's Grave]] in southern [[Sweden]], [[Nordic Bronze Age]], 1400 BC]]
During the [[Iron Age Scandinavia|Iron Age]] the peoples of Scandinavia were engaged in the export of slaves and amber to the [[Roman Empire]], receiving prestige goods in return. This is attested by artifacts of gold and silver that have been found at rich burials from the period. North Germanic tribes, chiefly [[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Swedes]], were probably engaged as middlemen in the [[slave trade]] along the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] coast between [[Balts]] and [[Slavs]] and the Roman Empire. The North Germanic tribes at the time were skilled metal and leather workers, which supplemented their trade in iron and [[amber]].<ref name="WM_Origins">{{harvnb|Waldman|Mason|2006|p=830-831}}</ref><ref name="WM_786"/> In his book [[Germania (book)|Germania]], the Roman historian [[Tacitus]] mentions the Swedes (Suiones) as being governed by powerful rulers and excelling at seafaring.<ref name="WM_786">{{harvnb|Waldman|Mason|2006|p=786}}</ref>
During the Iron Age various Germanic tribes migrated from Scandinavia to [[Eastern Europe|East]]-[[Central Europe]]. This included the [[Rugii]], [[Goths]], [[Gepids]], [[Vandals]], [[Burgundians]] and others.<ref name="EB_Europe">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/Barbarian-migrations-and-invasions |title=History of Europe: Barbarian migrations and invasions The Germans and Huns |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher= |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=}}</ref><ref name="EB_Barbarian">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome/The-Later-Roman-Empire#ref26693 |title=Ancient Rome: The Barbarian Invasions |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher= |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> These tribes became speakers of [[East Germanic languages|East Germanic]] dialects. The southward expansion of these tribes pushed many other Germanic and [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] peoples towards the Roman Empire, spawning the [[Marcomannic Wars]] in the 2nd century AD.<ref name="EB_Europe"/> Another East Germanic tribe were the [[Herules]], who according to 6th century historian [[Jordanes]] were driven from modern-day [[Denmark]] by the [[Danes (Germanic tribe)|Danes]], who were an offshoot of the Swedes. The Danes would eventually settle all of Denmark, with many its former inhabitans, including the [[Jutes]] and [[Angles]], [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|settling]] [[Great Britain|Britain]], becoming known as the [[Anglo-Saxons]]. The [[Old English]] story [[Beowulf]] is a testimony to this connection.
[[File:Royal Mounds of Gamla Uppsala (by Pudelek).JPG|thumb|250px|The Royal Mounds at [[Gamla Uppsala]] contains hundreds (originally thousands) of [[Tumulus|tumuli]], some of them dating back to the [[Nordic Bronze Age]].]]
Among the early North Germanic peoples, [[Norse clans|kinship ties]] played an important role in social organization. Society was [[Trifunctional hypothesis|divided into three classes]], chieftains, freedmen and slaves ([[thrall|thralls]]). Freedmen were those who owned and farmed the land. Religious leaders, merchants, craftsmen and armed retainers of cheiftains ([[housecarls]]) were not confined to any specific class. Women had considerable independence compared to other parts of [[Europe]]. Important decisions were made by the freedmen at a popular assembly known as the [[Thing (assembly)|Thing]].<ref name="WM_Origins"/> Their [[Medieval Scandinavian law|legal system]] was closely related to [[Early Germanic law|those of other Germanic peoples]].<ref name="EB_Law">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Germanic-law |title=Germanic law |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher= |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> Dwellings were built according to methods that had changed little since the [[neolithic]]. A chieftain typically had his seat of power in a [[Mead hall|mead hall]], where [[Symbel|lavish feasts]] for his followers were held. Merchants frequently operated through [[Félag|joint financial ventures]], and legal disputes were often [[Holmgang|solved through single combat]]. Men of prominence were generally [[Norse funeral|buried]] along with their most prized possessions, including [[Horse burial|horses]], [[Chariot burial|chariots]], [[Ship burial|ships]], [[Ahmad ibn Fadlan|slaves]] and weapons, which were supposed to follow them into the [[Death in Norse paganism|afterlife]].<ref name="WM_835"/>
