Editing Götaland theory (section)

== History ==
The Götaland theory originated in the early 20th century with claims that the ancient city [[Ubsola]] (''Uppsala'') was situated in the province of [[Västergötland]], specifically in the old lands called ''Uplanden''. Additionally, the theory's supporters also held the view that Västergötland and the region of Lake [[Vänern]] was in fact the land of "Sithun", translated into modern day language as ''[[Sigtuna]]'', where [[Odin]] and his [[Aesir]] companions supposedly settled when they came to [[Scandinavia]].

An early predecessor of the theory was Pehr Tham (1737&ndash;1820), who during the 19th century unsuccessfully tried to promote ideas such as the village Sätuna being the location of [[Old Sigtuna]], and the ancient town of [[Birka]] being situated somewhere around [[Lake Hornborga]]. He is regarded as a successor of [[Olof Rudbeckius]], a seventeenth-century scholar who claimed that Sweden was the true location of the sunken [[Atlantis]].

The early proponents of the Götaland theory proposed ideas about Västergötland, and the Vänern lake region, in particular, being the origin not only of the [[Geats]], but also of the [[Suiones]], the [[Denmark|Danes]]; and furthermore the location of various phenomena in [[Norse mythology]], such as [[Odin]]'s [[Sithun]] (''[[Sigtuna]]''), [[Valhalla|Valhall]], and the ash tree [[Yggdrasil]]. These ideas, created in the spirit of [[Romanticism]], were also a reaction to the archaeological research at the time, which arguably neglected some areas of Sweden that were nevertheless rich in archaeological remains. The speculations of the adherents of the Götaland theory movement are largely irrelevant to modern academic discussion, which does not pay much attention to [[Swedish-Geatish wars]] or the [[Yngling]] kings.<ref>Gahrn 1988, Strömberg 1998</ref>

Especially, the story of Odin and the Aesir's emigration according to the [[Ynglinga saga]] is generally considered as false by the official views and scholars. Other parts of the extensive work of Snorri Sturluson (and other saga writers) may however be considered valid references for finding elements of the ancient history of Scandinavian people and their religious customs and beliefs.