Gothic wedding customs

[Ingemar Nordgren]

Hi g scaff!

Morgengabe, i.e. Morning gift, is common in all Germanic Europe also
in the Middle Ages. It is the bride that receives it from the groom in
order to secure her future if her husband should die or disappear in
another way. It might in noble families be an own castle or other real
property.

Best
Ingemar



--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "g_scaff" <g_scaff at ...> wrote:
>
> Greetings all,
>    In Mr. Heather's The Goths, on pg 291, he writes "a formula from the 
> early seventh-century shows that it was by then standard for marriage 
> arrangements to include a morgengabe consisiting in part of weapons.  
> The formula specifically characterizes the practice as "Gothic"."
>     I am curious as to what a "morgengabe" is? Why the gift of weapons? 
> Whom recieved this, the groom or bride? Is there a similar custom among 
> other tribes?  I'd like to hear about this, if anyone knows. Thanks.
>                 Sincerely 
>                         Gregory
>


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