Though the economy was primarily based on farming and trade, the North Germanic tribes practiced a [[warrior]] culture similar to related [[Germanic peoples]] and the ancient [[Celts]].<ref name="WM_Origins"/> Warfare was generally carried out through small war bands, whose cohesiveness generally relied upon the loyalty between warriors and their chiefs. Loyalty was considered a virtue of utmost importance in early North Germanic society.<ref name="WM_666"/> An elite group of ferocious North Germanic warriors were the [[berserker]]s. A common battle tactic was [[svinfylking]]. The North Germanic tribes of these period also excelled at shipbuilding and maritime warfare.<ref name="WM_835"/>
[[File:Helmet from a 7th century boat grave, Vendel era brighter.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Vendel Period]] helmet, at the [[Swedish Museum of National Antiquities]]]]
The North Germanic tribes practiced [[Norse paganism]], a branch of [[Germanic paganism]] which ultimately stems from [[Proto-Indo-European religion]].<ref name="EB_Religion">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Germanic-religion-and-mythology |title=Germanic religion and mythology |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher= |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> Religion was [[Norse rituals|typically practiced]] at [[Hof (Germanic temple)|outdoor temples]], where [[Blót|sacrifices]] were held. The most famous of these was the [[Temple at Uppsala]]. [[Viking art|Their art]] was intimately intertwined with their religion. Their stories and myths were typically inscribed on [[runestone|runestones]] or transmitted orally by [[skald|skalds]].<ref name="WM_835">{{harvnb|Waldman|Mason|2006|p=835-841}}</ref> According to [[Norse mythology|North Germanic belief]], those who died in battle were gained admittance to [[Valhalla]], a majestic hall presided over by [[Odin]], ruler of [[Asgard]] according to [[Norse cosmology|their cosmology]] and the chief god in the [[List of Germanic deities|North Germanic pantheon]]. The thunder god [[Thor]] was popular with the North Germanic common people.<ref>{{cite book |last=[[Merriam-Webster|Merriam-Webster, Inc]] |first= |date=1995 |title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eKNK1YwHcQ4C |location= |publisher= |page=1111 |isbn=0877790426 |quote=His [Thor's] figure was generally secondary to that of Odin, who in some traditions was his father; but in Iceland, and perhaps among all North Germanic peoples except the royal families, he was apparently worshiped more than any other god}}</ref>
By the 3rd century there seems to have been a disruption of trade, possibly due to attacks from tribes in periphery. In the 4th and 5th centuries, larger settlements were established in southern Scandinavia, indicating a centralization of power. Numerous strongholds were also being built, indicating a need to defend against attacks. Deposits of weapons in bogs from this period suggest the presence of a warrior aristocracy.<ref name="WM_Origins"/> The [[Gutes]] of [[Gotland]] are in later [[Old Norse literature]] considered indistinguishable from the Goths, who in the 3rd and 4th centuries wrested control of the [[Pontic Steppe]] from the Iranian [[Eurasian nomads|nomads]]. When the [[Huns]] invaded these territories, the [[Saga|North Germanic legends]] recall that the [[Gizur]] of the [[Geats]] came to the aid of the Goths in an [[Hlöðskviða|epic conflict]]. Rich [[Eastern Roman Empire|Eastern Roman]] finds made in Gotland and southern Sweden from this period are a testimony to this connection.<ref name="WM_Origins"/> Archaeological evidence suggest that a warrior elite continued to dominate North Germanic society in the following centuries.<ref name="WM_Origins"/> The royal dynasty of the Swedes, the [[Yngling]], was founded in the 5th century. Based at [[Gamla Uppsala]], the Ynglings would come to dominate much of Scandinavia.<ref name="WM_Origins"/>
===Viking Age===
{{See|Vikings|Viking Age|Viking expansion}}
In the late 8th century North Germanic tribes embarked on a massive expansion in all the directions. These seafaring traders, settlers and warriors are commonly referred to as ''[[Vikings]]''.<ref name="EB_Viking">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Viking-people |title=Viking |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher= |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=McLaughlin |first=John Cameron |date=1970 |title=Aspects of the history of English |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isVZAAAAMAAJ |location= |publisher=[[Holt McDougal|Holt, Rinehart and Winston]] |page=35 |isbn= |author-link= |quote=Some of the Vikings were Swedes, some Norwegian, and some Danes, but they were all North Germanic people who spoke much the same language and whose social and cultural patterns of behavior were very much alike)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Baldi |first=Philip |date=1995 |title=An Introduction to the Indo-European Languages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lq-mkL23oh8C |location= |publisher=[[SIU Press|Southern Illinois University Press]] |page=128 |isbn=0809310910 |quote=The North Germanic peoples were quite expansive from the time of the Vikings (from about 800 Ad.)