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Germanic

Kriemhild accuses Hagen of murdering Sigfrid after Sigfrid's wounds begin to bleed in Hagen's presence, by Emil Lauffer (1879) (Public Domain)

Nibelungs – Germanic Race Of Elves Or Giants?

The Nibelungs are one of the most mysterious peoples of the ancient world. Some scholars regard them as a race of dwarfs or elves. On the other hand, their close identification with giants suggests...
AI Panoramic view of the castle during the Dark Ages. Source: DIGITALSHAPE/Adobe Stock

Why the Dark Ages Weren't Really All That Dark

For hundreds of years, a period often referred to as ‘the Dark Ages’, covering the 5th to the 10th centuries, was looked down upon by historians, especially during the Renaissance and Enlightenment...
Pope Leo the Great attempts to persuade Gaiseric, prince of Vandals, to abstain from sacking Rome, by Maïtre François (c. 1475) (Public Domain)

Desperate Lesser-Known Emperors Facing A Disintegrating Western Roman Empire: 455-476 AD

The assassination of Emperor Valentinian III in March 455 AD, heralded the last phase of the Western Roman Empire’s political existence. By then, large parts of its territory were either occupied by...
Roman Emperor (CEVmemories/ Adobe Stock)

Military Anarchy Period Of The Roman Empire: Descent Into Hades 235-250 AD

Most experts today recognize that the period of the Antonine Imperial Dynasty, which lasted from 96 to 192 AD, corresponded to the zenith of the Roman Empire . Yet, just over 40 years later, the...
Wednesday is named after Odin (Wotan), the all-father of Norse mythology. Source: The_AI_Revolution / Adobe Stock

The Pagan Gods Who Gave Rise to the Days of Our Week

We speak the names of gods on a daily basis and most people do not even realize it. Whether its Thor’s Day (Thursday) or Saturn’s Day (Saturday), every day of the week, religious and non-religious...
The Arch of Drusus (Rabax63 /CC BY-SA 4..0)

A Hero’s Send-Off To Rome’s General Drusus The Elder, First Germanicus

When word of his younger brother’s life-threatening illness reached him, Roman General Tiberius (later Emperor Tiberius Caesar Augustus) who was in Pavia at the time, crossed the Alps like a man...
Were the Merovingians Descended from a Monster? Meet the Quinotaur

Were the Merovingians Descended from a Monster? Meet the Quinotaur

You’ve probably heard of a Minotaur (half-man, half-bull), but what about a Quinotaur? In early Frankish history there was a “beast of Neptune” which was said to look like a creature called a...
A pencil sketch on paper drawing of the Erlking or the Elf King of ancient German mythological belief. 		Source: jozefklopacka / Adobe Stock

The Erlking: The Powerful Germanic Mythical Snatcher of Children

European traditional folklore is full of diverse and mythical creatures both good and bad. Often enough, they become popular again during the time of Christmas or Halloween, when the stories of their...
The Jutes were part of the major colonization of the British Isles in the 5th century. Source: Nejron Photo / Adobe Stock.

Who Were the Jutes? The Mysterious Tribe Who Settled In Britain

The history of the British Isles is a colorful patchwork, made up of the diverse tribes and nations that sought to make the island their home. Peoples migrated to the island through the Bronze Age,...
A ghastly death ossuary in Milan that likely also contains many dead from the Massacre of Milan in 1539 AD during the battles to retake Italy by the Byzantine Empire, which was headquartered in Constantinople.         Source: Francis Malapris / Adobe Stock

Byzantium Suffers Barbarian Wrath in the Massacre of Milan of 539 AD

“Woe to the vanquished!” the old saying goes, and it was often showcased in history. During the devastating Gothic War that raged between 535 and 554 AD on the Italian Peninsula, the venerable city...
The Norse God Odin: Viking God of War, Father of Thor, But There’s More

The Norse God Odin: Viking God of War, Father of Thor, But There’s More

Odin is the chief deity of the Norse pantheon. Although Odin was worshipped more generally in Germanic paganism, the information we have today about this god is derived mostly from Norse mythology...
The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

