WIDSITH! THE WORLD OF THE ENGLISH BEFORE THERE WAS AN ENGLAND
	What was an Englishman's world like before the Angles migrated to Britain, before there was an England?  We get an idea when we read Widsith, the oldest poem written in any Germanic language.  It was composed by an Englishman in Anglian England in the seventh century and recalls events reaching all the way back into the 200s.  The name of the poet, Widsith, means "Far Traveler", and he details all the ancient tribes and legends that were a part of an Englishman's world. This list includes over 30 tribes that can be placed within Scandinavia or had recently migrated from there: The Glommas - dwelling on the river Glommen in Norway. Rugians - came from Rogaland in Norway and ultimately settled in eastern Germany and Austria.  Gudmund Schutte believed that the Rugians also formed an important element in the tribal make-up of the Frisians and the Anglo-Saxons. Granii - a tribe from Grenland, Norway. Burgundians - originated on the island of Bornholm, a Danish island;  Margaret Deanesly tells us that the Burgundians were "Tall and blond, they were reputed by the provincials to have stentorian voices and enormous appetites; Jordanes says they were 'mild in character, harsh in voice:  and greased their hair with rancid butter.' " Swaefa - this is an Old English form of the name Suebi; although the Angles were originally just one of many tribes that belonged to the huge Suebic confederation, they absorbed the remnants of the Suebic people that remained behind in Denmark and brought them with them when they colonized Britain.  However, some groups of the Suebi (Swaefa) retained their individuality long enough to attach their name to these settlements in England:  Swaffham, Swaby, Swaton, and Swavesey. Haelsingas - from Helsingland, Sweden; became neighbors of the Angles. Hundings - from the south coast of the Baltic. Wernum - the Varni of Denmark. They accompanied the Angles when they settled in Britain and in central Germany (Thuringia). Eowan / Aviones - from Funen and other Baltic islands now belonging to Denmark. Wulfingum - neighbors of the Goths in Sweden.  Traces of the name are found in England. Sweom - the Swedes; they were described as being the tallest and strongest tribe. Sycgum - from Norway; derived from the Old Norse name Sigi. Ymbrum - inhabitants of the Danish island Fehmarn. Hereforan - came from Heligoland in Norway. Gefflegum - they came from Uppsala, Sweden. Hronum - the "whale people" from Norway. Myrgingas - Widsith described himself as being from this tribe which was absorbed by the more powerful Angles.  The Lombards were also of the Myrging tribe. Geats - originating in Sweden, they were the same as the Goths; also, the Geatum - the Geats of Beowulf. They were one of Scandinavia's most numerous people. Jordanes, the sixth century historian of the Goths, described Scandinavia as "the mother of nations" and "a factory of peoples".  The Italians used the word Goths as an abusive term meaning 'northern barbarians'. Wenlum - the Vendilfolk in northern Denmark. Gefthum - the Gepids were near kin to the Goths in Sweden; they founded a kingdom in southeast Hungary. Vikings - hundreds of years before the Viking Age, there was a tribe of people that called themselves the Vikings; they were related to and neighboring upon the Angles. Previous Page......Next Page