The Heruls

Under construction
The text is reorganised according to the index of the new main article.

The old text was marked by the current changes from ten years of research and
discussions. A few parts of the text are still being rewritten with further links and
references - a work which is expected to be finished in June 2010.

The Heruls
by Troels Brandt

Detailed version

15-06-10

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Index
1 The South European history of the Heruls..........................................................7
1.1 The Roman Sources..............................................................................................................7
1.1.1 The origin of the Heruls..................................................................................................7
1.1.1.1 The old interpretation of Jordanes...........................................................................8
1.1.1.2 The Gothic Migration and migrations in general....................................................9
1.1.1.3 Sarmatians in the etnogenesis?..............................................................................10
1.1.1.4 The modern interpretation of Jordanes..................................................................12
1.1.2 The migrations of the Heruls.........................................................................................13
1.1.2.1 Herulian raiders and mercenaries..........................................................................14
1.1.2.2 The Western Heruls...............................................................................................18
1.1.2.3 The Herulian soldiers............................................................................................18
1.1.2.4 The last migration of the Heruls - Procopius.........................................................19
1.1.3 The arrival of the royal family to Scandinavia..............................................................21
1.1.4 The Heruls in Illyria......................................................................................................23
1.2 Scandinavian connections before 509...............................................................................25
1.2.1 The Eastern Heruls 375 - 454 (Phase A1).....................................................................26
1.2.2 The Eastern Heruls 454 - 509 (Phase A2).....................................................................27
1.2.2.1 Solidi ....................................................................................................................28
1.2.2.2 Burials - Moravia ..................................................................................................28
1.2.2.3 Burials - Högom/Norway .....................................................................................31
1.2.2.4 Fibulas - Style I ....................................................................................................32
1.2.2.5 The trade route and the Heruls .............................................................................34
1.2.3 The Western Heruls 286-509 (Phase B)........................................................................35
1.3 Conclusions regarding the history.....................................................................................36
1.3.1 Sources and critics........................................................................................................36
1.3.1.1 Alvar Ellegaard .....................................................................................................36
1.3.1.2 Andreas Schwarcz ................................................................................................38
1.3.1.3 Walter Goffart........................................................................................................39
1.3.1.4 Jordanes' sources...................................................................................................40
1.3.1.5 Procopius' sources ................................................................................................41
1.3.1.6 The Swedish archaeologists .................................................................................42
1.3.1.7 General contradictions – their number..................................................................43
1.3.2 Conclusion....................................................................................................................44
2 The settlement in Scandinavia............................................................................46
2.1 Five questions by Åke Hyenstrand....................................................................................46
2.1.1 Heruls and Runes?........................................................................................................46
2.1.1.1 The first runes........................................................................................................46
2.1.1.2 The ErilaR inscriptions..........................................................................................47
2.1.1.3 The Märings and the Rök Stone............................................................................49
2.1.1.4 Rune stones in Blekinge........................................................................................51
2.1.1.5 Other runes after 509 AD......................................................................................51
2.1.1.6 The personal names...............................................................................................52
2.1.1.7 The answer.............................................................................................................52
2.1.2 Heruls and Earls?..........................................................................................................52
2.1.2.1 Niels Lukman and Barði Guðmundsson...............................................................52
2.1.2.2 A likely explanation...............................................................................................53
2.1.2.3 The answer.............................................................................................................53
2.1.3 Heruls and Svear?.........................................................................................................53

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2.1.3.1 The general development in Scandinavia 400-600 AD.........................................53

2.1.3.1.1 Bracteates.......................................................................................................55
2.1.3.2 Blekinge/Värend – The place of arrival?...............................................................56
2.1.3.2.1 Expansion .....................................................................................................56
2.1.3.2.2 Traces of the arrival of the Heruls ................................................................57
2.1.3.3 Norway, Götaland and the islands.........................................................................59
2.1.3.4 The Mälar Valley - Archaeology...........................................................................61
2.1.3.4.1 Burials - Mounds in Uppland (6th c.) ...........................................................62
2.1.3.4.2 Helmets and weapons....................................................................................64
2.1.3.4.3 Later fibulas and Style II (6th c.) ..................................................................66
2.1.3.4.4 Ships .............................................................................................................67
2.1.3.4.5 Halls and marketplaces .................................................................................68
2.1.3.4.6 A summary of the archaeology .....................................................................68
2.1.3.5 The answer.............................................................................................................70
2.1.4 Heruls and boat graves?................................................................................................71
2.1.4.1 The boat graves .....................................................................................................71
2.1.4.2 Cremations after 565 AD.......................................................................................72
2.1.4.3 The answer.............................................................................................................73
2.1.5 Heruls and Eric – the god?............................................................................................74
2.1.5.1 The god Eric..........................................................................................................74
2.1.5.2 Heruls and ancestor gods?.....................................................................................74
2.1.5.3 The answer.............................................................................................................76
2.2 A possible scenario..............................................................................................................76
2.2.1 The journey and the motives behind ............................................................................77
2.2.2 The take over and the integration .................................................................................79
2.2.3 The consolidation .........................................................................................................81
2.3 Conclusions regarding the settlement...............................................................................81
2.3.1 Alternatives...................................................................................................................82
2.3.2 Conclusion about history compared with archaeology ................................................82
2.3.3 Certainty and further possibilities ................................................................................83
3 The Norse myths and legends.............................................................................84
3.1 Sagas, chronicles and legends............................................................................................85
3.1.1 Beowulf and Widsith ....................................................................................................85
3.1.1.1 Geat and the Geats ................................................................................................86
3.1.1.2 Beowulf and the “Dane” Chocillaicus...................................................................87
3.1.1.3 England, Scandinavian archaeology and Beowulf ...............................................88
3.1.2 Hervararsaga and the Hreidgoths .................................................................................89
3.1.3 The Eastgermanic legends ............................................................................................91
3.1.4 The Dacian kings - Dudo .............................................................................................92
3.1.5 Saxo and his manipulations ..........................................................................................93
3.1.6 Snorri Sturlusson ..........................................................................................................95
3.2 The Norse religions ............................................................................................................95
3.2.1 Dumezil and the Indoeuropean theories........................................................................95
3.2.2 The Norse religions.......................................................................................................96
3.2.3 The god Odin.................................................................................................................98
3.3 Odin and the king of the Heruls .....................................................................................101
3.3.1 The men of Asia and the Heruls..................................................................................101
3.3.2 The route of Odin .......................................................................................................104
3.3.3 The later kings of Ynglingesaga..................................................................................106
3.3.4 Independent sources? .................................................................................................107

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3.3.5 A possible source ........................................................................................................108

3.4 Norse parallels to Jordanes' expulsion ...........................................................................109
3.5 The Scandinavian names .................................................................................................111
3.6 Burial customs – Snorri, Procopius and archaeology ...................................................111
3.7 Conclusions - Norse literature.........................................................................................112
4 Scandinavian perspectives................................................................................114
5 Literature............................................................................................................115

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Preface
The work behind this article began in 1995 as a search for a reason behind the Danish traditions
around the elections of the mediaval kings. The establishing of the Scandinavian kingdoms and possible
catalysts in that process were a part of the search. During the search it became soon obvious that the
history of the Heruls had been misunderstood in Scandinavia.

It is an ambivalent feeling to spend time on a repellent people like the Heruls. Parts of the legends
around them have been used by the historical philosophers behind the Nazi-party and it is no
coincidence that Ludvig Schmidt in 1934 could write: ”Die Heruler waren ein echtes Herrenvolk.”
Neither should we, however, in that case be interested in the popular Scandinavian Viking Ages
representing a similar culture at a later stage – but nevertheless the ”final” result was the democratic
Scandinavian monarchies.

Earlier Swedish scholars may have avoided the Heruls because they could destroy the Swedish dream
that Uppsala was an internal Swedish development – the wellspring of European Culture, which Olof
Rudbeck in 1716 proclaimed as the Lost Atlantis. The claim about the Atlantis was immidiately
opposed, but apparently the rest of dream is still alive though the scholars eagerly dissociate themselves
from national pride.

