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Before the arrival of Indo-Europeans, Proto-Germanic speakers, two wo groups lived in Scandinavia:
1) Neolithic farmers (Funnel-beaker culture) genetically quite similar to modern Sardinians,
2) Last bands of Scandinavian hunter-gatherers (Pitted Ware culture and similar cultures),
Those hunter-gatherers were genetically quite similar to modern Finns and Mordvins.
But it is very unlikely that they spoke Finnish language (because Finnish-speakers arrived at the Baltic Sea much later). And they probably also did not have N1c haplogroup (only I2 and I1).
Their historical descendants could be those mysterious Kvens mentioned in sagas:
More maps showing Kvens (Kwänen):
https://s4.postimg.org/3rvuese6z/Kvens.jpg
"Leiđarvísir og borgarskipan", written in year 1157 AD, contains two descriptions of lands around Norway that the authors seems to have acquired for his book from independent sources:
"Götaland (Gautland) is east of the River Göta (Gautelfi), and closest to it is Sweden (Svíţjóđ), then closest is Hälsingland (Helsingaland), then Finland (Finnland); then come the borders of Russia (Garđaríki), which we mentioned earlier. But on the other side of Götaland is Denmark."
"Closest to Denmark is little Sweden (Svíţjóđ), there is Öland (Eyland); then is Gotland (Gotland); then Hälsingland (Helsingaland); then Värmland (Vermaland); then two Kvenlands (Kvenlönd), and they extend to north of Bjarmia (Bjarmalandi)."
The first description lists Finland, but not Kvenland. The second one mentions "two Kvenlands", but not Finland. It has been presumed, that by "two Kvenlands" here the abbot probably referred to Kvenland and Finland, as the two were both inhabited by culturally quite similar type of Finnic peoples (in addition to the Uralic Sami) that in other Islandic sources are sometimes said to have been ruled by the same kings.
Description of Europe from Othere's voyage also mentions Kvens.
To the east of the land of Norwegians, in the mountains, lived Finns.
And on the other side of those mountains, Othere's account places:
1) Swedes in the south
2) to the north of Swedes - Kvens
3) north of Halogaland (where Othere lived) - wilderness with no people
He also wrote that Kvens sometimes invaded the place where he lived across the mountains, and that Norwegians also sometimes invaded Kvens. Kvens made use of mountain lakes & rivers to cross the mountains and invade Norwegians, sailing in their boats across those lakes.
So here is how those Kvenish raids described by Othere could look like:
http://www.sagazorm.net/zorm/mythology/ohthere/ow.html
Adam von Bremen mentioned Kvens and called them a "powerful nation" who lived along the Gulf of Bothnia.
According to Adam, they defeated the Swedish army and killed Onundr son of King Emundr (AvB, IV. 19).
Check also these wikipedia articles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Kvenland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkarls
Toponym "Finnveden" probably marks the southernmost extent of Finnic Kvens:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnveden
There are at least 1961 place names in Sweden beginning with Finn-. And there are 892 names starting with Dan-. And 44 England. 12 Tyskland. Etc. Some of the 1961 names with Finn- are ancient. Others may be connected with recent immigration, like Finnskogen in Norway:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnskogen
But Finnveden is surely an ancient toponym, because it was mentioned already by Jordanes:
Finnveden or Finnheden is one of the ancient small lands of Smĺland. (...) It was first mentioned by Jordanes when he referred to its population as the Finnaithae (derived from an old form of Finnheden, Finn(h)aith-) when describing the nations of Scandza in Getica.
Etymology:
The Scandinavian placenames Finnveden, Finnmark and the province of Finland (which gave name to Finland) are all thought to derive from Finn, an ancient Germanic word for the Finnic people inhabiting areas of Fenno-Scandia and Scandinavia. The connection between the names Finnveden, Finnmark and Finland is not entirely clear. However, it is known that in addition to the Uralic Sami people, the Finnic tribe of Kvens have historically inhabited areas of Scandinavia which today are part of Norway and Sweden. According to Emeritus Professor Kyösti Julku,[1] in the area of Tromsa, Norway, alone there are 12 prehistoric Kven place names.
Roslagen archipelago (Väddö island and similar islands opposite the Roslagen coast) was inhabited by Finnic-speaking people in the Early Middle Ages. They became Swedicized later.
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