Russia could be called Rus’ or Væringar. The word Rus’ is most certainly to be connected
to the name of the province Roslagen, the eastern part of the province of Uppland in
Sweden, which we also find in the Finnish name for Sweden, which is Routsi. The
word goes back to the words ro ‘row’ and rodd ‘a rowing session’. One idea is that this
word Rus’ for a Swede was succeeded by the word væringr, væringi, in Russian varjag.
The explanation put forward for this latter word is quite interesting. It is supposed
that it emanates from the titles for the Scandinavian guard of the Byzantine emperor in
Constantinople, as a member of his personal bodyguard. The word probably has the
meaning of a person who has given an oath of fidelity (ON *vár ‘oath, promise’),
obviously to the emperor. From here the word, so the hypothesis is, was later on
transferred to a Swede or a Scandinavian in general.
–– Who were the Vikings?––