Editing Götaland theory

{{Short description|Revisionist view that the foundation of Sweden occurred in Västergötland}}
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The '''Götaland theory''' (or '''Westrogothian School''', [[Swedish language|Swedish]] '''''Västgötaskolan''''') is a view which challenges established history and archaeology, and claims that the foundation of [[Sweden]] occurred not (as traditionally assumed) in [[East Sweden|Eastern Sweden]], but in the province of [[Västergötland]] (Westrogothia). The adherents of this idea use wide-ranging methods, from controversial ones, such as [[dowsing]] and asking [[Mediumship|medium]]s to contact the dead, to more conventional methods such as [[etymology]], but also claim that the established academic material consists of lies and forgeries. Although well known in Sweden and fervently preached by its adherents, it has never been accepted by scholars.<ref>Larsson 2002:8: Bland de akademiska forskarna har denna skola aldrig accepterats, [...]</ref>

== 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.

==Birka speculations ==
The town [[Birka]] is also known from the ''[[Vita Ansgari]]'', in which [[Ansgar]] founds a [[Mission (station)|mission]] in the town. It is commonly referred to being on [[Björkö, Ekerö|Björkö]] island in the lake [[Mälaren]]. This location is a [[World Heritage Site]] and a popular tourist attraction.

According to the Västgöta theory, ''Birka'' as a name meant "merchant town," and could refer to any such town in ancient Sweden.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

==''Ubsola'' speculations ==
''Upsalir'', or ''Ubsola'', was the main cult center of [[paganism|pagan]] (heathen) Ása-faith in ancient Scandinavia and Sweden. The ancient Upsalir was described by [[Adam of Bremen]] in the 11th century, and by [[Snorri Sturluson]] in the 13th century. It is generally considered to correspond to modern-day [[Uppsala]], with its location on Uppsala's old location &ndash; [[Old Uppsala]], in east Sweden, the habitat of the ancient tribe called [[Suiones]] (Swedes). The Västgöta school however claims that the original site for the [[Temple at Uppsala|temple]] was located in West Sweden, in the habitat of the ancient [[Geats]] (''Götar''), the tribe which came to name ''Västergötland''.

There are however no archeological findings that support the view of Västergötland being the original site of Ubsola, and therefore the views of the Västgöta theory have little or no actual credibility.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

==The theory's Nazi origin==
The Götaland theory was the only notable result of the Nazi infiltration of Swedish archaeology during 1933&ndash;1945.<ref>Alkarp 2007 The lost Temple [...]</ref> Carl-Otto Fast, founder of the Westrogothian School ("Västgötaskolan"), was a known Nazi<ref>{{Citation |title=Kategori:Personer inom svensk nazism |date=2016-10-13 |url=https://sv.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kategori:Personer_inom_svensk_nazism&oldid=37524095 |work=Wikipedia |language=sv |access-date=2023-02-06}}</ref> who some claim collaborated with [[Ahnenerbe|SS Ahnenerbe]], [[Richard Walther Darré]] and eugenicists from [[Hadamar]] in Germany.  Archaeologist Magnus Alkarp, who has studied classified and semi-classified documents from the [[Post-war|post-war era]], has shown that the Westrogothian School was, among some regional, right-wing separatists movements in Scandinavia, an important part of the [[Operation Gladio]].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

==Testing the theory==
Amateurs have unsuccessfully tried to prove what they consider important aspects of the Götaland theory several times. The barrow at [[Skalunda]] was claimed to be the burial site of the hero [[Beowulf (hero)|Beowulf]] known from the [[Beowulf|''Beowulf'' epic]]; after applying the [[dowsing]] technique with a pendulum, they claimed that the barrow was indeed the burial site of this [[Geats|Geatish]] hero.<ref name="Larsson90">Larsson 2002:90</ref> Later, professional archaeologists drilled into the barrow to extract a sample for [[Radiocarbon dating|C14 dating]].<ref name="Larsson90"/> The barrow was from around 700 C.E., about 150 years too late for being a candidate for Beowulf's burial site.<ref name="Larsson90"/>

The locality Sätuna at the [[Lake Hornborga]] in Västergötland was, according to believers in the theory, the true [[Sigtuna]], where king [[Olof Skötkonung]] had his coins made.<ref name="Larsson34">Larsson 2002:34</ref> A protrusion in the ground was pointed out by adherents of the Götaland theory as the king's [[Mint (coin)|mint]].<ref name="Larsson34"/> However, when archaeologists examined it, the protrusion turned out to be the remains of an uncompleted barn from the 1890s.<ref name="Larsson34"/>

==See also==
* [[Lands of Sweden]]
* [[History of Sweden]] 
* [[Gothicismus]]
* [[Name of the Goths]]
* [[Consolidation of Sweden]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Alkarp, Magnus (2007). ''Men däri är också mycken galenskap : Adam av Bremen, arkeologin och Gamla Uppsala = Adamus Bremensis, archaeology and Old Uppsala''. In: ''Kult, guld och makt : ett tvärvetenskapligt symposium i Götene''.
*Gahrn, Lars (1988). ''Sveariket i källor och historieskrivning''. Gothenburg University, doctoral thesis with English summary.
*Larsson, M. G. (2002). ''Götarnas riken. Upptäcksfärder till Sveriges enande''. Atlantis, Stockholm. {{ISBN|91-7486-641-9}}.
*Strömberg, J.B.L.D. (1998). ''Svearikets vagga och västgötaskolan''. Stockholm. [http://jbldstromberg.wordpress.com/ Web edition with an English summary'']

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotaland Theory}}
[[Category:Pseudoarchaeology]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories in Sweden]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory]]
[[Category:Historiography of Sweden]]
[[Category:Anti-Swedish sentiment]]
[[Category:Separatism in Sweden]]
[[Category:Goths]]