Rugini Explained

The Rugini were a pagan tribe living in or near present day northern Germany in the 9th century. They were only mentioned once, in a list of pagan tribes drawn up by the English monk Bede (also called Beda venerabilis) in his Historia ecclesiastica of the early 8th century:^[1]

Sunt autem Fresones, Rugini, Danai, Hunni, Antiqui Saxones, Boructuari; sunt alii perplures hisdem in partibus populi paganis adhuc ritibus servientis.

Whether the Rugini were remnants of the Rugii is speculative.^[1] The term Rugini has also been interpreted as the first mention of the Slavic Rani (also Rujani), who in the Middle Ages dwelled on the isle of Rügen.^{[2] [3]}

See also

• Early history of Pomerania

Notes and References

1. Johannes Hoops, Herbert Jankuhn, Heinrich Beck, Dieter Geuenich, Heiko Steuer, Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde, 2nd edition, Walter de Gruyter, 2004, pp.452ff,
2. David Fraesdorff, Der barbarische Norden: Vorstellungen und Fremdheitskategorien bei Rimbert, Thietmar von Merseburg, Adam von Bremen und Helmold von Bosau, Akademie Verlag, 2005, p.55,
3. Joachim Herrmann, Welt der Slawen: Geschichte, Gesellschaft, Kultur, C.H. Beck, 1986, p.265,