Editing Wulfstan of Hedeby

{{short description|Late ninth century traveller and trader.}}
{{other uses|Wulfstan (disambiguation)}}
[[File:A Map of Europe for the Illustration of King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon translation of Orosius. Engraved by J. Bayly.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A Map of Europe for the Illustration of [[Alfred the Great|King Alfred]]'s Anglo-Saxon translation of [[Orosius]]. Engraved by J. Bayly.1773.]]
[[Image:IX century text in Old English written by Wulfstan of Hedeby in which Prussians and their customs are mentioned.png|thumb|300px|right|Text of Wulfstan, where [[Old Prussians]] are mentioned. 1859 edition.]]
'''Wulfstan of Hedeby''' was a late ninth-century traveller and trader. His travel accounts, as well as those of another trader, [[Ohthere of Hålogaland]], were included in the ''[[Old English Orosius]]''. It is unclear if Wulfstan was [[England|English]] or indeed if he was from [[Hedeby]], in what is now northern [[Germany]] near the [[Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein|city of Schleswig]] but in the 9th century was Danish.

According to this account, Wulfstan undertook a journey by sea from [[Hedeby]] to the [[Old Prussians|Prussian]] trading centre of [[Truso]] around the year 880. He names the lands the coasts he passes.
{{quote|Wulfstan said that he went from [[Hedeby|Haethum]] to [[Truso]] in seven days and nights, and that the ship was running under sail all the way. [[Wends|Weonodland]] was on his right, and [[Langeland|Langland]], [[Lolland|Laeland]], [[Falster]], and [[Scania|Sconey]], on his left, all which land is subject to [[Denmark]]. Then on our left we had the land of the [[Bornholm|Burgundians]], who have a king to themselves.  Then, after the land of the Burgundians, we had on our left the lands that have been called from the earliest times [[Blekinge]]y, and [[Möre|Meore]], and [[Öland|Eowland]], and [[Gotland]], all which territory is subject to the [[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Sweons]]; and Weonodland (the land of the [[Wends]]) was all the way on our right, as far as [[Vistula|Weissel]]-mouth.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hakluyt|first1=Richard|authorlink1=Richard Hakluyt|editor1-last=Morley|editor1-first=Henry|editor1-link=Henry Morley|title=The Discovery of Muscovy. From the Collections of Richard Hakluyt. With the Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan from King Alfred’s Orosius.|date=1893|publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell & Company, Ltd]]|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4076/4076-h/4076-h.htm}}</ref>}}

This may be the earliest recorded use of the word "[[Denmark]]" (''Danemearcan''). The text of Wulfstan is also one of the earliest attestments of unique traditions and customs of Western [[Balts]] – [[Old Prussians|Prussians]], called [[Aesti]], and their land called [[Witland]] in his text. The purpose of this travel remains unclear; one hypothesis is that King Alfred was interested in having allies against [[Viking]]s and therefore looked at Prussians (Aesti) as a potential ally.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4076/pg4076.txt The Project Gutenberg Etext of Discovery of Muscovy] - The complete texts translated to modern English
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060322195904/http://www.fut.es/~asgc/Forum/Autors/gonzalez_campo/gonzalez_campo1.html  Historia de los Gotlandeses (Guta saga)] - The beginning of the original text in Anglo-Saxon can be found in footnote 1

== Bibliography  ==
* Orosius, Paulus, King of England, Alfred, translator Bosworth, J. and editor Hampson, R.T. (1859). King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon version of the Compendious history of the world by Orosius. Containing,--facsimile specimens of the Lauderdale and Cotton mss., a preface describing these mss., etc., an introduction—on Orosius and his work; the Anglo-Saxon text; notes and various readings; a literal English translation, with notes; Mr. Hampson's Essay on King Alfred's geography, and a map of Europe, Asia, and Africa, according to Orosius and Alfred.[online] archive.org. Available at: https://archive.org/stream/kingalfredsangl00boswgoog#page/n0/mode/2up [Accessed 20 May 2018].
* The catalog of Paulus Orosius ''History of the World'' - 1859 edition. [online] catalog.hathitrust.org. Available at: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000114863 [Accessed 20 May 2018].
* Jesch, J. (2018). Who was Wulfstan?. [online] prusaspira.org. Available at: http://www.prusaspira.org/pogezana/Jesch.pdf [Accessed 20 May 2018].
* Englert, A. and Trakadas, A. (2009). Wulfstan's Voyage: The Baltic Sea Region in the early Viking Age as seen from shipboard (Maritime Culture of the North). Roskilde: The Viking Ship Museum. {{ISBN|978-8785180568}}
* Kemp Malone, On King Alfred's Geographical Treatise, Speculum, Vol. 8, No. 1. (Jan., 1933), pp.&nbsp;67–78
* Samuel H. Cross, Notes on King Alfred's North: Osti, Este, Speculum, Vol. 6, No. 2. (Apr., 1931), pp.&nbsp;296–299

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wulfstan Of Hedeby}}
[[Category:Old Prussians]]
[[Category:Balts]]
[[Category:9th-century European people]]
[[Category:9th-century travelers]]
[[Category:9th-century writers]]
[[Category:9th-century merchants]]
[[Category:9th-century explorers]]