It is by the irony of the fate that modern well-meaning scholars have been caught in that trap, though
the History of the Heruls could provide us with the story of a successful integration of immigrants, who
might even have learned by their evil mistakes. Since World War II, however, nearly all scholars have
neclected the arrival of the Heruls to the Scandinavian Peninsula. Unfortunately the idea to suppress
material which can be misused in etnical matters will by time make the surpressors blind too.

Only the local historian Tore Ganholm at Gotland did maintain in ”The origin of Svear” that the Heruls
settled in the Mälar Valley in 512 AD. No one listened, as he had no scholarly background and as his
claim was that the Heruls were the original Svear while the Suiones of Tacitus lived at his own
Gotland from where also Beowulf descended. Therefore his theory about the Heruls in the Mälar Valley
did not get the appreciation it deserved.

I was not aware of that past when my first web-article in June 2000 was provoked by an
internationally acknowledged article in Scania by the Swedish linguist Alvar Ellegaard. In 1987 he
claimed that the Heruls were a warriorband, who left Scandinavia after a short visit in the 6th century.
He had an interesting clue about Jordanes, but it was obvious, when reading his sources, that
Ellegaard's way to reject sources did not follow the usual scholarly criterias.

The purpose of this article written by a third "outsider" is to present the material and suggest an
explanation - in the hope that a scholar one day may find a better basis of assessment.

The first main chapter about the acknowledged history of the Heruls in Southern Europe is as far as
possible following the works of professor Andreas Schwarcz, the University of Vienna, and his student
Angelika Lintner-Potz. We have agreed to publish her ”Diplomarbeit zur erlangung des

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Magistergrades” ,”Die Eruler”, at my website (in German). I do not agree in detail in all suggestions
being not attested in the scattered sources, but those cases will be mentioned below and will neither
change the final conclusion nor the consequences in the next chapter.

The second main chapter about the settlement in Scandinavia is now totally restructured . First several
years after my first article, when I should lecture about the Rök Stone, I met the late Swedish professor
in archaeology, Åke Hyenstrand, and became aware that he in 1996 asked 5 questions about the Heruls
in his book ”Lejonet, Korset och Draken” - written to his young students. The book has not been
available in Denmark and his questions appear to have been ignored in Sweden too. The chapter is now
structured as an answer to his questions – which will cover the main problems regarding their
settlement as it was his purpose in 1996.

The third main chapter about the Norse literature has no influence on the hypothesis about the Heruls
in this paper. It has the opposite purpose to draw the attention to the Herulic influence on the Norse
myths and legends, which the Danish scholar, Niels Lukman did in 1943 – but unfortunately in a
doctoral dissertation in German language during the German occupation of Denmark, making his ideas
bad taste for decades. Only in Iceland his ideas were followed up by the national antiquarian Barði
Guðmansson. The chapter may show that remains of memory of a people like the Heruls did not totally
disappear in Scandinavia, which has been one of the arguments against the presence of Heruls in
Scandinavia.

The paper below in pdf is a comprehensive version of the web-article with detailed arguments, notes
and references to sources and literature. The text from the English web-article is contained in the paper
– being spread over the paper in black frames, normally in the beginning of the chapters as summaries.
The same numbering of chapters is followed in both articles in order to help to find details when
reading the short web-article, which is written in both Danish and English.

Copenhagen, November 30th 2009

Troels Brandt

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1 The South European history of the Heruls

1.1 The Roman Sources
1.1.1 The origin of the Heruls

In many Danish history books the Heruls are mentioned as the original people of Sealand and
Scania from where they should have been expelled by Swedish Danes in the first centuries after
Christ. The source for that theory is entirely the Gothic historian Jordanes in his work "Getica"
from 551 AD. The Danish archaeologists immediately combined the expulsion of the Heruls with
the alliances of the warrior elite indicated by the finds in Himlingoeje in the Roman Iron Ages.
However, first of all Jordanes did not write that the Danes were Swedish as his words were that
both people were of the same stock, the unknown Vinoviloth - maybe the Vinnili mentioned as the
ancestors of the Lombards. Secondly the contemporary Roman historians did neither mention
Danes nor Heruls in Denmark - they were first mentioned by Jordanes 400 years later. As the third
the idea about the Danish origin of the Heruls was entirely based on 5 bungled words in his
geographical introduction of the Danes "expelling the Heruls from their settlements" - words which
were probably misunderstood. Thus Jordanes later wrote about their etymology which he
connected with the swamps at the Black Sea. Modern linguists read these words in the introduction
as a description of an event of his own time.

The names of people in the Migration Ages change rapidly in the sources all the time, as many
constellations consisted of semi-nomads following a successful leader - regardless of family or
tribe connections. Probably the Heruls were established in the third century at the eastern bank of
the Russian river Dnieper as an ethnogenesis between Germanic tribes, Sarmatian/Alanic nomads
and Bosporanians - with Gothic/Eastgermanic as their language. Many of the Germanics were
probably Eastgermanic Goths. At the same time a group showed up in Northern Frisia – the
Western Heruls. The similarity in names may just indicate that they had their royal dynasty in
common. None of the groups were mentioned by Ptolemeus around 150 AD, but a connection has
been suspected with the two earlier people, Harii and Harudes, based on names and character.
Under all circumstances the origin of the Heruls is unknown - just like the origin of the Goths
being today connected with the areas around the mouth of the Polish river Vistula – not with
Scandinavia.

The Heruls appeared for the first time in the history at Byzans and Athens in 267 AD as told below, but in
551 AD the Ostrogothic secretary Jordanes1 told that Danes "drove from their homes the Heruli".

Neither the Heruls in Scandinavia nor the Danes are identified in the works of the geographers or historians
1 Jordanes III, 23. Jordanes was the secretary of an Ostrogothic or Rugian family. He wrote “Getica” in Byzans in the
winter 551 (Wolfram 1988), just before the last remains of the Ostrogothic Kingdom broke down. Normally he is
supposed to have used information from a lost work of Cassiodorus (Chancellor of Theodoric the Great) finalized
around 519 AD, and for some parts also Ablasius, who was possibly the powerful chief of the Pretorians at the court
of Constantine the Great (Nordgren 1999). Where nothing is mentioned in chapter 2.1, Jordanes is the source to the
Herulian and Gothic history until 480 AD, but Jordanes is normally regarded as a doubtful source, which is
discussed further in Chapter 4.4. As the Gothic history is not the subject here, Wolfram's "History of the Goths" is
used as a main source to their part of the history in spite of later research. Works like "Cassiodorus and Jordanes" of
Arne Søby Christensen and "The Goths" of Peter Heather have of course been taken in consideration too.

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written before 550 AD, but our earlier historians combined the two sources in a way where the Heruls were
expelled from their original homes in Scandinavia and went to the Black Sea some decades before they
appeared at Byzans.

This interpretation of Jordanes, regarded as a 300 years old information, is the only reason why the Heruls
have been given a Scandinavian origin. This now questioned by modern linguists. First we will look at the
consequences if the old interpretation was correct.

1.1.1.1 The old interpretation of Jordanes

Swedish historians like von Friesen placed these original Heruls in Southern Denmark or Northern Germany,
but Jordanes told that both the Danes and the Suetidi traced their origin to the unknown Vinoviloth.2 Later in
899 AD the Danes lived in Scania, Halland and Sealand according to Ottars description [Lund, 1983], while
the Jutes lived in Jutland, which was earlier populated by Cimbrians and Anglians too [Tacitus].
Consequently it is most likely that a Danish expulsion of the Heruls before 899 AD took place in South
Eastern Scandinavia.

Combining Tacitus, Ptolemeus and Flavius Arianus we know that a group of Gothic speaking Eudoses
arrived at the Black Sea in the time between Tacitus and Ptolemeus (2nd century AD). Later they moved

2 [Jordanes III] In general the sentence "of the same stock as the Suitidi" has been interpreted as a Danish migration
from Sweden, but he just wrote that the Dani and Suitidi both descended from the Vinoviloth, which is probably a
version of the name Vinili - being mentioned as a former name of the Lombards by Paulus Diaconis. Neither need
the Suetidi to be the Svear in the Mälar Valley, as he mentioned the Suehans there. This will open for interesting
combinations and explanations outside the topic of this article.

