[gothic-l] Possible Gothic Origin - Cultic, Linguistic and Historical References

[Beril Haggman]

Esteemed listmembers,

A great majority of researchers agree that there is a
high probability of the Gothic people originating in
southern Scandinavia. Of course there is no absolute
proof. Nobody on this list has claimed that Jordanes
is presenting true and genuine memories. But Jordanes,
Cassiodorus and Ablabius traced the origin
of the Gothic people to the island of Scandza.
These memories provide the view of the Goths
themselves and why not accept the Goths own idea
of their home.

Archeological evidence is inconclusive. Gotho-Gepidic
culture is however attested in Pomerania and the lower
Vistula (the s.c. Wielbark culture).

There is however several factors that support the traditional
view of the island of Scandza as the original home of
the Goths. And nobody has suggested that Scandza
is anything else than Scandinavia.

Linguistically the East Germanic languages are closer
to the North Germanic than to the West Germanic. This
implies close relationship but not necessarily an origin
in Scandinavia. The toponymics of Gotland, Goetaland,
Vaestergoetland, Oestergoetland, Gautland, gautoi, goetar,
gutar etc. show a linguistical affinity as well (see for
instance Carlo Alberti Mastrelli, I Goti, 1994) and of
cours Andersson and other sources.

Archaelogically there are incineration burials in Oester-
and Vaestergoetland that were numerous in the second
and first centuries BC and suddenly became rare after
about 50 BC. That is suggesting the migration of a significant
portion of the previous population.

What could be the reason for the migration? Changing
climatic conditions have been suggested. Deteriorating
climate has been researched and the results (mainly for
moor excavations) point to such an explanation.

It is not likely that there was a mass migration and at least
a limited migration of aristocratic clans is highly likely. They
could have organized the local poulation and given it their
name. This would be in the similar vein as the Viking
migration to Russia and Normandy. On the other hand
the lack of incineration funerals in Oester- and Vaestergoetland
point to the fact that all social strata in Goetaland/Gautland
were affected. The dominance of the Wielbark culture in
the Vistula area could point to a similar pattern as during the Viking
era as Scandinavians were quickly assimilated into the
numerous surrounding population.

What was the reason for the Gothic migration to the south? It
is not probable that they would have migrated north. To the
west from Goetaland lay the vast expanse of the North Sea and
in the East were hostile peoples. One possible explanation
for choosing the southerly route was the amber trade and the
Amber Way, and old trade route linking Scandinavia with the eastern
Mediterranean as early as 1800 BC. The southern Baltic was also a
traditional area of Scandinavian contacts.

On this list there has been detailed presentation of the
linguistic relation between the Goths, the Gauts, the Gutar
and for instance Procopius' Gautoi, which are attested
in southern Scandinavia. Jordanes is of course not the
only source to link the Goths to southern Scandinavia.
A huge majority of scholars attest the Scandinavian migration
of the Goths from Scandinavia and that it is highly probable.
No viable alternative has been forthcoming. So it is certainly
not enough to diminish the value of the Jordanes' Scandza
chapters to make Scandinavian origin unlikely. There
must be some added indications of other origin? Indication
that the Goths migrated eastward in northern Germania?
Archeological or linguistical indications? But none have so
far in a convincing way been forthcoming.

Gothically

Bertil


In our last discussion you have repeatedly stated that certain
Germanic tribes claimed origin from Scandinavia and used this as prove
for common geographical and cultic/Gautic origin. In the following I
shall try to lay out how I think these origin claims should be viewed
to understand its real historical value.

In my view there are at least three main early medieval topoi for the
origin of Germanic tribes. The Scandza topos, the biblical topos and
the Troy topos. Most significantly, already Jordanes Getica alludes to
all three of them. The Scandza topos most likely originated from a
Roman view that all northern Barbarians came from an island in the
northern ocean; a well-spring of peoples which constantly decended
upon the borders of the Roman world. Describtions of Scandza/Scandia
are already found by Ptolemy. The first historians of the Goths up to
Jordanes picked up this view and embellished it with tribal legends.
Jordanes' Getica than became the model for the Origo gentis
Langobardorum, which besides the Scandza/Scadanan topos also used the
description of Scandza and its population from classical Roman
sources and other elements of the Getica.

The Origo Gentis in turn became the model for all (but one)
Langobardic histories, most notably Paulus Deaconus' Historia
Langobardorum who also used Jordanes' work directly, which can be seen
from a string of analogies. For example, Jordanes (Getica. I.)
describes the Goths as coming from Scandza, where the most fertile
people live, which is echoed by Paulus (Hist., I, 1) when he describes
the people in the North as fabulously fertile. Then Jordanes (Getica
II, 10-15) provides an excurse about Britain, while Paulus (Hist. I,
4) provides a (completely unnecessary) excurse about the West at the
same point. Jordanes (Getica II, 16-24) then returns so Scandza and
describes the mid-summer night, while Paulus (Hist. I, 5-6) also
reports about the length of days and nights on Scadanan. While the
stories depart at this point further analogies exist like the common
enemies the Vandals, the Amazons etc.

