Svitjod

Svitjod (also spelled Svithiod; Old Norse: Svíþjóð, Old Swedish: Svethiudh) was an early name for both the people known as the Svear and the land they inhabited. In medieval times, the name usually referred to their central territory in what is now Uppland in eastern Sweden. The name is composed of the ethnonym Svear and the word *thiudh, meaning "people".

Over time, it was also used more broadly as a poetic or historical name for the whole Swedish kingdom. In Norse literature, Svitjod could also refer to a vast eastern region, including parts of what is now Russia, known as "Great Svitjod" (see Garðaríki).

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