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eastwards. This is an alternative explanation to the archaeological observations by Michel Kazanski [RGA,
Black Sea] and the Russian archaeologist, Magomedov [Magomedov 2001] placing the migrated Heruls at
Crimea and in the Moldavian region. Earlier the Scandinavian Cimbrians followed by other Germanic tribes
passed these regions before attacking Italy.

In the first centuries AD contemporary trade centers were established around the Baltic Sea. In Denmark they
are found at Stevns (Sealand) and in Gudme (Fyen), but the most important centres were probably the old
trade centre at Gotland and the Gothic society at the mouth of Vistula in Poland. At that time the
Marcomannic Wars along the Roman/German border forced the trading routes to go east of the Alps to the
rivers Oder and Vistula – the old Amber Route. This is reflected in the change from Elder to Younger Roman
Iron Age in Denmark around 160 AD. However it has to be noticed that Gudme had obvious trade
connections with Southwestern Europe and the mounds of the first chieftains at Stevns indicate a connection
to the Elb-area in Thuringia. Later in the 3rd and 4th century glasses and other items from the Gothic
Cernjachov-culture showed increasing connections against southeast.

In this way the Scandinavians had plenty of connections with the Gothic societies at the Black Sea making it
impossible to indentify a Herulic migration to the Black Sea by using archaeology.

The Danish archaeologist Brøndsted was inspired by the old interpretation of Jordanes to work out a theory
about a Danish invasion from Sweden. He related the theory to the big mounds of Stevns (Himlingøje and
Varpelev) – a peninsula in Sealand into the Baltic Sea – indicating a new civilisation at the coast in the end of
the second century AD3. This theory does not need to be changed if the old interpretation of Jordanes is
wrong, but it has lost the historical support in a Danish invasion inspiring to that theory.4

The theory about a Herulic origin from Scania and Sealand is still the most accepted due to conservatism,
though no Heruls were mentioned by Tacitus or Ptolemeus in the second century AD. If this interpretation
was correct, we are only told that they migrated before 267 AD, and the theory could explain why a group of
Heruls harried at the mouth of the Rhine around 286 AD.

1.1.1.2 The Gothic Migration and migrations in general

In general the migrating groups were not necessarily formed by one single people5. They might often be
smaller groups of different people or tribes following a strong leader. The “nationality” of the leading
dynasty would often by observers be regarded as the nationality of the migrating group. Often they were
separated again later. The migrations could take place stepwise over several decades, and often when the
Germanic tribes were mentioned in the written sources the Romans had only met raiding groups, occupying
warriors or mercenaries operating far away from their people.

An EU-financed historical project lead to the political conclusion that most movements of people were
diffusions of individuals and not migrating groups. That is probably true – especially along the Roman
borders – but it will not change the fact that the movements of people like the Huns, Goths and Vandals etc.
were groups of warriors with families travelling far and taking new land in possession by military force –
though they may have been of mixed ethnicity.

Ingemar Nordgren has described a theory in which the Goths were not originally an ethnical people by birth

3 The settlement of the Danes was first mentioned by Brøndsted, who also mentioned the northeastern Jutland as a
possibility. But the intruders here might be Gauts (from Götaland) or Norwegians (finds in Illerup Ådal). Later on
Lotte Hedeager has described the theory in “Danmarks Historie”. Normally the settlement is dated to 175-200 AD.
We cannot exclude that these rich graves similar with the graves at the Elb (Hassleben etc.) should be combinded the
rich female graves in Badelunda and the Vinoviloth mentioned by Jordanes (Vinili / Longobards).
4 There is still one connection (besides 2.3), as the name Hariso is found at the backside of a fibula in Himlingöje.
This is also the name of a Herul at a tombstone in Concordia. As Himlingöje used the trade route along the Vistula
where the Harii lived at that time, the Harii are a possible connection.
5 Wolfram “History of the Goths”,1988 (and Wenskus).

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but a cultic league consisting of different tribes from many regions around Kattegat and the Baltic Sea (Sinus
Codanus) with leaders claiming to descend from a god named Gaut6. Maybe such people left traditional
agriculture to be tradesmen or nomads with cattle while most tribes of Scandinavia remained agriculturists
with a fertility cult worshipping the gods Ing/Nerthus7.

By the reasons mentioned above the ethnical and geographical origin of a migration people is in general
difficult to determine. As they joined the turbulence of the Migration Ages the importance of the origin is
also limited to us. If we want to understand the background of the new societies they formed when they
finally settled, it may be more important to know which cultures and religions they had been in touch with in
the last centuries before the settlement.

According to Jordanes the Goths were originating from Scanza, but in that case archaeology indicates that
they could only be small groups migrating long time before Christ. It is more likely that such small groups of
Scandinavian Gauts inspired religiously, when people in the southeastern corner of the Baltic Sea merged
and formed the Goths – creating a.o. new burial practices. In contemporary sources the Goths were first time
met in the first centuries AD, when they lived in the area around lower Vistula and Oder8 with connections to
the Romans along the Amber Route. Possibly they formed the above mentioned trade network with the
islands and cities of the Baltic Sea as centers. Most historians are dating the following migration of the Goths
from the area of Gdansk9 to the Black Sea to the years around 150 AD or later in the century. According to
archaeologists groups from the Wielbark culture at Vistula in Poland may have moved stepwise to Ukraine
and Upper Moldavia (the Cernjachov-culture) around 200 AD. Here they became one of the dominating
people. The true history of the Gothic origin and of Gaut is not the subject here as it is uncertain (Jordanes
wrote Getica centuries later based on manipulated explanations and reconstructions by Cassiodorus) and
without any importance for the conclusions below. What is regarded as certain is that they were an
Eastgermanic-speaking people.

1.1.1.3 Sarmatians in the etnogenesis?

Walter Pohl and Andreas Schwarcz are probably right that the Heruls were under all circumstances a mixed
people (Schwarcz 2005). Andreas Schwarcz has beside the Goths and a North European element - as those
mentioned above - mentioned the Alans, who were a Sarmatian tribe. For 1500 years the Scythian and
Sarmatian nomads dominated the Russian Plains northeast of the Black Sea. They were a large group of
Indoeuropean people belonging to the Iranian group of languages, though some of the eastern groups may
have been Turk speaking too. They expanded from the earlier fertile areas of the Altai-region in Central Asia.
First the Scythians dominated the western plains. At a late stage a group of the Aorsi Sarmatians became
known as the Alans (later as As)10 at the Black Sea in the centuries AD, but earlier a group of these people

6 “Goterkällan” (PhD-dissertation from 1999 at Odense University) by the Swedish Ingemar Nordgren - published in
Swedish in 2000 by Historieforum Västra Götaland. The names Goths, Gauts, Geats, Götes, Gutes and Jutes may all
have the same origin – most possibly from a cult in Southern Scandinavia and around the Baltic Sea. Most of the
Contiental Gothic tribes are supposed to come from the south-eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. When the Goths later
on went to the Black Sea, Gaut may have changed character from a creator god to a warrior god - being a more
Wothan-like god. Jordanes called Mars an important god, but he also mentioned one of their ancestors, “Gapt” -
probably being Gaut.
7 Tacitus.
8 Ptholemeus – Second century AD. They were called Goutones - the name Goths was first met at the Black Sea in the
third century. Archaeologists connect them to the Wielbark Culture at the eastern bank of the river Vistula
(=Weischel) and regard their origin to be an ethnogenesis taking place there.
9 A smaller group of Goths was supposed to live here at the Lower Vistula until 500-600 AD. Otto von Friesen, Kemp
Malone and other scholars have identified these Goths as the Hreidgoths mentioned by the Swedish Rök Stone,
Hervararsaga and Widsith, but this is an open question, which is discussed in a later chapter.
10 The Alans were according to Flavius Josephus (c. 100 AD) a Scythian people ravaging Media and Armenia. Later on
Procopius called them Goths – probably because they followed the Huns together with the Heruls in a group
dominated by Ostrogoths. The correct etnicity is a group of the Indoeuropean Sarmatians, who arrived to the
Russian Plains from a belt from the Altai-region in Central Asia to Iran in the centuries BC expelling the Scythians
in the eastern part. Ammanius Marcellinus called in the 4th century the Alans tall and fairhaired, and they are

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(Yen'ts'ai/Antae/Alan) were reported by the Chinese historians in the XinXiang Province as neighbours to the
Huns. The Alans and other Sarmatian people dominated the area around the greek colony of Tanais and the
Bosporan Kingdom at the Maeotic Sea (later the Sea of Asov) when the Heruls were first time mentioned
there. The Sarmatian Roxolani and Iazy settled along the northern bank of Danube in Romania and Hungary.
Much later some Alanic people became known as Osseten and their names are still found in the republic
Osetinskaya/Alania. Other groups of Alans ended up in Thrakia, Poland and Spain following for a while the
Huns. The Alans were by Ammanius Marcellinus described like Huns, but tall and swift with fair hair.

