Ranrike (Old Norse Ránríki) was the old name for a part of Viken, corresponding to the northern half of the traditional Swedish province of Bohuslän (roughly the physical Álfheim of Scandinavian mythology). It is sometimes said to have derived its name from the goddess of the sea, Rán. When folklore and culture is concerned the usage has been revived to refer to northern Bohuslän.

Jordanes

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The Gothic scholar Jordanes mentions two peoples named the Aeragnaricii (3.23) and the Ranii (3.24) who lived in Scandza (Scandinavia). Aeragnaricii appears in series. It is usually interpreted as a scribal error for *ac ragnaricii, "and the Ragnaricii". The latter word is easily open to translation, coming from two segments, riki "kingdom" and ragna "of the rulers", meaning the gods (see under Ragnarök). Both words come from Indo-european *reg-, "rule".

There is a possible parallel in the name Hålogaland, if the name means "sacred land" or "land of the sacred". In any case, the position of Ragnaricii next to Raumaricii (Romerike) indicates that it is probably the same as Ranrike, believed to be named after the goddess of the sea, Rán (Ran-riki, "kingdom of ran"). Another parallel supports this derivation: Pliny the Elder's Saevo mountain range, probably meaning "sea land", refers in part to Ranrike (see under Scandinavia). Moreover, Rán is the name of a dangerous goddess, who raises storms at sea and collects the drowned in her net. Such a name support the "dangerous island" etymology of Scandinavia. However, this pattern is only a web of speculation.

There is no clear etymology of Rán. As the Indo-europeans did not have a word for sea, it may not be Indo-european, in which case it would be older than the Nordics in the region. Jordanes does give us a terminus ante quem for the use of Ragnaricii/Ranii: One of their kings, Rodwulf (of the Ranii), had left his kingdom to join Theodoric the Great in Ravenna.

Heimskringla

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In his Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson relates how it first accepted the Swedish king Erik Emundsson as its ruler, only to be punished by the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair who spent a winter terrorizing the province from the sea.

Ancient Germanic peoples | districts of Norway | Viking Age | Ethnic groups in Europe | History of the Germanic peoples | Petty kingdoms of Norway

Ranrike