BJARMALAND

Abstract

Bjarmaland (also Biarmaland, Biarmia, Byarmia, Bjarmia) and its inhabitants (Bjarmar, Beormas, Biarmar) are known to us through c. 30 medieval written sources, most of them written in Norse, a few in Latin and one in Anglo-Saxon. Majority of the texts were written during the 13th century, but the stories they relate may nevertheless be of earlier date. The Kings’ Sagas in particular often refer to 10th century events. Oldest of the sources is the so-called Ohthere’s account, a 9th century Anglo-Saxon text added to the OE Orosius translation. The rest of the sources are of NorseIcelandic origin including a number of konungasögur, a few chronicles and íslendingasögur, some texts of geographical nature, a couple of þáttr, and a number of fornaldarsögur as well as six annals. Additionally Haralds saga gráfeldar contains a few skaldic verses. Written sources locate Bjarmaland to the White Sea. The words Terfinna land connect the location with the Kola Peninsula and the environs of the Varzuga River whereas the name Gandvík guides our interest towards the Kantalahti Bay of the White Sea. The name ‘Vína’ can be connected with either the Northern Dvina River or Viena Karelia. Written sources portray the Bjarmians as permanently settled group of Baltic Fennic speaking people that lived in the north of Europe since the Viking Age (first mentioned in writing in the 9th century) until the early Middle Ages (mid-13th century). Involvement in the international fur trade is implied and continuous contacts with Norwegians with both looting and trade as integral part of interaction are present in the descriptions. The Bjarmians cannot be connected ethnically with any existing group of people but must be considered as a group of their own. The origin of the specific ethnical identity most likely lies in economical interaction (trade with furs and possibly other items) with neighbouring areas. Since 12th-13th centuries new settlers moved to the northern areas and many political and economical changes occurred in Northern Fennoscandia and Russia, all of which would have contributed to a change that left the Bjarmians out of written sources.