The existence of mystery schools in the Viking Age (800-1200 CE) is deduced from myth and folklore. The poems of the Edda display the structure and content of cultic texts used within the framework...
This Germanic image links the stork with death and the underworld. Source: Hanna Gottschalk / Adobe Stock

The Bringer of Souls: The Stork Myth In Ancient Pan-European Beliefs

Ancient beliefs are often a complex puzzle and putting the pieces together can often be extremely challenging. Time has its way with unwritten traditions, and little of what wasn’t written down...
10 Fierce But Often Forgotten Enemies of Rome

10 Fierce But Often Forgotten Enemies of Rome

Rome, this very name conjures up images of an ancient empire so vast that experts from different ages have been spellbound by the unprecedented magnanimity of its reaches. Ancient Rome defined the...
Return of the Ancient Gods: The Resurgence of Paganism

Return of the Ancient Gods: The Resurgence of Paganism

Over the past two centuries, Europe has become increasingly secular. Scholars in fact no longer talk of the Christian West when they speak of Modern Europe and North America, but of the Secular West...
A Deadly Formula - Why Viking Weapons and Armor Were So Effective

A Deadly Formula - Why Viking Weapons and Armor Were So Effective

Nothing continues to be so inspiring and thrilling from early medieval history such as the Viking Age. This exciting historical period turned the nations of Europe upside down, and ushered in a new,...
Representation of Hengist and Horsa.           Source: Brambilla Simone / Adobe stock

Invasion of Britain by Brothers Hengist and Horsa: Truth or Legend?

Hengist and Horsa were a pair of brothers mentioned in British history. According to legend, they were the leaders of the first Germanic settlers (or Anglo-Saxons ) of Britain. They are believed to...
Human remains found at the excavation site at the medieval cemetery in Petriplatz, Berlin.    Source: Ausgrabung Petriplatz

Mass Medieval Cemetery Sheds Light on Berlin’s Brutal Birth

In Berlin , a historic medieval cemetery has been excavated which reveals that medieval people’s lives were blighted by hunger, disease, and extreme violence. Many of the human remains show signs of...
The Frisians are historically recognized as brave warriors. Source: lassedesignen/Adobe Stock

The Frisians: Fierce Fighters of The North Sea Coasts

The world of Germanic nations is a diverse and rich cultural ethnosphere whose languages and cultures came to dominate Western Europe and much of the world. Their history is rich and spans centuries...
Huge Hoard of 1000-year-old Yotvingian Weapons Unearthed in Poland

Huge Hoard of 1000-year-old Yotvingian Weapons Unearthed in Poland

Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of ancient weapons at a cemetery site in the Suwałki region of eastern Poland . Dating back around 1,000 years, archaeologists have recovered over 500 swords,...
The spread of the Ostrogothic Kindom, The Goths at the Battle of Mons Lactarius.

Ostrogothic Kingdom – The Rise and Fall of the Eastern Goths

The early medieval and early AD history of Europe saw many emerging nations, and plenty of migrations as well. Tribes were restless, axes sharpened, and old kingdoms were growing weak. And in such...
St Augustine of Canterbury preaches to Aethelberht of Kent during Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England 	Photo source: James William Edmund Doyle / Public domain

How Anglo-Saxon England Made the Radical Change to Christianity

The Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England began towards the end of the 6 th century AD, and by the end of the succeeding century, all the kings of Anglo-Saxon England were Christian, at least...
Spearheads, helmets and other items found at the Germanic warriors burial site.       Source: Tempelburg Historical and Cultural Association and Kostrzyn Fortress Museum

2000-Year-Old Germanic Warrior Burials Unearthed In Poland

Archaeologists in Poland have discovered a 2,000-year-old burial site containing the remains of ancient Germanic warriors. In an effort to protect the archaeological dig site located near Kostrzyn (...
Red runes carved from wood on the ground. There are 24 runes in the Elder Futhark.

Futhark: Mysterious Ancient Runic Alphabet of Northern Europe

Runes are the characters of the earliest written alphabet used by the Germanic peoples of Europe called Futhark. The runic alphabet was used within Germanic languages but primarily in Nordic...

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