Chapter 17
“There are four great Spills in European literature; that of the Britons, the Romans, the Gaels, and the Germans. Of these, the German Spill represents two distinct eras; the Gothic and the Theut. Despite this, the two branches of the German Spill represent two interwoven literary threads, rather than distinct branches which, sprouting from a common source and diverging from one another” – Vitus d’Gaul [FN1]
The Spills of the Goths
By: Adal Wulfswair
St. Athalric University Press, Massalbaurgs, Gotland [OTL: Marseilles, France], 2007 [FN1]
Introduction
The legends of the Germanic peoples represent one of the greatest bodies of literature of the European Migration Ages; those years from the collapse of the old Roman order in the West to the establishment of the Theutish dominions. These stories were held sacred by the many different Germanic folk, and passed from one nation to another on the lips of elders in the village hall, sung by poets in the court of kings or, ever so rarely, written down and preserved for future generations by court scribes and scholars.
Often, the tales that were handed down to us disagree upon many fundamentals. The epic Aírmanareiksaggws, written during the 7th century of the Christian era, tells the story of the great Gothic King Airmanareiks, his efforts to create a Kingdom in Aujum centered upon the old capital of Athahaim, and his eventual defeat by the Huns. In this song, Airmanareiks is remembered as a great warrior, but also a King known for cruelty. His fall is brought upon by the brothers of Sunilda, after Airmanareiks has his wife ripped apart by horses, believing her to be unfaithful. The brothers ally with the Huns, causing Airmanareiks’ noble suicide after his armies have been defeated. A second epic, now lost to us, named the Vithimirussaggws, dealt with Airmanareiks’ successor, Vithimirus, and his efforts to hold back the Hun’s power. However, only three centuries later, Vithimirus’ appears as an antagonist to Theoderic; a cousin who usurped Theoderic’s rightful throne, and who was responsible for the King’s exile to Hunland. [FN2]
Of course, the central figure of the Gothic tales was Theodemir the Great, immortalized as Deitmir der Grosse by the Saxon poet of the “Merovingleid.” A great deal of historical information has been passed down to us about this incredible Emperor, who united the Goths and restored the Empire of the West. Of these, perhaps the most informative remains the writings of Wulfila Strabo, who wrote the first biography of Theodemir, as well as references to his reign by the Rhomanian historian Procopius, as well as royal documents from the Kingdoms of the Goths, the Rhomanian Empire, as well as stray references from surviving documents from the Frankish Kingdoms, as well as the Vandals, and other Germanic peoples.
A great deal as been written about the historic Theodemir, and rightfully so, for he helped to construct the future of Europe. However, much less has been written about the mythic figure which supplanted the historical king in the minds of many of the Germanic and Walish folks of Europe. This is, to me, is a great shame, as the character of Theodemir has proven to be as important to the development of Europe was the historical king.
First, it is important to establish that there are actually three traditions of Theodemir present in the folklore of Europe; both of which do not argue upon the actual details of his life, but differ greatly in their interpretation. The first, and earliest, are those stories which stem from the Gothic period itself, and is represented in story fragments recorded b the Arian churchman Luivigild in the 8th century, as well as the History of the Goths written down by Bishop Witteric of Bern. The Theodemir which emerges from these stories is of a just and noble king who was a defender of the Arian church; many of these tales are based upon the King’s military exploits and can usually be verified by the historical record.
The second tradition are the magical stories of Theodemir. These tales often show the King’s battles against different mythological beings, such as Giants, the undead, and other creatures. For many years, academia has largely ignored these stories, although they continue to be popular amongst the people, as seen by the recent best-seller “The King and the Druigan” which retells the story of Theodemir’s victory over an army of undead Druigan raised by his mother and sister, early in his reign. In these stories, Theodemir is able to breath fire when angry, an ability inherited from his Father who may be a descendent of the Devil (and, here, we see the influence of Roman Orthodox traditions which largely denigrated the Amali line for their Arianism).
Finally, we have the third tradition, which surrounds the Fall of the Merovings. These stories likely started in Frankland in the decades following the collapse of Meroving power. Although some scholars argue that they should not be included in the cycle of Theodemir and the Amalings, due to their primary focus upon the Meroving Kings, and their House’s fall, I find this argument to be foolish. Not only does Theodemir appear as a constant force in many of the stories of the cycle, he is one of the main characters of the Merovingleid; the most popular work of this body of legend and myth!
