[gothic-l] Re: "Eruli", "Goths", "Danes" and wherefrom the runes

[Einar Gunnar Birgisson <einarbirg@yahoo.com>]

>
> Einar,
>
> the Asa religion is not a Gothic heritage! We know very little
about
> Gothic paganism, but one thing is certain. The Goths were the first
> Germanic people to convert to Christianity, already from the late
3rd
> century onwards.
>
> ### Hej Dirk.
  Yes, but could not the pagan Heruli have been carriers of the Goths
former pagan traditions!At least partly.###
>
>
> > As the Heruli were a Gothic people it must be assumed
> > that their arrival brought some elements from Gothic culture to
> > Scandinavia.
>
>
> Again, the Goths of the 5th/6th century were Christians! In fact, a
> large part of the Heruls were likely also Christians, some of them
> even Catholocs as is suggested by tomb stone inscriptions from
> Concordia (see Fibinger). Those Heruls who had retained paganism,
had
> likely nothing to do with the Asir gods, but from the
archaeological
> remains of the Hegykoe group likely followed a syncretic form of
> steppe-nomadic Shamanism and Germanic and other paganism.

## That can well be right, but this "Germanic and other paganism"
could have been the earlier form of Asatru as we know it and can be
evaluated from Icelandic material. But even if not so the Asatru
could have emerged in the 6th-7th centuries in Scandinavia as a
result of the Heruli migration. Elements of Christianity, shamanism
and even Mithraism (as far as I remember) can be found in Asatru.
Asatru is centered around the ancestor-cult princip. That is food for
thought too.##
>
> Those Heruls who went to Italy after their defeat in 509AD, were
> likely Arian Christians. They also must have included the highest
> ranking members of the Herulic royal clan, because otherwise they
> would not have been received by Theoderic. Similarly, those Heruls
> who joined the Langobards, may partly have been Christians. The
> remaining group which wondered around, starving and suffering abuse
> and defeat by Gepids likely included those Herulic elements which
> were composed of steppe nomads of ethinic
> Hunnic/Mongolic/Turkic/Alanic origin. The non-germanic names of
their
> later federate kings like Grepes, Ochos, and probably Datius and
> Aordos would support this view. We must not forget that the Heruls
> were a multi-ethnic group. The non-Germanic and non-Christian
> components of the Heruls likely found it most difficult to seek
> integration among Langobards and Ostrogoths, which would have been
> the normal course of action otherwise.

## What is unlikley is that these non-Germanics steppe nomads would
have migrated north to Scandinavia. They would rather have migrated
east. If they were so starving and suffering they would have sought
shelter by the next nation wanting them into their ranks. Even to
become Christians to get rid of their suffering. The last thing on
their minds would have been migrating to a very far away countries.
They would not have had the reasources anyway.
Probably Procopius account has to be seen in the light of that a
pagan people lost battle with a Christian people and the result for
the pagans: hunger and suffering! A good teaching lesson for them who
opposed the real God!

Cheers Einar##
>
> Cheers
> Dirk


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