[gothic-l] Re: Ostrogoths and Eagles

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Dirk wrote:
>I think the vikings are of little significance here. The Goths (and
>other tribes) were certainly no vikings are proto-vikings.
>Theoderic's aim was not to appear as a viking plunderer but as a Roman
>aristocrat, who ruled Italy legitimately. His coins are good evidence
>for this, as  he tried to connect to Roman traditions, even aluring to
>the Roman republic and its virutes.

Hello Dirk,

I get the impression you are more into this period than I am.
With respect to the above, I was wondering what you meant by
"legitimately". Do you mean that they wanted to rule according
to Roman law? I am asking, because later, with the Langobards
there seem to have existed a special "Langobard law" that
presumably differed from the older Roman law.

The vikings may of course very well have preserved earlier
symbolism. On Vendel helm plaques you see, for example,
warriors dressed in wolves hides. In later skaldic poetry
you hear about "Ulfhednar" (=wolf warriors) and Snorri
describes "berserks" (=warriors who went absolutely raving
mad)

I do not know how "civilized" the Romans were either.
They often strangled prisoners of war in temples dedicated
to their gods, and you also hear about cruel torture,
whereas your description seems to describe them as
compleat gentlemen (today politically correct =
big smile on TV)

The Romans also punished populations collectively
(called decimation). Why would a viking raid be any
different from this? Well, of course the Roman state
apparatus seems to have done a better job of keeping
the peace, so that its citizens had a much greater
feeling of social security than the barbarians from
across the Limes had.


Keth



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