[gothic-l] Re: Eruli-Scandinavian Relations

[faltin2001]

--- In gothic-l at y..., "Bertil Haggman" <mvk575b at t...> wrote:
> Another aspect brought up in the RLK-book published
> in 1994 is the Eruli people and the remigration to
> Scandinavia widely discussed on this list.
>
> RLK point out that after the fall of the Huns the Eruli
> were settled near the river Danube, between Eipel
> and March. Thus they controlled one of the main roads
> to the Baltic Sea area and the Amber Coast along the
> rivers March and Vistula.



This argument has also been used to link the Heruls with the
emergence of the so called Masovia-Germanic culture in the early 6th
century. There is an article about this culture in the Reallexikon
der Germanischen Altertumskunde. Apparently in the early 6th century
a Germanic culture from the Danube area appeared in the region around
Allenstein/Olstyn, which Polish archaeologists have tried to link to
Heruls fleeing the Danube area after their defeat at the hands of the
Langobards. Does anybody have more information about
this 'Masovia/Marsur Germanic culture'?







>
> In the book is referred to the likelyhood that the immigrants
> due to the cultural influence played an important role in their
> new home and in much turned out to be forerunners. The
> Harii, is pointed out, may linguistically be connected with
> Eruli and also the Vendi (before ca 700AD).


Who are the Vendi? Is this the same group as the Veneti, or does this
name refer to West Slavic Wends?




> One interesting aspect is that Procopius, who wrote about
> the remigration, knew much about the Eruli. The reason:
> he was himself secretary of the commander in chief of the
> Byzantian forces. Procopius is thus a good contemporary
> eyewitness to the strong Eruli mercenary force that fought
> on the side of Byzantium against Gothic King Theoderic.
>
> RLK discussed in 1994 the possibility that the positive
> experience of the Byzantian emperors, when it came to
> Eruli mercenaries, contributed to the custom of Constantinople
> to hire Scandinavians as lifeguard at a later stage.


This looks like a very contrived argument. After the lapse of several
centuries the Byzantines remembered their positive experieance with
Heruls (from the Danube area) and thought hence we should employ
Scandinavian body guards? Roman emperors had Germanic body guards
already in the first century AD. I suppose employing foreigners as
body guards had the advantage that they could be more easily
controlled and kept outside political power struggles.


Dirk


> Erulically
>
> Bertil


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