The Heruls were regarded as more primitive than the Goths and some of their names do not have a clear
Germanic character - Naulobates was a Sarmatian or Bosporanian name. In the northeastern corner of the
Black Sea the peninsula Crimea forms the Sea of Asov, where River Don is flowing out into a swampy area.
The Greeks established early their colony Tanais at the north bank of the rivermouth – an important place for
the trade along the Russian Rivers and one of the China-routes from Europe. Here Asia and Europe met and
the area must have been an ethnical ”melting pot”. In the beginning of the first millenium the population in
the area appear according to Russian scholars to be ”iranized”, and D.B. Shelov mentioned that 33% of the
names known in Tanais were Sarmatian and only 8% other barbarians. Recent escavations in the town of
Asov at the south bank of the mouth of Don opposite Tanais showed that this town prospered at the time of
the Alans and Heruls, while Tanais was burned down in 255 AD - according to Schmidt [1933, p. 210, 550]
probably by Heruls. The Heruls lived according to Jordanes in the swamps of the Meotic Sea – the antique
name of the Sea of Asov – being the most easterly Germanic group living between Goths and Alans 11, but
this is not supported by the archaeology telling us that the Germanic settlements of that time only reached the
Dnepr. They also avoided the small belt of steppes at the coast of the Baltic Sea leaving the mouth of Dnepr
for the Bosporanians at Crimea. If the first Heruls had their settlements at the lower Dnepr they could easily
be mixed with some of the Sarmatian Alans or in the theory also with the Bosporani, who probably had an
Iranian background too though being hellenised for centuries.

There was probably a grain of truth in Ablasius’ ethymology. In 259 AD the first pirate attacks were
mentioned when ”Scythians” used the Bosporanian navy. The attacking people were called Boradi, but such
a people is unknown. Probably this name meant ”people from the north” covering the newly arrived Goths
and maybe the Heruls. In the same way they may have called the later attacking Heruls ”Eliouroi” meaning
”people from the swamps”, if they believed the Heruls came from the Maotic swamps – a part of the

sometimes described as blond with grey/green eyes – like the 3000 years old blond mumies found in the Chinese
XinXiang Province near the Altai Mountains. Oleg Bubenok and other scholars claim the Alans, Asi (modern Azes),
Yas, Osi and Osseten to be different names or variations hereof of the same group of Sarmatians. "As" is the Turko-
Mongolean name for Alans and it is supposed to derive from IE "Asu" meaning "swift" (like the Heruls). The Wu-
Sun people at the Silk Road in XinXiang northwest of China was described by the Han Dynasty in the 2rd century
BC. According to Sulimirski these Usuny (in Russian) were identical to the Iazy/Aorsi (Alans) while the more
westerly Yen’ts’ai were identical to the Antae (another Alanic group). A change of sound from "ri" to "l" is
mentioned in Ossetic (Fridrik Thordarson) also making a connection between Arian and Alan. These are just
possibilities to be mentioned as the Germanic word for god, "ansi"/"ansuz", is regarded to be the real explanation of
the Norse "Asir".

Artificial scull deformations were usual in Central Asia, and both the Huns and the Alans used this custom. The
early Sarmatian groups in Europe such as the Roxolani and the Iazy did not use the custom at that time.

Thor Heyerdahl has funded the escavations of Azov revealing a city at the hilltop since the 2nd century BC opposite
the city of Tanais already described by Herodot. Here a branch of the old Silk-route was supposed to cross River
Don. The name could be related to the As-people. The Alans who did not escape to Caucasus were subdued by the
Huns in 350 AD and followed their campaign through Europe. A group of them (Antae) settled in the area of
Krakow, where Jens Ulriksen has found similarities to Gudme (in his book “Anløbspladser”). Most of the Alans left
the Huns and crossed the Rhine in 406 together with the Vandals heading against Spain.
11 In 1100 the Polovetsians changed the original name Meotic Sea to Sea of Asov. The sea is surrounded by swamps
because of the mouths of Don and Donets. According to Jordanes the Heruls lived in these Swamps of Hele, but
”Hele” (Eloy) was simply a word for ”swamp”, and Dexippos called the Heruls Eluroy – maybe a mistake. The
language of the Crimean Goths was found at Crimea as late as 1700. According to some scholars there are linguistic
similarities to Western Germanic around Saxony or Frisia (Nordgren), where the Western Heruls lived.

11
 The Heruls

kingdom of the Bosporani, who provided the Heruls with ships. Most likely they misunderstood the name in
that way. Probably their settlements were in the Cernjachov-culture having outposts as far away as south east
of the last bend of the Dniepr according to the archaeology, but that will not change the fact that they
believed their settlements had been at the Meotic Sea, when Jordanes wrote in the 6th century.

1.1.1.4 The modern interpretation of Jordanes

The former theory of the origin of the Heruls was based on the five words by Jordanes. The archaeological
traces are very few and were rather caused by other connections as mentioned above. Furthermore the
wording of this sentence in Jordanes’ introduction has been questioned by linguists and historians like
Lauritz Weibull and later Lönroth, Ellegaard, Goffart and Andreas Schwarcz, who by grammathical reasons
regarded the sentence as a description of a recent event.

The Danes had never been mentioned before and were only mentioned three times by the historians in the
6th century - twice due to a contact between the Danes and the Heruls. It should be a very strange
coincidence if these two stories both told in Konstantinopel by Jordanes in 551 AD and Procopius in 553 AD
were two different contacts separated by more than 300 years. It is nearly impossible, and it will later be
explained how they less than three years before got that story.

Later in his work Jordanes used information from Ablasius describing the first appearence of the Heruls at
the Sea of Asov. He used an etymology explaining their name as deriving from the swamps ('eloi in Greek),
where they lived. As he clearly used a local etymology from the Black Sea explaining their name it is not
likely that it was his intention to describe their origin as Scandinavian in the introduction, and neither is such
an origin described anywhere else.

Therefore we have no reason at all to expect the episode about the Danes and the Heruls in the same work to
be connected with a history of an origin in Denmark. It is a reference to a contact in the first half of the 6th
century like the reference in the same chapter to the Scandinavian king Roduulf seeking refuge at the court
of Theodoric. The Heruls were by the sources in the 5th and 6th century regarded as a Germanic people –
Gothic according to some authors - due to language12 and size. As the Heruls were closely related to the
Goths, they could as well be a tribe being separated from the Gothic group in the Black Sea Region, where
the Heruls were called 'Elouroi. The Heruls were not mentioned anywhere by Tacitus and Ptolemeus.

That will leave us with a problem with the Western Heruls, who were first time mentioned by Mamertinus in
Trier - operating in 286 AD as barbarian attackers 18 years after the emperor defeated the Eastern Heruls in
Thrakia. They could be refugees from that defeat - i.e. the later mentioned group of Naulobates - being
placed far away as mercenaries by the Romans. Already in the 2nd century AD the Romans used Alanic
mercenaries in France and England who remained in Western Europe.

The problem is that they were described as a barbarian people13 - not as mercenaries, and that they came
from a distaint location (“ultima loci”) further away than the Burgundians and the Alemanni – as later
confirmed below by other sources it must have been behind the Saxons in Southern Jutland. This is in the
same region as the earlier Harudes/Charudes (Augustus and Ptolemeus) – a name met as a personal name
among the Heruls as Aruth.