}}</ref> The North Germanic peoples of the Viking Age as a whole are typically referred to as ''Norsemen''.<ref name="D'Epiro">{{cite book |last=D'Epiro |first=Peter |date=2010 |title=The Book of Firsts: 150 World-Changing People and Events, from Caesar Augustus to the Internet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdVQ2BC5FiEC |location= |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf|Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group]] |page= |isbn=0307476669 |author-link= |quote=The Northmen, Norsemen, or Norse were North Germanic peoples who settled in the Scandinavian countries of Noway, Sweden, and Denmark}}</ref> The cause of this expansion is often though to have been population growth.<ref name="EB_Viking"/> Other explanations include political tensions, disruption of trade with the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], or vengeance against [[Massacre of Verden|massacres]] committed against the [[Germanic paganism|pagan]] [[Saxons]] by the [[Carolingian Empire]].<ref name="WM_831">{{harvnb|Waldman|Mason|2006|p=831-835}}</ref> By this time North Germanic military units were typically larger than in previous centuries.<ref name="WM_835"/>
[[File:Viking Expansion.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|right|Map showing area of Norse settlements during the 8th to 11th centuries (which includes the [[Viking Age]]), including [[Normans|Norman]] conquests, some extending after this period (yellow). Trade and raid routes, often inseparable, are marked.]]
The Vikings raided and settled various parts in the [[British Isles]], in particular the area around the [[Irish Sea]] and [[Scotland]], where they became known as the [[Norse–Gaels]]. In the 9th century, Danish Vikings gained control of a part of eastern [[England]], which became known as the [[Danelaw]].<ref name="WM_831"/>
Vikings were also active in [[Francia]]. Some of these Vikings would sail through the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] and pillage the coasts of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. In the early 10th century, a group of Vikings under the leadership of [[Rollo]] settled in [[Rouen]], [[France]], and established the [[Duchy of Normandy]]. The descendants of these Vikings, known as the [[Normans]], would in the 11th century conquer [[Norman conquest of England|England]], [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Southern Italy]] and play a leading role in launching the [[Crusades]].<ref name="WM_831"/><ref name="WM_559">{{harvnb|Waldman|Mason|2006|p=559-567}}</ref>
The Swedes were particularly active in Eastern Europe, where they were known as the Rus'.<ref name="EB_Viking"/><ref name="WM_666">{{harvnb|Waldman|Mason|2006|p=666-675}}</ref> They were engaged in extensive trade with the [[Byzantine Empire]] and the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]. In the 9th century the Viking [[Rurik]] is believed to have founded the [[Rurik dynasty]], which eventually developed into [[Kievan Rus']]. By the 11th century, the ruling North Germanic elite of this state, the [[Rus' people]], had converted to [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]] and were gradually merging with the local [[East Slavs|East Slavic]] population, becoming known as the [[Russians]].<ref name="WM_666"/> The North Germanic diaspora in the area were thereafter called [[Varangians]].<ref name="WM_831"/> Many of them served in the [[Varangian Guard]], the personal bodyguard of the [[List of Byzantine emperors|Byzantine emperors]].<ref name="EB_Viking"/>
[[Image:Skandinavism.jpg|thumb|right|190px|A 19th-century [[Scandinavism|Scandinavist]] poster image of (from left to right) [[Norway|Norwegian]], [[Denmark|Danish]] and [[Sweden|Swedish]] soldiers joining hands]]
While the Danes and Swedes were active in Francia and Russia respectively, North Germanic tribes from Norway were actively exploring the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]].<ref name="EB_Viking"/> This resulted in the colonization of the [[Norse settlement in the Faroe Islands|Faroese Islands]], [[Settlement of Iceland|Iceland]], [[History of Greenland#Norse settlement|Greenland]], and [[Norse colonization of North America|North America]].<ref name="WM_831"/>
===Later history===
{{See|Christianization of Scandinavia|Kalmar Union|Scandinavism||Pan-Germanism|Nordic Council}}
While Vikings were raiding rest of [[Europe]], their own Scandinavian homeland was undergoing increasing centralization. This is evidenced by the large number of larger settlements being built. Some of these settlements became seats for royal mints and bishoprics.<ref name="WM_831"/>
