Killing the Elderly

[d.faltin at HISPEED.CH]

Hi Tom,
  
 this custom is very poorly attested. Procopius mentiones it with regards to the Heruls. But Procopius (who is known for exaggerations and distortions) is doing all he can to make the Heruls look bad and conform as much as possible to ancient mediterranean believes regarding "barbarians".
 Clearly, there is evidence of human sarcrifices among the Germanic people and there is even evidence that suggests that at some severe times it may have been an honor to be the victim of such sacrifices. Thus, at those times higher ranking members of society (including elders) may have been the prefered victims. Such practices may have fuelled the ancient mediterranean topoi regarding the barbarians. However, it is in my view very unlikely that the elderly were simply dispatched off because of their age.
  
 Cheers,
 Dirk
  
  
  
  
  
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