The opposite possibility is that the Western Heruls were the original Heruls forming a group, who followed
the Goths and/or Eudoses to the Black Sea and established the Eastern Heruls there together with Gothic and

12 In Cassiodorus' Varia VI, 2 Theodoric wrote in latin to the Herulian king, but promised that the messenger would
speak Gothic to him.
13 Panegry of Mamartinus, XI, Trier, 289 AD. In 286 AD Emperor Maximianus sent out a couple of cohortes to defeat
the Heruls and the unknown Chaibones, who had attacked Gallia together with Burgunden and Allemanni.
Mamertinus wrote that the Heruls and Chaibones we all killed. They could not bring the messages home to their
mothers and wives. He also mentioned that they lived most distaintly away. The Chaibones could be the Aviones of
Tacitus.

12
 The Heruls

Sarmatic/Alanic warriors – bringing us back to an old theory by von Friesen.

Maybe they simply had a dynasty in common - coming from one of the two groups or from somewhere else.
In that connection we shall not forget that the name Heruli/Eruli is a Greek/Latin version, which can be a
misunderstanding or even given by the Romans, when they received Naulobates and his group.

Hervig Wolfram (Wolfram 1988) has proposed that the Heruls were first established as a warriorband with an
etymology connected with the word "harjaR/harjiZ" (=army/harrior). This appear to be a reasonable
suggestion, if this group operating in the borderareas of the Goths later formed a people at the Black Sea -
maybe with members of their neighbours joining them by marriage and ethnogenesis. "HarjaR/harjiZ" is a
widespread component found also in names like Harigast (Negauer helmet), Hariso (Himlingoeje/Herul in
Concordia) and Hariwulf (Scania/Blekinge, 600 AD). An interesting connection between "Hariwulf" and
"Herul/Airouloi" is the name of a mad Gothic warrior around 380 AD, "Erioulphos", mentioned by Eunapius
(Fragmenta of Eunapius, Dindorf, Historici Graeci Minores, vol. 1, p. 253).

Another theoretical possibility connected with "harjaR" has to be mentioned. Plinius told about Hirri in the
first century BC and in the first century AD Tacitus told as our only source about a tribe of the strongest
warriors of all, the Harii. Tacitus placed them just south of the Gotones at Upper Vistula, and they may have
followed the Goths to the Black Sea when the migrating Gothic groups passed. After the Gothic migration
we never heard about these strong warriors, but southeast of the new Gothic kingdom a new tribe of harrying
warriors was met - the Heruli. According to Tacitus the Harii painted their shields and their bodies black and
attacked in the night as a ghostly army. Some scholars connect them with the legends about ”The wild hunt”
in the night – also connected with Odin/Wothan. In French the hunter is called Harlequin/Hellequin (Eorle
cyn/Harleking?). Their disappearence could be explained by a change of name at the Sea of Asov caused by
the influence of the common Alanic language of the region. This is of course pure guesswork, and it is
questioned if the name of the Harii is a misunderstanding by a copyist, though a conglomerate of
neighbouring Harii, Goths and Alanes would make sense. The claims that the Heruls were black wolf-
warriors are based on that kind of suggested connections and are not supported in the sources elsewhere.

If we follow the old interpretation of Jordanes or if we regard some of the Heruls as belonging to the Goths
we can in both cases assume, that the Heruls in the 6th century regarded Scandinavia as their ancestral home
- if they believed Jordanes' origin of the Goths.

In this article the most likely explanation is regarded to be that Goths and Sarmatians/Alans at the Black Sea
joined a dynasty of North Frisian origin (the marshes at the North Sea coast in Schleswig and Holstein) - i.e.
from a group of Harudes living in the the marches. This "compromise" will explain the Western Heruls, the
later European spread of the runes, the common Aruth-names among the Heruls, and make sense in most
other combinations. Due to the uncertainty the explanation of the origin has not been further investigated
below, and nothing is finally concluded as the conclusions regarding the later history of the Heruls are
independent of this explanation.

1.1.2 The migrations of the Heruls

The Eastern Heruls were first time mentioned in 267-269 AD when they attacked Greece and the
coasts of Asia Minor as pirates. They were together with the Goths using the navy of the
Bosporanes. The most spectacular event was the looting of Athens from where we have our
historical sources. Also the defeat of their leader, Naulobates, by the Roman emperor Gallianus at
Thessaloniki was mentioned. Afterwards Naulobates was appointed a Roman "consular insignia".
Consequently the Western Heruls being first time mentioned in 286 AD may in the theory have
been his soldiers being resettled in Frisia as mercenaries. According to Jordanes the king of the
Eastern Heruls, Alaric, was later defeated by the legendary Gothic king, Ermaneric. From around

13
 The Heruls

375 AD the Heruls joined many other Eastgermanic and Sarmatic people in the Hunnic campaign
through Europe, and as most of the other followers they were not mentioned in those years. After
the defeat and death of Attila these Eastgermanic followers rised in rebellion in 454 AD against the
sons of Attila at Nedao – except most of the Ostrogoths. Nearly all the Huns were driven back to
the Black Sea.

Most of the Eastgermanic and Sarmatic people established their new kingdoms at the northern
bank of the Danube, while the Ostrogoths found place in Roman territory in Southern Pannonia.
There is no reason to discuss exact borders as these horseriding nomads were not tied by the local
agriculture. For decades the Ostrogoths waged wars against their earlier companions and had
problems with the Romans too. In 468 AD the Ostrogoths succeeded in that way to destroy the
Sciri. The Eastern Heruls established a strong kingdom in Moravia (Mähren) and Marchfeld (at
Brno and Vienna) by subduing and tributing all their neighbours - even the Lombards. The Western
Heruls - and from 454 AD also the Eastern Heruls - were feared as Roman mercenaries and
sometimes as pirates too. The Roman historians regarded these foot soldiers as "swift on their feet"
and light-armed, but that was primarily the Western Heruls. The Eastern Heruls became also
cavalry like the Huns and Ostrogoths they followed. They were even told to be the strongest group
supporting Odoaker when he replaced the last Emperor of Rome in 476 AD. Odoaker was
afterwards elected as king of Italy by his own Germanic soldiers - called Rex Herulicus. Odoaker
himself was a prince of the Sciri, but his father was a Thuringian of birth. The rich princely tomb in
Blucina, which is from that time, is regarded to be a royal Herulian grave - very similar with the
tomb of the Frankish king Childeric in Tournais, who was an allied of Odoaker. Both kings had
probably been Roman foederati.

Later the Ostrogothic king, Theodoric, agreed with the East Roman emperor to remove Odoaker.
Theodoric had grown up in Constantinopel and was an Arian Christian. He besieged Odoaker in
Ravenna for several years and when celebrating the following peace in 493 AD he murdered
Odoaker by his own hand. Most of the Herulian mercenaries of Odoaker must have returned to
Mähren, were Theodoric ten years later proclaimed their king as "his son of arms". The Heruls
appear in this way to have ended up as a kind of subjects to Theodoric, who also asked the Heruls,
the Thuringians and the Varni to join an alliance against the Francs.

Our historical sources regarding the Heruls consist of scattered remarks from the Roman and
Byzanteen historians and authors, as the people did not have their own historians. An exception is
the Byzanteen historian Procopius, who as a secretary and juridical advisor of the superior East
Roman general Bellisarius. He must have known the Herulian mercenary officers personally. He
spent two chapters of his work about the Gothic Wars on the Heruls - a work which he finished in
553 AD. He told that the Heruls "were superior all the barbarians who dwelt about them both in
power and number", but due to arrogance and disregarding of their gods their king, Hrodolphos,
suffered a serious defeat against the Lombards and was killed himself. The defeat, which is dated
to 508 or 509 AD, is also known from much later Lombardic sources in a more anecdotal form.

1.1.2.1 Herulian raiders and mercenaries

The first historical appearence of the Heruls was described in different sources in the third century AD. They
were placed at the Black Sea in the neighbourhood of the Goths – as mentioned due to archaeology probably
southeast of these at the Dniepr (Map).

After 20 years of fighting the Romans in 271 AD returned to the southbank of the Danube leaving their
Dacian Province (Romania) for the Goths. The archaeologists regard the Sintana de Mures-culture in

14
 The Heruls

Transylvania as a result hereof. In that area the Tervingi Goths (the later Visigoths) and the Gepides were for
the first time mentioned as separate tribal names in 291 AD.