It is in these stories that we are greeted by a far different Theodemir than appears in the rest of the body of legends. The Theodemir which emerges in the Fall of the Merovings in a vicious king, often described as “wolf-like” and “a beast.” In many ways, the character which emerges is much more nuanced than that in the other traditions. Although still seen as a great King, he is often driven solely by revenge and a desire to destroy the Franks at all costs. Certainly, the historical record backs up the facts, of not the interpretation, of these stories. The tales of the Meroving cycle eventually passed into Scandinavia, likely prior to the Theutist Era, and greatly colored the image of Theodemir which would emerge over the next several centuries.
…
The Spill of Germany can largely be divided into four different segments; the Fall of the House of Burgundy, the Tales of Theoderic of Bern, the Cycle of Theodemir, and the Fall of the Merovings. Although certain differences in the stories do exist, one can piece together a generally agreed upon chronology of events. It is important to remember that this do not always reflect the historic record, as it has come down to us.
The Fall of Burgundy
The tale of the Fall of Burgundy follows the story of the princess Hildico, and her Father Gunther. Gunther is a great King who has managed to create a Kingdom around the city of Worms within the Roman Empire. In order to secure his own power, he has made allied with the Huns led by Etzel (Atilla) who helped him in his wars against Rome. Gunther then promises his daughter, Hildico, to the King of the Huns in order to secure peace. Unfortunately for him, Hildico is already in love with another warrior, Alaric, who has helped Gunther in his wars, and was instrumental in the Burgundian taking o Worms.
Gunther, under the guise of friendship, offers to marry Hildico and Alaric. However, at the wedding, he betrays his daughter and her chosen love, and has Alaric murdered, and vows to marry his daughter to the King of the Huns, instead. Unfortunately, Hildico is already pregnant with Alaric’s child. She gives birth and places the child in a basket, which she sends down the Rhine. This child, Alabert, is found and raised by a family of kindly Goth peasants who only know that he is a prince because of a broach that they found in his basket. Upon reaching manhood, Alabert is given three tasks by his foster-parents (to dive to the bottom of a local pond to retrieve a golden apple, to slay a prominent Roman bandit, and to win the love of the princess Brunhilda.), only after he has completed all three is he told of his true heritage.
Upon discovering his true parentage, Alabert travels to the Hunnish Court, disguised as a lowly peasant. After arriving, he saves the life of Atilla from a Roman assassin, and is made a Reik in the Hunnish Army. It is then that he turns the King’s ear against the Burgundians, encouraging him to war against his allies, claiming they possess a great treasure. Attila agrees, and he declares war against the Burgundians, eventually capturing Gunther in battle. Alabert asks for the honor to execute the King and, only then, reveals his heritage to Gunther and his mother, Hildico. Alabert executes his grandfather by throwing him into a pit of vipers. [FN3]
Hildico agrees with Alabert’s motives, and encourages her sons through Atilla to attack the newcomer, knowing that they would be easily illed by her trueborn son. After slaying all of Atilla’s sons, Alabert declares his true heritage in court, and challenges Atilla to battle. However, Atilla overcomes his younger opponent and kills him. This drives HIldico to the point of madness, and upon seeing her son’s body, she tales Atilla back to their marriage bed and stabs him multiple times. The next morning, upon the discovery of the King’s body,she is killed by Theodoric of Bern. [FN4]
Theodoric of Bern
The stories of Theodoric of Bern begin in the ancient Gothic capital of Athahaimin the kingdom of Aujum. There, Aírmanareiks has built a great Kingdom. However, in his lust for power, at an old age, he marries the Swedish princess Sunhilda. However, Sunhilda comes to love Aírmanareiks’ son Randver, and has a son by him, Theodoric. The King discovers the infidelity and has Sunhilda tied to four horses and town apart. His own son, he has drowned in the sea. In revenge, her sisters make an alliance with the Huns and Alans, Aírmanareiks meets his foes in battle, but suffers a horrible loss. Rather than be captured, he chooses to die by his own hand and commits suicide.
The Gothic leader Vithimirus is then elected to rule the Kingdom, and carries out a great war against the Huns. At the same time, Sunhilda and Valamir’s son Theodoric is discovered by the Huns, and is raised by the King’s son Attila. The two become like brothers, and, with the help of the Huns, Theodoric is able to defeat the usurper and take control of the Goths, ruling then as a vassal of Attila. With Attila’s death, however, he joins the Goths in a war against Attila’s successor Bleda, who has previously feuded with Theodoric over the spoils of war.
