[gothic-l] Re: Ostrogoths and Eagles

[Bengt Hemtun]

--- In gothic-l at egroups.com, dirk at s... wrote:
> Hi, a short question: is there any information about the meaning of
> the eagle in Ostrogothic culture? Given all the Ostrogothic eagle
> fibulae, the eagle seems to have been of special significance to
them.
> What is its meaning...a royal symbol? and/or spiritual symbol?
After
> Theoderic had become master of Italy, he ordered the minting of
large
> copper coins (40 nummi) at Rome showing the bust of Roma on the
avers
> and an Eagle on the reverse. With this issue Theoderic clearly
wanted
> to legitimise his rule, by using the Roma bust and the (some may
say
> cynical) inscpription 'ROMA INVICTA'. But he also had an eagle put
on
> the reverse, which in this context was not known to the Romans.
Romans
> had used the eagle on coins that commemorated dead emperors, with
the
> eagle on an alter that carries the soul to the gods, but they had
> never used the eagle as standard reverse design.  Could the
decision
> to use the Roma bust and Invicta inscription together with an
> Ostrogothic eagle be an attempt to signal both continuity and the
> assertion of new rulers? Any thoughts on the Ostrogothic eagle
symbol
> would be welcome.
>
> Dirk


Dear Dirk
I see that my reply did not work earlier. The Eagle is seen on some
helmet from Vendel 7th century together with a rider, a raven and a
snake. On a couple of golden bracts from 5th century it is attribute
to the Sunrider on the Sunhorse with bullhorn, symbols of sun like
the Roman symbolism.
.
In Rome it was symbol of the "legions that like the eagle sees
everything", i.e. the eye of power like Imdugud in Sumer in 4th
millenium. It was naturally bird of Jupiter the Sun.
Further back it was the carrier of heavenly fire meaning lightening
and of course the ultimate fire the Sun in the great culture of
Egypt, Sumer and Hittites in Anatolia.
.
Some myths tell that the Eagle brought the fire to people. The
Scandinavian myth tells about the Eagle as the will of the leader and
we can say that sunlight and ligthening is the will of the Sun.
Nowadays the mythologists tell that Odin's birds were two ravens, but
as I say in above mentioned case the two birds are different in
appearance. We can compare with the eagle-helmet seen on more than a
dozen golden bracts. Maybe the eagle-helmet came from Persia where we
see it in the helmet of Varahan II.
I think we generally should think about the nature of the Eagle as
the "gripper"
cheers
catshaman


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