InOld Norse sources, such assagas andrunestones,Serkland (alsoSærkland,Srklant,Sirklant,Serklat, etc.) was the "land of theSerkir", usually identified with theSaracens.
The exact etymology is disputed.Serk- may derive from "Saracen"; fromsericum, Latin for "silk", implying a connection with theSilk Road; from the Khazar fortress ofSarkel; or fromserkr, shirt or gown, i.e., "land of the gown-wearers". In all cases it refers to a land in the East. Originally, it referred to the land south of theCaspian Sea, but it gradually expanded to cover all Islamic lands, including parts ofAfrica (and possibly evenMuslim Sicily).[1][2]
Notably one of theIngvar runestones, theSö 179, raised circa 1040 atGripsholm Castle, commemorates aVarangian loss during an ill-fated raid in Serkland. The other remaining runestones that talk of Serkland areSö 131,Sö 279,Sö 281, theTillinge Runestone and probably the lost runestoneU 439. For a detailed account of such raids, seeCaspian expeditions of the Rus'.
Several sagas mention Serkland:Ynglinga saga,Sörla saga sterka,Sörla þáttr,Saga Sigurðar Jórsalafara,Jökulsþáttur Búasonar[3] andHjálmþés saga ok Ölvis. It is also mentioned by the 11th centuryskaldÞórgils Fiskimaðr,[4] and the 12th century skaldÞórarinn Stuttfeldr.[5]
This article contains content from theOwl Edition ofNordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in thepublic domain.
Names initalics are settlements whoseNorse names are not recorded | ||
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