Theodoric then moves into Italy where he sets up his own kingdom, and rules to a vast age, dispensing justice throughout the land.
Theodemir the Great and the Fall of the Merovings
Theodemir’s life is continually intertwined with that of the Merovings who are represented as former allies of Theodoric in his wars against Belda. According to the stories, Theodoric married Clovis’ sister in order to seal their alliance. However, the bonds of friendship between the two Kings began to be strained as each began to claim more and more of the Roman Empire. Eventually, Clovis invades Aquitaine after a perceived insult, when Theodoric refused to accept an embassy from Clovis (in fact, Theodoric’s wife, and Clovis’ sister had conspired to create a war in order to gain the Hunnish treasure which Clovis had uncovered in the Rhine.)
In the war, Theodemir, much like his historical counterpart, kills Clovis in rage, and begins the enmity between the Goths and Franks. As recorded in the Merovingleid and other tales, the conflict between the two peoples remains largely historically accurate, except for certain embellishments. The sons of Clovis declare war and kill Theodemir’s nephew and, later, his son in a scene which is highly reminiscent (and likely inspired) the death of Alaric in the Burgundian court. The final war has been immortalized in Germanic folklore and mythology to this day; countless pieces of literature and art portray the siege of Paris, the burning of the city, and Theodemir’s execution of the Merovings.
The attention then turns away from Theodemir, and focuses upon the last two heirs of the Merovings, Theudoric and Clovis. After Theudeoric murders his own father on a hunting expedition, in vengeance for his own uncles, his younger brother Clovis rises up in revolt. The two finally meet in combat, at the Battle of Metz and slay one another, thereby ending the Meroving line once and for all.
However, other stories persist of Theodemir and the Emperor Germanus who acts as his faithful friend and ally. Although these stories do have basis in historical fact; Germanus proved to be a staunch friend of Theodemir, even sending funds to help build a tomb for the Western Emperor, many of the tales seem to express the political reality of a century later as both Roman Empires struggles for dominance in the Mediterranean and likely belong to a later tradition.
Finally, on the eve of a war against the Seubi, Theodemir falls ill and dies. However, it is prophesied they he was not dead, but dreaming, and would return again to lead the Goths to glory when they needed him most. [FN5]
[FN1] This is an attempt to come up with an alternate name for the Romance term “Matter”, I.e. The Matter of Britain, the Matter of France and the Matter of Rome. In this timeline, the Germanic traditions remain even stronger, and so they are given their true due in European literary thought. In OTL, the Gothic term “Spill” means story and, I think, maybe be related to the word Spiel.
[FN2] Aujum and Athahaim are my efforts to reconstruct the Gothic name for the old Kingdom of the Goths and its capital (which means River Home). I am no linguist, and my efforts may be off, but it’s the best I could do Both of these words were recorded, through translation, in OTL, with Athahaim appearing in Old Norse Sagas (see my previous posts!)
[FN3] The “pit of Vipers” appears to be a particularly strong motif in Germanic myth, as Gunther dies this way in the Volsung Saga, and Ragnar Lothbrok dies similarly in Northumbria. I figured that this may have been a story which was attached to the Burgundians early on, and would likely be continued.
[FN4] So ends the ATL version of the Nibelunenlied. It’s a bit less developed in the ATL, as the rise of the Amalings and the Fall of the Merovings eclipse it. Its important to note that the bridge of Attila mentioned in the story is the real name o Attila’s last bride in OTL. I purposely kept the themes of revenge and self destruction in the tale, but did not expand upon them as much as in OTL. I also did not include the character of Brunhilda of Gundrun(Kreimhild) under the theory that those characters appeared in the story at a later date.
[FN5] The stories of Theodemir are not fully explained in this section. However, I felt that they would be truer to real life, as there are better written sources to describe his reign. In much the same way, the stories of Charlemagne deviate from real life at certain points, but the main facts of his reign are still held onto.
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Okay; this post was very difficult to write. As I mentioned above, I struggled to find the 'roots' of those Germanic stories we known in OTL. I did the best I could, and plan to return to this post as I continue my reading to make changes.
I really hate to do this, because it sounds so childish, but could my readers please make a comment or two on this post? First of all, I'd love to hear from your collective knowledge. Second of all, I know that this post is a bit esoteric, and may not fall within the realm of expertise of many of my readers. Despite that, it marks an advancement of certain topics I've been wanting to explore since the beginning and, as a mythology geek, is one which is very important to me. I'd value any confirmation that people have read it and appreciated it, and I'd value any constructive criticism even more!