By the mid 11th century, the North Germanic tribes had been converted from paganism to [[Christianity]] and were under the rule of centralized states. These states were the kingdoms of [[Norway]], [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]].<ref name="WM_831"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Bruce |first=Alexander M. |date=2014 |title=Scyld and Scef: Expanding the Analogues |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S6nrAgAAQBAJ |location= |publisher=[[Routledge]] |page=16 |isbn=1317944216 |author-link= |quote=These [[Lombards|Langobards]] thus lived south of the Angles and east of the Saxons, and were somewhat removed from the North Germanic people of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway}}</ref> Modern North Germanic ethnic groups are the [[Danes]], [[Faroese people]], [[Icelanders]], [[Norwegians]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Berlitz |first= |date=1 June 2015 |title=Berlitz: Norway Pocket Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-CgBwAAQBAJ |location= |publisher=Apa Publications (UK) |page= |isbn=1780048599 |quote=Some 86 percent of the people living in Norway today are ethnic Norwegians, a North Germanic people}}</ref> and [[Swedes]].<ref name="Höffe">{{cite book |last=Höffe |first=Otfried |date=2007 |title=Democracy in an Age of Globalisation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rmMzCsLWcNcC |location= |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer Science & Business Media]] |page=124 |isbn=1402056621 |author-link=Otfried Höffe |quote=Similarly homogenous are the countries of China (with 92% Han Chinese) and Korea, as well as Scandinavia, in particular Sweden (where more than 95% belong to the North Germanic people of the Swedes. Iceland, which is even more homogeneous, was settled by the Vikings almost a thousand years ago, has remained unspoilt by outsiders ever since, and is now comprised almost exclusively of Icelanders in the ethnic sense.)}}</ref> These ethnic groups are typically referred to as ''Scandinavians''.<ref name="Europeans">{{cite book |last1=Ostergren |first1=Robert Clifford |last2=Le Boss |first2=Mathias |date=2011 |title=The Europeans: A Geography of People, Culture, and Environment |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y-1fwix23zMC |location= |publisher=[[Guilford Press]] |page= |isbn=1609181409 |author-link= |quote="The north Germanic peoples occupied the southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. They subsequently spread westward across the Danish islands and Jutland, and their linguistic descendants today are the Scandinavians and the Icelanders."}}</ref><ref name="WM_830"/><ref name="Iowa">{{cite book |last=Iowa Council of Teachers of English |first= |date=1967 |title=Iowa English Yearbook, Issue 1-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NQc-AQAAIAAJ |location= |publisher= |page=3 |isbn= |author-link= |quote=The Scandinavians are a North Germanic people closely related to the Anglo-Saxons, the Frisians, the Germans, and the Dutch.)}}</ref> The North Germanic countries, notably Sweden and especially [[Iceland]], are along with the nations of [[East Asia]] considered some of the most ethnically homogenous countries in the world.<ref name="Höffe"/>
In the [[Late Middle Ages]], the North Germanic nations were briefly united under the [[Kalmar Union]]. With the rise of [[romantic nationalism]] in the 19th century, many prominent figures throughout Scandinavia became adherents of [[Scandinavism]], which called for the unification of all North Germanic lands.<ref name="Meland">{{cite web |url=https://www.dagbladet.no/magasinet/slik-ble-vi-germanersvermere/65346782 |title=Slik ble vi germanersvermere |last=Meland |first=Astrid |date=May 7, 2009 |website= |language=[[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] |publisher=[[Dagbladet]] |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> Some figures, particularly in Norway, extended the idea to create a larger [[Pan-Germanism|Pan-Germanic]] state in unity with Germanic nations in [[Continental Europe]] and the British Isles. As this idea lost currency after the trauma of [[World War II]], the North Germanic countries and [[Finland]] have in the post-war era cooperated through the [[Nordic Council]].<ref name="Meland"/>
==See also==
{{Portal|Ancient Germanic culture|Norway|Sweden|Denmark|Iceland}}
* [[Scandinavian studies]]
* [[Scandinavian folklore]]
* [[Scandinavian literature]]
* [[Scandza]]
* [[Gothicism]]
* [[Nordic race]]
* [[Haplogroup I-M253]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1=Waldman |first1=Carl |last2=Mason |first2=Catherine |date=2006 |title=Encyclopedia of European Peoples |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kfv6HKXErqAC |location= |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |page= |isbn=1438129181 |author-link= |ref=harv}}
[[Category:Scandinavian people| ]]
[[Category:Germanic peoples]]
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