Svíþjóð

f. (often spelt Sviðioð), dat. Svíþjóðu, Gs. 13, Fas. ii. 485 (in a verse); Svíþjúðu, Rafn 181, 189: [Svíar and þjóð; the d in the forms Suede, Schweden, Sweden is from the þ in þjóð: the etymology (Edda 107) from Odin’s name Sviðrir is quite fanciful, for even Tacitus calls the people Swiones, not Swithones]:—the people, land of the Swedes, i. e. Sweden, orig. only of Sweden proper as opp. to Gothland; í Danmörku, Gautlandi eðr í Svíþjóð, N. G. L. ii. 277; afterwards used as a general name for the later Swedish empire, including Gothland (Svía-veldi, Svía-ríki): again, Svíþjóð in Kalda or in Mikla, Svíþjóð, ‘the Cold, the Great,’ was the old name of the east of Europe, ‘Scythia,’ see Hkr., Yngl. S. ch. 1; Symb. (begin.), Al. 131: the European Svíðjóð was therefore Svíþjóð in minni, or Swecia Minor,’ Symb. 13.