Pogesania

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Pogesania (German: ; Latin: Pogesania; Lithuanian: ) was a territory of the Baltic Prussians. The reconstructed Prussian language name of Pogesania is Paguddi. The land was home to the Pogesanian tribe.

In the 1237 the foundation for the city of Elbing was laid down in Pogesania. After the capture of Prussia by the Teutonic Knights, the Bishopric of Pogesania, centered at Heilsberg, was drawn along largely the same lines as the tribal lang had been.

Etymology

The name Paguddi is thought to derive from the Prussian words pa, meaning near, and gudde, meaning bush (in keeping with the Prussian habit of naming places after geographical features). Another theory is that it derives from pa-gud, meaning near Russians, indicating the proximity to Slavic tribes.

German poets came up with their own etymology for the land. In Prussian mythology, each of the ten original lands of Prussia is named after one of the sons of King Widewuto; but only a few of the sons' names are actually given. Thus, the Germans created a folk etymology for the land (in German commonly called Hockerland) traced to a King Hoggo. Pogesania was said to trace to his daughter, Pogesana. His other daughter, Cadina, lent her name to Cadinen (now the city of Kadyny in Poland).

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