Ugaunians

Ungannians or Ugandians (Estonian: ugalased) (Latvian: ugauņi), referred to as Chudes by the earliest Russian chronicles were historical Finnic people inhabiting the ancient southern Estonian Ugandi County (Latin):Ungannia) (also Ugania, Ugaunia) that is now Tartu, Põlva, Võru and Valga counties of Estonia.

In modern Estonian literature, the province of Ugaunia is called Ugandi or Ugala. The name Ugandi is derived by associating Ugaunia with the name of Uandimägi Hill near Otepää. According to a more far-fetched theory, the name Ugaunia could have been derived from the Slavic language word Ug, meaning South (cf. Yugoslavia). In Latvian, the country of Estonia is still called Igaunija after Ugaunians, their ancient warlike neighbors.

The power center of Ugaunians is believed to have been in the fortified stronghold of Odenpeh (South Estonian for "bear's head"; Latin: Caput Ursi, Russian: Medvezh'ya Golova) in present-day Linnamägi Hill in the town of Otepää). The hill was indeed shaped like a head of a bear. The bear was probably a holy animal for Ugaunians.

Another important Ugaunian stronghold was Tharbata (Tarbatu) by the river Emajõgi (literally, "Mother River"). It was erected around 600 AD on the east side of Toome Hill (Toomemägi) in what is today Tartu.

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