Etymology
Further information: Rus peopleAccording to the most prominent theory, the name Rus, like the Finnish name for Sweden (Ruotsi), is derived from an Old Norse term for "the men who row" (rods-) as rowing was the main method of navigating the rivers of Eastern Europe, and that it could be linked to the Swedish coastal area of Roslagen (the Rowing crews) or Roden, as it was known in earlier times. The name Rus would then have the same origin as the Finnish and Estonian names for Sweden: Ruotsi and Rootsi.
The Danish scholar T.E. Karsten has pointed out that the territory of present-day Uppland, Södermanland and East Gotland in ancient times was known as Roðer or roðin. Thomsen accordingly has suggested that Roðer probably derived from roðsmenn or roðskarlar, meaning seafarers or rowers. Ivar Aasen, the Norwegian philologist & lexicographer, noted Norwegian dialect variants Rossfolk, Rosskar, Rossmann.
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