CHAPTER II. 



ROMAN AND GREEK ACCOUNTS OF THE NORTHMEN. 



The three maritime tribes of the North The fleets of the Sueones Expedi- 

 tions of Saxons and Franks Home of these tribes The tribes of 

 Germanianot seafaring Probable origin of the names Saxons and Franks. 



EOMAN writers give us the names of three maritime tribes of 

 the North, which were called by them Sueones, Saxones, and 

 Fraud. The first of these, which is the earliest mentioned, is 

 thus described by Tacitus (circ. 57-117 A.D.) : 



" Hence the States of the Sueones, situated in the ocean 

 itself, are not only powerful on land, but also have mighty 

 fleets. The shape of their ships is different, in that, having 

 a prow at each end, they are always ready for running on to 

 the beach. They are not worked by sails, nor are the oars 

 fastened to the sides in regular order, but left loose as in 

 some rivers, so that they can be shifted here or there as 

 circumstances may require." 



The word Sviar, which is constantly met with in the Sagas 

 to denote the inhabitants of Svithjod (Sweden), or the country 

 of which Upsala was the capital, corresponds somewhat to the 

 name Sueones, and it is highly probable that in Sueones we 

 have the root of Sviar and of Svithjod. The ships described 

 by Tacitus are exactly like those which are described in this 

 work as having been found in the North. 



It stands to reason that the maritime power of the Sueones 

 must have been the growth of centuries before the time of 

 Tacitus, and from analogy of historical records we know that the 

 fleets of powerful nations do not remain idle. Hence we must 

 come to the conclusion that the Sueones navigated the sea long 



1 " Sueonum hinc civitates, ipso in 

 oceano, proeter viros armaque classibus 

 valent. Forma navium eo diffrrt quod 



nee remos in ordinem lateribus adjun- 

 gUTit: solutum, ut in quibusdam flu- 

 mimirn, et mutabile, ut res posrit, hinc 



utrinque prora paratam semper appulsui et illine remigium" ((Win. xliv.). 

 frontem agit. Nee veils niinistrantur, 