In 267-69 AD a fleet of Herulian and Gothic vessels had plundered the coasts of Turkey and Greece –
obviously as a part of the above mentioned war. A group of Heruls and Goths tried to operate on shore in
Greece, but these inland groups were destroyed by the Romans. The Herulian group attacked Thessalonica
but their survivers had to surrender in Moesia. Their leader Naulobates became a Roman ”consular insignia”
(Wolfram 1988) indicating that the rest of these Heruls went into Roman service. A big fleet consisting of
Heruls and Goths attacked all the time from the sea like the later Nordic Vikings. Especially their looting of
Athens is famous, but they were successfully ravaging places too like Crete, Rhodes and the coasts of Asia
Minor. After a year they returned to their homes14.

Around 350 AD a group of Goths in Moesia changed religion to the Christian Arianism, and their bishop
Wulfila translated the Bible into Gothic language. At the same time the Greutungi (Ostro-) Gothic king
Ermaneric launched an offensive defeating and subduing many tribes – the defeat of the strong Heruls ruled
by king Alaric was especially emphazised by Jordanes.

After the defeat a group of Alans and Heruls may have escaped against south or east instead of being
subdued by the Goths. So did also a group of Eudoses settling east of Crimea and Tanais for a while. Such
Germanics may have followed the Silkroad to Eastern Turkestan in order to settle there among related
Sarmartian/Alanic people like the Wu-Sun, and some of them may have continued their way into China as
the mysterious Indoeuropean Holo-people, who arrived there around 380 AD. This has not been further
investigated, but in 1318 Brother Pelligrini, following Marco Polo, reported 30,000 Christian Alans living at
the Chinese coast opposite Taiwan, where the Holo-people was supposed to end up.

In Eastern Turkestan the Huns had lived for centuries and terrorized their neighbours. In this period the
Chinese Wall was erected. Some of the Huns travelled against west, where they first subdued the Alans and
in 370 AD they invaded Europe (crossed the Don) defeating the Goths. The Visigoths and many of the
14 Already in 251 the Boradi (an unknown people connected with the Goths) conquered the navy of the Bosporani (a
Crimian people). First time they sent home the navy operated by Bosporanians after the landing, and were lucky to
escape on stolen Roman ships after the attack. Next time they had learned to operate as pirates with their ships ready
for escape. The people of the Black Sea were skilled sailors, who were willing to teach the barbarians sailing -
which a group from Crimea were punished for in 419. How much the Bosporanians were able to choose in the
260'ies is doubtful as archaeology reveals that their towns at Crimea were spoilt at that time – probably by the newly
established Heruls.

In 267 AD a fleet of 500 ships together with an army following at the northwestern coasts attacked and ravaged
Greece including Athens. At Athens they were finally defeated by Dexippos, who called them Scythes in the few
fragments we know from his work. Later authors like Synkellos (8th century) and Stephan of Byzans (6th century),
who based their works on Dexippos, called them Goths, Boradi and Elouroi, while Zosimus (5th century) used the
names Goths, Boradi (Borani) and Heruli. Scriptores Historiae Augustae from around 400 AD mentioned in this
connection the Eruli as a Scythian group. Most of the Herulian warriors in this campagne attacked afterwards
Thessalonica, where they were also defeated. From there they escaped in 268 AD against north into Macedonia and
Moesia, where 3000 Heruls were killed at Nestos by the Romans commanded by emperor Gallienus. They were not
totally destroyed as their chieftain Naulobates became a Roman "consular insignia" (Wolfram 1988). The name
Naulobates was also the name of a Bosporan co-ruler around 233 AD. As the Bosporan kings had often Sarmatian
names this may indicate that Alans - rather than Bosporani - were mixed up with the Heruls as they all lived in the
same area near Lower Dnepr and the Sea of Asov.

In 269 Byzantine sources persist that 2000 ships were seen at Byzans. These Goths and Heruls operated with
success by ships along the coasts of Greece, Asia Minor and at the islands. They probably used ships conquered
from the Roman supporters.

The historians do not totally agree about the events, but the version compiled by Angelika Lintner-Potz is used here.
Under all circumstances the relatively light armed "pirates" were obviously not able to fight against regular Roman
forces on shore when these were prepared on the attack, while the last group operating with quick raids from their
ships was successful in that way.

15
 The Heruls

Ostrogoths escaped to the southern bank of the Danube, where they were granted exile by the Roman
Emperor in 380 AD. Ermaneric committed suicide and the remaining Ostrogoths, the Alans and other
Sarmartians, the Rugians, the Gepides and probably also the Heruls became subjects under Hunnic regime.

From Dacia the Huns and their followers invaded the Central Europe subduing many barbarian tribes. As a
consequence the eastern trading routes to the Baltic Sea must have been cut off 15. Just at that time the
Roman Iron Ages ended in Denmark and the superior civilisation disappeared from the Danish peninsula
Stevns.

In the Hunnic period we do only hear about Herulian mercenaries, but it is obvious that the Eastern Heruls
followed the Huns as they were under Ostrogothic reign at the Black Sea, when the Huns arrived, and
showed up next time in the uprise against the sons of Attila at the Danube, where they got their share of his
Empire. At that time they were still pagan opposite the refugees in the Roman Empire, and their
disappearance from history was not unusual as even the history of the Ostrogoths in the Hunnic group is
unknown (except for the tellings of Jordanes). They were obviously assimilated into the Gothic group of
Hunnic followers, regarded by Priscus as one community of language 16.

As a parallel the Western Heruls lived in the Fristian area as mercenaries – especially in England. As we are
not aware of connections between the two groups their sparse history is described in a separate chapter.

Under the leadership of Attila the campagne of the Huns and their followers was intensified until Attila in
451 was defeated in France by a united Roman, Visigothic and Western Germanic army. Shortly after the
death of Attila, the Gepides were in 454 the leaders of a rebellion against the Huns, where the elder son of
Attila was killed at the battle of Nedao. The northern bank of the Danube was divided between the rebels,
and according to Jordanes the Heruls joined the Gepides in the rebellion.

This is confirmed by a Herulian kingdom north of Pannonia, where they apparently already had settled
decades before the rebellion. Most of the Huns returned to southern Russia and Moesia at the Black Sea, but
at that time the Barbarians had already weakened the old Roman Empire from which the East Roman
(Byzantine) Empire was separated in 395.

The large migrations of the century brought many of the Germanic tribes against west and south as the
Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards, Franks and Anglo-Saxons. In the same period first the Visigoths and later
on the Ostrogoths headed west. The result was the Visigothic Catalonia (418 AD), the Frankish kingdom
(482 AD), the English kingdoms (450 AD) and the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy (493 AD) and the later
Lombardy (568 AD). Instead the Slavs dispersed over the northeastern Europe from where they slowly
penetrated into the Czeck Republic (6th century) and Germany (7th-8th century). The general pattern appear
to be, that the Christian and Arian kingdoms of Germanic people were established in the old Roman area
inside Limes, while the pagan tribes such as Bavarians, Alemanni and Saxons were first accepted outside -
probably as they had no strong and threatening kingship. However in 498 AD the Franks attacked the
Alemanni, who thereafter concentrated around the Upper Danube and Lake Boden. Also the Christian
Burgundians inside Limes were defeated by the Franks in 494 and 534 AD after their kingdom at the Rhine
had been defeated by the Huns in 435 AD.

According to Julius Honorius – writing in the end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century – the Heruls had
already then formed a kingdom between the Quadi and the Marcomanni17. We shall realize that a kingdom of
15 The effect was probably increased by a Roman ban against trade with the Barbarians from 368 (Maenchen Haelfen).
16 They must have been assimilated into the group of Hunnic followers. Priscus described in 448 AD a headquarter of
Attila in Dacia, where he described the Huns as several tribes talking either Hunnic or Gothic language (Web-
version). The Heruls may have joined the Ostrogothic group counting also Gepides and Rugians. At that time some
of the Alans had left for Spain.
17 Here I disagree with Angelika Lintner-Potz (Walther Pohl?) regarding their settlements as her unattested theory
about different settlements is opposed by both Honorius, Laterculus Veronensis and Procopius. She has based her
assumptions on the archaeological remains of the former people, but her remark about the Quadi changing to
horseriders may have been the Heruls who settled in their area subduing the remaining farmers.