The only Langobardic history that is relatively independent of the
Origo is the Codis Gothanis (c800AD), which stated that the Langobards
came from Scatenauge at the Elbe river, and which reports about
battles against the Saxons at Patersprunna/Paderborn. It is the only
history that reports real historical names. However, while this is no
more reliable than the histories based on the Origo Gentis, it shows
that other legends were around at the time of Paulus. Also, several
Langobardic histories that do resort to the Scandza topos place
Scandza on the continent (e.g. the Fredegar Chronicle).

The Troy topos was of almost similar importance as the Scandza topos.
Even Jordanes alluded to the Troy topos for the origin of the
Goths/Getic people. Jordanes (Getica IX 58-60)  sought to link the
Goths' history via a dynastic relationship between the Getic king
Telephus and the kings of Troy, to Homer's Troy. This was done in
order to make the Goths equals with the Romans and the Getic history
is likely based on Dio Chrysostomos. Unrelatedly, the Fredegar
Chronicle developed a Troy topos for the origin of the Franks.
However, most interestingly the Franks also have a Scandza topos. When
Frechulf got hold of Jordanes' Getica in the early 9th century, he
changed the Troy topos of the Franks and claimed that they also
originated from Scandza. (Freculphi Chron. I 2, 17) ".Alii vero
affirmant eaos de Scanza insula, quae vagina gentium est, exordium
habuisse, de qua Gothi et caeterae nations Theotiscae exierunt.".

Interestingly, the Troy topos was also used for the Saxons. In
Widukind of Corvey's second edition of Rerum gestarum Saxonicarum, he
claimed that the Saxons originated from Macedonia. In contrast, in his
first issue, Widukind had place the Saxon homeland in Scandinavia,
saying that they were identical with the Dani et Northmanni
(Rerum.gest. Saxon. I 2). Abbot Rudolf of Fulda in turn stated that
the Saxons originated in Britain and had migrated from there to the
region of Hadeln in North Germany. Interestingly, an origin from
Britain is also alluded to in the Getica, but swiftly dismissed by
Jordanes. It is possible that a Britainnia topos was also `in the air'
at this time, although its following seemed to be limited.

Jordanes also alludes to a biblical origin of the Goths, which also
adopted a life on its own in later works. Jordanes (Getica IV, 29)
shows himself surprised that Flavius Josephus, who called the Magog
Scythians does not also identify them as Goths since Scythians are
Goths. Unrelatedly, Ambrosius of Milan (De fide II 16, 137f) also made
the identification of Goths and Magog when writing that "Gog iste
Gothus est". Ambrosius was the basis for Isidor of Seville who also
identified the Goths with Magog on several occasions (Isisor Hist.
Gothorum 66).

This underscores, that tribal histories are not historical accounts
 in a modern sense. The Scandza topos is not more credible as the Troy
or biblical topos on the basis of these legends. Of course these
histories do contain fragments of tribal legends that report
historical events. However, for the Langobards, for example, several
authors have shown that the first `true' folk memories start only as
late as the arrival in Rugiland.

But even for those tribal legends that were interwoven with classical
sources there must have been certain models and analogies. Thus, we
encounter the migration with three ships in the Gothic legends and in
the Saxon legends, while the Langobards never mention any crossing of
the sea. The names of the leaders are often modelled after animals.
The Gothic name Berig may relate to Gothic baira the bear, while the
Saxons arrived in Britain under Hengist and Horsa (the stallion and
the horse) and one of the Langobardic leaders is Ybor, the boar.

All in all, I think that this makes it clear that the Scandza topos,
just like the other topoi of Germanic tribal histories cannot simply
be regarded as true and genuine memories. Especially the fact that
several topoi were used for one and the same tribe underlines that
none of them can simply be taken as the one and true legend. This
would be arbitrary. For a medieval audience the Troy topos was just as
real or unreal as the biblical and Scandza topos. Only that the
Scandza topos suvived longer, in fact until the present day. Most
likely none of the topoi represented real tribal true memory, or as
Goffart put it "As for Scandza itself, the idea that an authentic
Gothic tradition should have referred to an island of that name is no
more plausible than that hoary legends among native peoples of North
America should refer tothe State of Alaska or the Yukon Territory, let
alone the Hudson's Bay". (p89)

cheers,

Dirk





You are a member of the Gothic-L list.  To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <gothic-l-unsubscribe at egroups.com>.

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/





------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Small business owners...
Tell us what you think!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/vO1FAB/txzCAA/ySSFAA/wWMplB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

You are a member of the Gothic-L list.  To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <gothic-l-unsubscribe at egroups.com>.

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/