I’ve always loved Germanic history. I think the world owes so much to how the Germanic peoples have shaped it.
In Roman times, most of the Germanic tribes were regarded as barbarians. The Franks were a large and powerful Germanic tribe living in Roman Gaul who have left a remarkable imprint on the world. For example, the words lingua franca means language of the Franks. To be Frank, or not beat-around-the-bush is also attributed to their style of military tactics. The Roman women envied Frankish women for their blonde and ginger coloured hair, and would often make wigs from them to wear.
The legends of King Arthur fighting the invading Germanic tribes in Britain is another example. Countless tribes such as the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Franks, Frisians, and even the Vikings (who were also Germanic) came to the British Isles and brought their culture with them. Hordes of wariors were followed by families who farmed the land. The word England is itself derived from “land of the Angles”.
The last King of the Franks, was in fact the first King of France. This means that the modern French are in fact descended from an Old Germanic tribe.
One would be surprised to see how many countries have populations with a large Germanic origin:
Germany (obviously!)
England
Belgium
Sweden
Denmark
Finland
Norway
The Netherlands
Switzerland
Austria
France
and a lot more which I can’t think of right now.
I’m learning High German right now and it’s incredible how similar it is to English. I would definitely like to go visit the countries above and explore their cultures.
zakka
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