Scandinavia is a subregion of Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. Scandinavia most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also refer to the Scandinavian Peninsula. In English usage, Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for Nordic countries. Iceland and the Faroe Islands are sometimes included in Scandinavia for their ethnolinguistic relations with Sweden, Norway and Denmark. While Finland differs from other Nordic countries in this respect, some authors call it Scandinavian due to its economic and cultural similarities.
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia, who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe. They also voyaged as far as the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, Greenland, and Vinland. In their countries of origin, and some of the countries they raided and settled in, this period is popularly known as the Viking Age, and the term "Viking" also commonly includes the inhabitants of the Scandinavian homelands as a whole. The Vikings had a profound impact on the early medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles, France, Estonia, and Kievan Rus'.
The Norsemen were a North Germanic linguistic group of the Early Middle Ages, during which they spoke the Old Norse language. The language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is the predecessor of the modern Germanic languages of Scandinavia. During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a large-scale expansion in all directions, giving rise to the Viking Age. In English-language scholarship since the 19th century, Norse seafaring traders, settlers and warriors have commonly been referred to as Vikings. Historians of Anglo-Saxon England distinguish between Norse Vikings (Norsemen) from Norway, who mainly invaded and occupied the islands north and north-west of Britain, as well as Ireland and western Britain, and Danish Vikings, who principally invaded and occupied eastern Britain.
Astrid is a given name of Scandinavian origin, a modern form of the name Ástríðr. Derived from the Old Norse Ássfriðr, a compound name composed of the elements áss and fríðr.
Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the medieval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a kingdom extending between the Namdalen valley in Trøndelag county and the Lyngen fjord in Troms county.
Signe or Signy is a feminine given name used in the Nordic and Baltic countries, derived from Old Norse sigr (victory) and nýr (new), which may refer to:
Ragnar is a masculine Germanic given name, composed of the Old Norse elements ragin- "counsel" and hari- "army".
The Vikings at Helgeland is Henrik Ibsen's seventh play. It was written during 1857 and first performed at Christiania Norske Theater in Oslo on 24 November 1858. The plot takes place during the time of Erik Blood-axe in the north of Norway in historic Helgeland, a time in which Norwegian society was adjusting from the tradition of Old Norse Sagas to the new era of Christianity. It concerns the arrival of Ornulf, who with his seven sons is seeking his daughter, Dagny, and foster-daughter, Hjordis, who were abducted and married by Sigurd and Gunnar, respectively. Tragedy compounded by conceptions of honour and duty lead to the deaths of all of Ornulf's sons, Sigurd, and Hjordis. The plot is reminiscent of the Germanic myth of Sigmund and Brynhilde.
Sven is a Scandinavian masculine first name. In Old Norse the meaning was "young man" or "servant" and the original Old Norse spelling was sveinn.
Guðrún is one of the most frequently given female names in Iceland. In 2004, it was ranked first before Anna and Sigríður.
Ivar is a Scandinavian masculine given name. Another variant of the name is Iver, which is more common in Norway. The Old Norse name has several possible etymologies. In North Germanic phonology, several of the elements common to Germanic names became homophonous. The first element Ívarr may contain yr "yew" and -arr, but it may have become partly conflated with Ingvar, and possibly Joar. The second element -arr may alternatively also be from geir "spear" or it may be var "protector". The name was adopted into English as Ivor, into Gaelic as Ìomhar, into Estonian as Aivar or Aivo and into Latvian as Ivars.
The name Ingvar is an Old Norse first name for men common in Scandinavia meaning "protected by Yngvi". The feminine version of the name is Inga.
Solveig is a female given name of Old Norse origin. It is most common in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland, and it is also somewhat common in Germany and France.
John Galt is a character in Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged (1957). Although he is not identified by name until the last third of the novel, he is the object of its often-repeated question "Who is John Galt?" and of the quest to discover the answer. Also, in the later part it becomes clear that Galt had been present in the book's plot all along, playing several important roles though not identified by name.
Freya is an Old Norse feminine given name derived from the name of the Old Norse word for noble lady (Freyja). The theonym of the goddess Freyja is thus considered to have been an epithet in origin, replacing a personal name that is now unattested.
North Germanic peoples, Nordic peoples and in a medieval context Norsemen, are a Germanic linguistic group originating from the Scandinavian Peninsula. They are identified by their cultural similarities, common ancestry and common use of the Proto-Norse language from around 200 AD, a language that around 800 AD became the Old Norse language, which in turn later became the North Germanic languages of today.
Atlas Shrugged: Part II is a 2012 American drama film based on the 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged by the philosopher Ayn Rand. It is the second installment in the Atlas Shrugged film series and the first sequel to the 2011 film Atlas Shrugged: Part I, continuing the story where its predecessor left off. Directed by John Putch, the film stars Samantha Mathis, Jason Beghe, Esai Morales, Patrick Fabian, Kim Rhodes, Richard T. Jones, and D. B. Sweeney. The film was released on October 12, 2012.
Siri is a Scandinavian feminine given name. It is a short form of Sigrid, from Old Norse Sigríðr, composed of the elements sigr "victory" and fríðr "beautiful". The variant Siri has been widely used since the Middle Ages, it was common in Norway until the 18th century, when its usage declined, but saw new high popularity in the 20th century. It is now a common name in Norway and Sweden. In Sweden the name gained new popularity around 1900, and has again become increasingly popular in the last years. The Faroese equivalent is Sirið; the ð is not pronounced; the spelling without ð is also common. To a lesser extent it is also used in Denmark.
Sigurd or Sigur is a Scandinavian male name used in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland derived from the Old Norse Sigurðr. Other forms of this name are Sigvard and Siward. A short form of the name is Sjur.
