Geat

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A member of an ancient North Germanic tribe inhabiting southern Sweden during the early medieval period; a legendary people often referenced in Old English epic poetry; the name denotes a historical and cultural group significant in early Scandinavian history
2. Referring to the inhabitants of a called tribe known from historical and literary sources, mainly from the early Middle Ages and Old English literature; these people played a role in the background of various heroic legends; the term also identifies a distinctive ethnic group from the region of southern Sweden
3. Denoting individuals from an ancient Scandinavian tribe noted in early medieval history and Old English epics; associated with various heroic narratives and cultural identities; this designation highlights a people living in southern Sweden during the early historic era

Etymology: The Geats are best known from "Beowulf," where the hero Beowulf comes from their land and serves their king, Hygelac. Their name in the poem is Old English "Ġēatas," and the same people appear in Old Norse sources as "Gautar" (later "Götar"). Their homeland corresponds to the region of southern Sweden now called Götaland, whose name preserves the same root. Outside the poem, the Geats are barely documented, so most of what is known comes from the name's survival in Scandinavian place-names and in the Old Norse traditions that run alongside the English ones. The English and Scandinavian forms show that the name was shared across the North Sea peoples, not invented for one poem.

Synonyms: giant, warrior, hero