Rike is the Swedish and Norwegian word for "realm", in Danish spelled rige, of similar meaning as German Reich. The word is traditionally used for sovereign entities; a country with a King or Queen as head of state, such as the United Kingdom or Sweden itself, is a (kunga-)rike.

The word is used in "Svea rike", with the current spelling "Sverige", the name of Sweden in Swedish. It is based on an analogy to Svealand and to Mother Svea, a symbolic representation of the nation. It is also present in the names of instituions such as the Riksdag, Riksbank, Riksgäld, Riksåklagaren , Rikspolisstyrelsen, Riksteatern , Riksdaler, etc. The word is often used synonymous to nation, as in "rikstäckande" ("nation wide").

The Lord's Prayer uses the words in the Swedish version "tillkomme ditt rike" (thy kingdom come).

Although etymologically connected with the German word Reich, it does not have any of the negative connotations that the German word has acquired in modern times due to the atrocities of the Third Reich.

Cognates

• German: Reich
• Dutch: rijk
• Danish: rige
• Old High German: richi
• Anglo-Saxon: rice
• English: rich (compare to commonwealth)
• Indo European: reg
• Latin: regalis, regere, rex
• Prussian: reiks
• Indian: Raj
• Old Norse: rike (as in Gårdarike)

See also

• Realm of Sweden