16
 The Heruls

horseriding nomads probably were settlements without borders where they subjugated a remaining
population of farmers as far as they could. Actually Honorius was indicating the same position of the Heruls
as the later historians being the lowlands north of the Danube along Morava (March) River covering in the
end most of Moravia and Marchfeld (Eastern Weinviertel in Austria and Zahoria in Slovakia). A group of
remaining Suebi (Quadi) lived east of the Heruls, but many of the Quadi probably also lived inside the
territory of the Heruls. The Quadi were mentioned by Tacitus (Annales) as living at the Marus River - a name
derived from "Mar" meaning swamps and bogs. This is probably the name ending up in March and Mähren
in Germanic language and Morava and Moravia in Slavic. It is interesting to notice that also their settlement
here was connected with swamps as told earlier by Jordanes, and it is realistic to assume that the name
Marings18 was a nickname of these newcoming Heruls to distinguish them from the Western Herulian
mercenaries. The Gepides settled in Dacia, while the Ostrogoths, who hardly joined the rebellion except a
few, settled in Roman territory in Pannonia south of Danube. West of the Heruls the Rugians settled as
neighbours to the Roman province Noricum with a center in Krems 19.

In 468 AD Jordanes mentioned an alliance between the people at the northern bank of the Danube (Suebi,
Sarmatians, Sciri, Gepides and Rugi) against the Ostrogoths. He also mentioned a king Alaric in this alliance,
whom he forgot to present following his own principle in the text. As we are missing the Heruls in the
alliance and as the first known Herulian king also was called Alaric, this unknown Alaric was probably a
Herulian king [Schwarcz 2005, the Slovakian National Museum and Angelica Lintner-Potz 2007]. The leader
of the Sciri, Edica, was probably related to the later officer of Herulian mercenaries, Odoaker, but his tribe
was totally destroyed by the Goths after a battle in 268 and the battle of Bolia in 469 AD together with the
Suebes and the few remaining Huns.

Jordanes emphasized the powerful support from the Herulian mercenaries20 when Odoaker became king of
Italy by displacing the last Roman Emperor in 476, symbolising the final fall of the Roman Empire 21. This is
confirmed by sources calling him "Rex Herulorum"22, and this may be the reason why the stronghold in
Ravenna was called "Maeringaburg" in the ON-poem Deor.

In 488 AD Odoaker attacked the Rugians, who left the area and joined Theodoric. They were replaced by the
Lombards, but according to Procopius these Lombards were subdued by the Heruls. In the next two decades
the Herulian kingdom expanded and the town of Pöchlarn/Herilungoburg23 in Nibelungengau may have been
a westerly outpost against the Lombards.

Shortly after the Ostrogoth Theodoric the Great after an agreement with the Byzantine Emperor attacked
Odoaker. Odoaker was defeated in several battles, sieged in Ravenna for 3 years and killed by Theodoric in
493 AD. The town now became the capital of Theodoric. Theodoric also made an agreement with the Heruls
at the Danube24, but that was probably later.
18 The name was close to a Germanic word for famous, but if this is a coincidence or a consequence is outside my
knowledge. It is however the same as the Old Norse Marika, as -ika as a diminutive parallel to -ing.
19 Eugippius living in Noricum has mentioned the Rugians and the plundering Heruls. Julius Honorius (geographer
from the 5th century) has mentioned the Heruls living between Marcomannen and Quadi. Sidonius Apollonaris told
that mercenaries from the barbarian group at the Danube joined the Roman Emperor against the Vandals in 458 AD -
including Sciri and Eruli.
20 Angelika Lintner-Potz can be misunderstood, when she at page 105 writes: “der relativ große Anteil von Erulern in
der Gefolgschaft Odowakars auf seinem Weg nach Italien.” Odoaker and his Herulian mercenaries were already
serving at the imperial court in Ravenna, while their king and the rest of the people probably stayed in Mähren.
Odoaker shared out 1/3 of the land to his army, but that shall be regarded as a taxation. It was no migration and
Odoaker was not the king of the Herulian people.
21 According to Consularia Italica the Heruls had the most important role.
22 Auctorium Havniensis ordo prior a. 476. In the same source (a. 487) Odoaker was once more mentioen as Rex
Herulicus.
23 Pöchlarn at the Danube in Nibelungengau west of Vienna. Here the region of Herilungoburg was mentioned in a
charter of Ludvig the German from 832 (including Pöchlarn, Harlanden and some other towns). Herilungoburg was
probably the old Roman camp, Arilapa, which is hidden under Pöchlarn, being earlier an island at an important
crossing of the Danube.
24 Valenianus 491 and maybe a letter from Cassiodorus to an unknown Herulian king.

17
 The Heruls

For at least 250 years the Heruls kept their separate identity in spite of a rootless life as pirates, plundering
gangs and mercenaries where Heruls even fought against Heruls in different armies. Probably they were kept
together by a religious ancestor cult. We shall, however, regard them as a basical group around the royal
dynasty in the Hunnic times and then a host of followers in times of success. In this way local Quadi and the
remains of the Sciri may have joined them.

1.1.2.2 The Western Heruls

The Western Heruls were for the first time mentioned by the Romans in 286 AD, when they attacked
Gallia25. In the third century the Frisians temporarily left the coastal area due to a rising of the sea level,
which made turbulence in the area. If the Heruls lived in Northern Frisia they probably had the same
problems, but we do not know if their attacks were provoked by that situation. Ammanius told in the 360'ies
several times about Herulian mercenaries in in England, where they joined the Bataves. Later in 409, 455
and 459 AD the Heruls plundered the coasts of Gallia and Spain as pirates26. Probably the Herulian
mercenaries in the Roman armies until 454 AD were all Western Heruls, who may have been recruited
together with the Bataves at the Mouth of the Rhine. We do not know how far north they lived, but
Mamertinus used the expression “ultima loci”, "Laterculus Veronenses" mentioned two groups (the westerly
group being mentioned between the Saxons and the Rugians)27, Ammanius told that the Herulian
mercenaries in 360 AD had their homes beyond the Rhine28, and in 478 AD Sidonius Apollinaris met Heruls
in Toulouse living at the furthest shore of the ocean somewhere behind the Saxons29 – at a time when the
Heruls had a well known kingdom in Moravia too. As it is obvious from these texts that at least two groups
of Heruls were existing at that time. If we combine the sources the Western Heruls must have lived at the
south western coast of Jutland (Dithmarshen / North Friesland) and in 478 AD maybe in England. We do not
hear about these Heruls after 478 AD, unless the letter for assistance from Cassiodorus was meant for them,
which is rather unlikely if they lived north of the Saxons – though suggested by Wolfram.

1.1.2.3 The Herulian way of fighting

In the historical sources the Heruls were famous as swift on their feet and light-armed30 foot soldiers

25 Panegryci of Mamertinus, 289 AD. Described in an earlier note. Jordanes, who is the source to the above description
of the Heruls, did not mention the Western Heruls as they were not connected to his Goths.
26 In 455 and 459 the Western Heruls were mentioned as pirates at the Spanish coasts attacking with 400 lightarmed
men (Hydacius) and in Gallia in 409 (Hieromnimus).
27 Their presence is probably confirmed by Laterculus Veronenses (4th century), where Heruls were mentioned both in
north-west (between Rugi and Saxons, which could be Jutland) and in east (between Rugi and Sarmathae) – just like
the Rugi who were supposed to be living near the island of Rygen and in the Hunnic area.
28 The Romans mentioned in the 360’ies several times Heruls and Bataves together – especially in England. The
Bataves lived according to Plinius south of the Rhine-mouth, where the Western Heruls later appeared nearby.
Ammanius [Ammianus, XX,1/4] told about Herulian mercenaries in the army of Julian in England (before he
became an emperor). When Constantine felt threatened by the success of Julian, he demanded the strongest troops of
Julian – Heruls, Bataves and Celts – to be sent to the Parthian War. Julian protested arguing, that he had promissed
these soldiers they could never be send behind the Alps, as they had their homes beyond the Rhine (“laribus
transrhenanis”). No one would dare to use that argument against the emperor if these Heruls were soldiers living at
the Danube as stated by some scholars.
29 Sidonius Apollonaris told in 478 [Sidonius, VIII,IX] from the court of the Western Gothic king Eurich in Bordaux
"Here strolls the Herulian with his glaucous cheeks, inhabitant of the Ocean's furthest shore, and of one complexion
with its weedy deeps”. In this description they were mentioned together with Ostrogoths, Burgundians, Sygambrians
and Saxons – the latter being mentioned as pirates also in VIII,VI. The Saxons lived north east of the Frisians
around the mouth of the Elb – which is in accordance with Laterculus Veronenses (4th century AD). Sidonius was a
Gallic noble being born in Orleans, who should be supposed to know the geography of North Western Europe. These
sources appear to be stronger than guesswork based on names like Harlingerland and Herloga (Adam of Bremen). A
claim about another name for Harlingerland = Herlogango/Heruling has not been attested.
30 Several sources including Jordanes describe the Heruls in this way - opposite the "heavy “ Goths and Alans.
Probably the arms of these were a light single-edged sword, a shield and a dagger – and maybe in battle formations a

