The Origin and Deeds of the GothsJordanes, active 6th century
History
The Origin and Deeds of the Goths
Jordanes, active 6th century
Attila, -453; Germanic peoples; Goths
XIV Now the first of these heroes, as they themselves 79
relate in their legends, was Gapt, who begat
Hulmul. And Hulmul begat Augis; and Augis begat
him who was called Amal, from whom the name of the
Amali comes. This Amal begat Hisarnis. Hisarnis
moreover begat Ostrogotha, and Ostrogotha begat Hunuil,
and Hunuil likewise begat Athal. Athal begat
Achiulf and Oduulf. Now Achiulf begat Ansila and
Ediulf, Vultuulf and Hermanaric. And Vultuulf begat
Valaravans and Valaravans begat Vinitharius. Vinitharius
moreover begat Vandalarius; Vandalarius begat 80
Thiudimer and Valamir and Vidimer; and Thiudimer
begat Theodoric. Theodoric begat Amalasuentha; Amalasuentha
bore Athalaric and Mathesuentha to her husband
Eutharic, whose race was thus joined to hers in
kinship. For the aforesaid Hermanaric, the son of 81
Achiulf, begat Hunimund, and Hunimund begat Thorismud.
Now Thorismud begat Beremud, Beremud begat
Veteric, and Veteric likewise begat Eutharic, who married
Amalasuentha and begat Athalaric and Mathesuentha.
Athalaric died in the years of his childhood, and
Mathesuentha married Vitiges, to whom she bore no
child. Both of them were taken together by Belisarius to
Constantinople. When Vitiges passed from human affairs,
Germanus the patrician, a cousin of the Emperor
Justinian, took Mathesuentha in marriage and made her
a Patrician Ordinary. And of her he begat a son, also
called Germanus. But upon the death of Germanus, she
determined to remain a widow. Now how and in what
wise the kingdom of the Amali was overthrown we shall
keep to tell in its proper place, if the Lord help us.
But let us now return to the point whence we made our 82
digression and tell how the stock of this people of whom
I speak reached the end of its course. Now Ablabius the
historian relates that in Scythia, where we have said that
they were dwelling above an arm of the Pontic Sea, part
of them who held the eastern region and whose king was
Ostrogotha, were called Ostrogoths, that is, eastern
Goths, either from his name or from the place. But the
rest were called Visigoths, that is, the Goths of the western
country.
[Sidenote: MAXIMINUS, THE GOTH WHO BECAME A ROMAN EMPEROR]
[Sidenote: Septimius Severus A.D. 193-211]
[Sidenote: Antoninus Caracalla A.D. 198-217]
[Sidenote: Macrinus A.D. 217-218]
[Sidenote: Antoninus Elagabalus A.D. 218-222]
[Sidenote: Alexander A.D. 222-235]
[Sidenote: Maximinus A.D. 235-238]
[Sidenote: Pupienus A.D. 238]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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