Yotvingians – Mighty Warriors of the Baltic Sea

The Yotvingians were one of the most influential tribes to live near the Baltic Sea. Their name is known from the first historical books of the world. Despite their centuries of domination in the area of modern-day Poland and some of the surrounding area, they appear to modern people as mysterious and are often misunderstood.

It is unknown when the Yotvingians first appeared. According to Herodotus, they were a tribe which lived beyond the Scythian cultivators, one of the nations along the counsel of the river Hypanis, currently known as the Bug River. Herodotus called them Neuri, but in modern historiography they are known as Jaćwingowie (in Polish), Jatvingi (in Latvian), Jotvingiai or Suduviai (in Lithuanian) or Sudauer (in German). They were a strong warrior culture with fighters and hunters who dominated the lands which they conquered.

The Problem of a Name

The name ‘Yotvingians’ has many different variations. Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD called them Galindai kai Soudinoi (Σουδινοί), suggesting links to another mysterious tribe called Galinds. According to the Peter von Dusburg, a famous medieval writer, their name was Galindite or Suduwite. Dusburg was famous for his works for the Grand Master of Teutonic Order by describing the history of the territory which belonged to them. Other medieval names for the tribe were Sudowite, Sudowit and Sudowia.

Representation of Ptolemy. (Public Domain)