Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One of the Norse warriors who ravaged the coasts of the Baltic about the ninth century, and who (according to common account) overran part of Russia and formed an important element in the early Russian people.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One of the Northmen who founded a dynasty in Russia in the 9th century; also, one of the Northmen composing, at a later date, the imperial bodyguard at Constantinople.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun historical A member of the ethnically
Scandinavian people around the borders of Constantinople in the ninth and tenth centuries. - proper noun historical The
imperial body guard atConstantinople from 955. - proper noun geology A period of intense
glaciation during the lateProterozoic eon. - adjective Of or pertaining to the Varangians.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the Varanger Peninsula in
Norway .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Historians now reserve the term Varangian for the Scandinavian mercenaries employed by the Byzantine Empire.
Eaters Of The Dead Crichton, Michael, 1942- 1976
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The word Varangian comes from the old Norse "var" who means vow and "gengi" which means companion or sword fellow.
Unusual Historicals 2009
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Norse or "Varangian" Kingdom at Novgorod and, in 880, one of his successors, Oleg, moved his capital to Kiev, and ruled from the
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 11: New Mexico-Philip 1840-1916 1913
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“The Varangian is a brave man, and a strong one; it is contrary to my vow to shun his challenge, and perhaps I shall derogate from my rank by accepting it; but the world is wide, and he is yet to be born who has seen Robert of Paris shun the face of mortal man.
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“Nay, I acknowledge that the Varangian is a proper man,” said the athletic hero, softening his tone; “but the poor savage hath not, perhaps, in his lifetime, had a single drop of oil on his bosom!
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"Nay, I acknowledge that the Varangian is a proper man," said the athletic hero, softening his tone; "but the poor savage hath not, perhaps, in his lifetime, had a single drop of oil on his bosom!
Waverley Novels — Volume 12 Walter Scott 1801
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In his life, Harald travelled from Norway and Sweden, all the way to Russia, south to Constantinople, where he was both commander of the elite Varangian guards and thrown into prison.
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At that time the Byzantine Emperor employed Vikings in the elite Varangian Guard.
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He is captured and made a slave for most of his childhood until he is set free and refers to himself as a Varangian: a Norseman who has left his home.
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In the Byzantium of the 900s, the Varangian guard was made up wholly of Scandinavian mercenaries.
Geography Is Destiny 2008
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