The Chaedini (Latinized form) or Chaideinoi or Khaideinoi (Greek forms) were a
Germanic people that are listed only in the Geography of
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
. He locates them in the west of a large island,
Scandia, off the mouth of the
Vistula
The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...
river. Most scholars concur that Scandinavia is meant.
Etymology
A strong etymology of the word is summarized in the
American Heritage Dictionary under ''heath''. Chaideinoi is identical in form to its English relative, heathen; that is,
Proto-Indo-European *kaito-, "forest, uncultivated land" becomes
Common Germanic *
xaiþiz, appearing in *xaiþinaz, "people of the uncultivated land". The exact pronunciation of Chaidein- is not certain, but it must have been close to *xaiþin-; that is, Ptolemy's name is close to Common Germanic, even though its exact dating is unknown. It likely precedes Ptolemy, as he depended on previous sources.
Common Germanic *xaiþ- becomes Hed- in the Scandinavian languages. Possible locations of the Chaideinoi have therefore been proposed at
Hedemark in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
or, if the east of Scandia is actually
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, in
Dalarna and
Gästrikland of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, both of which regions contain a high concentration of Hed- names.
The descriptive nature of the name provides a clue as to why they do not appear in such strong sources as
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars.
Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...
. They must have had one or more other names, reflecting ethnic or political organization. As used, Chaideinoi would be synonymous with a possible meaning of
*mannaz as "country people" (see also
mannus).
See also
*
List of Germanic peoples
The list of early Germanic peoples is a catalog of ancient Germanic cultures, tribal groups, and other alliances of Germanic tribes and civilizations from antiquity. This information is derived from various ancient historical sources, beginning in ...
References
External links
Northvegr - A History of the Vikings
{{Germanic peoples
Early Germanic peoples