[gothic-l] Digest Number 485

[Ingemar Nordgren]

 andreas.schwarcz wrote:
> Subject: Re: Re: Goths, Eruli in the East



We know nothing of the gods of the Gothones of the 1st
> century A.D. The Greuthungi seem to have worshipped (according
> to Jordanes) a gothic version of Mars, i.e. a war god. The Tervingi
> brought sacrifices to the river gods before their conversion to
> Christianity and worshipped wooden idols which they are said to
> have brought over the Danube into the empire (by Eunapius). No
> source whatever mentions a mother goddess or gives the name of
> Freya or Freyr in connection with any group of the Goths.


Theoretically what you say is correct but there is more to gain from
what we really know. Read e.g. Wolframs lecture "Origo et religio" which
summarizes quite well the connection between Gaut and the Asir inclusive
Óðinn. Add also his beleive the Tervingi worshipped Tiwaz/Týr. Also Ingr
is suggested - the predecessor of Frejr. Ermanarich's  death is the
death of an odinistic king. The only known cult that had guði and guðja,
like with the Goths, is the cult of Frejr/Freja (earlier
Ingr/Ingunar).Et c., et c. Still technically you are right as far as the
written sources specially about the Goths concerns.

I do not intend to start a long discussion on this topic, because it
leads off topic for the list into pure history of religion and could be
everlasting. This is just a short commentary and nothing more.

Another interesting book concerning the internal Tervingian habits, also
religious, is  Jens Ulrichs book Barbarische Gesellschaftsstruktur und
römische Aussenpolitik zu Beginn der Völkerwanderung - Ein Versuch zu
den Westgoten 365-377, Bonn 1995.

Greetings
Ingemar


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