18
 The Heruls

opposite the Goths and the Alans, who were known as heavy cavalry. We shall be aware that the sources
normally described the Western Herulian mercenaries – except Procopius telling on his side about slaves and
young warriors of the eastern Heruls, who had to demonstrate their courage by fighting without protecting
armouring. We have no description of the experienced Eastern Herulian warriors, who had joined Huns,
Goths and Alans across the plains. Their style was apparently a compromise between Hunnic and Gothic
style as horsemen using both sword and bow or lance. Especially their livingplaces at riversides and marches
forced them to avoid the most heavy armouring. The light armed Western Heruls on their side were foot
soldiers being able to fight as vikings from ships and in tight woods.

Before 454 AD the Herulian mercenaries were probably all Western Heruls. After 512 AD they were all
Eastern Heruls in the East Roman army. In the half century between the Western Heruls probably gradually
splitted up and disappeared as a seperate group.

1.1.2.4 The last migration of the Heruls - Procopius

After the death of Theodoric the Byzantine Emperor Justinian began to purge out the barbarians from his
area of interest. When the Byzantines finally defeated the Ostrogoths in 553 Procopius finalised his last book
about the history of the Gothic Wars. It is quite clear from the descriptions that he met the Heruls personally
as a secretary and legal advisor of the great Byzantine general Bellisarius and later on he must also have met
officers in Byzans like the Herulian general Suartuas. In a mixture of fascination and despise he dedicated
two chapters to a valuable description of the Heruls. These chapters by Procopius, who as a reporter
described his own time, is the main source to the history of the Heruls.

Up to the sixth century the Heruls were regarded as one of the most primitive Germanic tribes offering
human beings to their "host of gods"31. This distinctive character indicates that they kept their own religion,
and the description could as well be a description of the later Vikings of Scandinavia. Maybe a Gothic
worshipping of the wargod - maybe in shape of the possible ancestor god Gaut - had been turned more in the
direction of the Westgermanic Wothan or past members of their own royal family. Probably they were even
influenced by Alans and Huns joining the Herulian kings.

Procopius sarcastically described how they, as they became superior in power and in number, made their
neighbours in Pannonia subject and tributary to themselves including the Lombards. When finally having no
lance/spear. The heavier weapons of that time were lances, spears, axes and long double-edged swords. Bows were
especially used by the Hunnic horsemen. Together the "light-armed Heruls", the "heavy Gothic horsemen" with
lances and the "mounted Hunnic archers" were a terrifying force. Separated they were not able to match the Roman
and Byzantine mercenaries in the long run. Procopius later mentioned that the 3000 Herulian mercenaries of Narses
were all horsemen, but that happened after the fellowship with the Huns, and in the great battle against Totila they
were forced to dismount before the battle as Narses was afraid they would ride away.

Wolfram is guessing a connection between Heruli and the word "fast", which he also connected to the "Rosomoni"
wounding Ermanaric in Jordanes Getica. Actually it is not surprising if the Heruls turned against their conqueror
when he was attacked by the Huns. In the 8th century the Ravenna-Geographer (Source: The Gothic Marcomir)
moved the title “the fastest” from the Heruls to the Danes, whom Jordanes had called “the tallest”. Is it a
coincidence?
31 This expression by Procopius was about the Heruls in old days. The Heruls and Ostrogoths following Attila were
without doubt pagans - confirmed by an Ostrogothic human sacrifice in Italy in 407. The Ostrogoths became Arians
around 475AD 100 years later than the other Goths. Later also the Gepides were Arians, but Procopius emphasized
the Lombards as Christians opposite the Heruls in the description of the battle - which probably is an overstatement.
Justinian persuated the Illyrian Heruls to be Christians in 529, but Procopius described them with disgusting pagan
manners as late as in the 540'ies, which indicates that they had not been Arians by themselves before. The idea that
they had to find their king in the distant Scandinavia indicates a pagan ancestor cult, and it is very unlikely that these
Heruls in Scandinavia should be Christian or Arians.

His description is similar to the way Thietmar of Merseburgs and Adam of Bremen described gods, hangings and
sacrifice of human beings in the Danish and Swedish kingdoms at the end of the first millennium. Jordanes had a
similar description of the Goths in early times too.

19
 The Heruls

longer anyone in the world to assail, they attacked without reason the Lombards in a very careless way.
Rodolphus was killed in the battle and the Heruls had to leave their kingdom in Moravia32. According to the
general translation of Procopius the battle took place in 494 AD 3 years after Anastasius became emperor.
Procopius probably mixed up the time of the defeat of Odoaker with the defeat of Hrodolphus - both being
Herulian defeats. The battle most likely took place in 509 AD33. Procopius had obviously his sympathy at the
Christian Lombardian side and his explanations regarding this old battle are not convincing. Paulus Diaconus
told much later a Lombardian version where he on his side "forgot" that the Lombards had been subdued, but
he also emphasized that Hrodolphus did not join the battle, but was killed afterwards. Maybe we do find a
remain of that in Procopius' description too, as he wrote that the Lombards followed the Heruls afterwards
and killed a lot there.

Probably the real explanation was that Theodoric agreed with the Heruls that they should calm down and just
collect the tributy according to the treaties with their neighbourgs. This most likely took place between 505
AD, when a conflict broke out between Theodoric and Byzans about Pannonia, and 507, when the Franks
attacked the Western Goths. Maybe due to that agreement and an alliance against the Franks Hrodolphus
(who was not mentioned by name) was in 507 AD appointed weaponson (adoptio per arma) of Theodoric34 -
a title Theodoric was earlier given himself by the emperor. He got horse, spears, shield and other equipment
from Theodoric, and the Heruls came under Gothic protection. The title explains why the Rök Stone could
call Theodorik "the first of Märinger" (se chapter 2.1.1.3).

A possibility is that an aggressive part of the Heruls on their own initiative in 508/9 AD attacked the
Lombards against their agreement with Hrodolphus (even Procopios made it clear that Hrodolphus was
against the attack). The Heruls lost and fled to the vast mountains north of the Lombards (Old Rugian
territory). The Lombards, who until then had been a smaller tribe, got due to their success support from other
tribes being subdued by the Heruls. Afterwards they may have attacked the Heruls in Moravia/Marchfeld
killing Hrodolphus and sending the escaping royal family up in the valleys of the Carpathes. In that way we
can read Paulus Diaconis and Procopius. Those warriors who did not care about the kingdom and preferred
to continue their life as mercenaries and harriers of their neighbours (probably those attacking the Lombards)
32 Procopius and Paulus Diaconus have their separate versions of the battle, but in both versions the Heruls
surprisingly lost the battle because of arrogance – and according to the writers also due to despise of the Christian
God.

According to note 2.2.8 the Heruls made up an important part of the troops of Odoaker. Procopius told that a part of
the deal in 476 was to give away 1/3 of the farming land (should be regarded as 1/3 of the income hereof) to his
mercenaries, which Theodoric in 494 transferred to his allies. A part of the Heruls, who did not support Theodoric,
may have returned to the kingdom at Danube causing turbulence and a need of expansion there around 494 or later.
33 According to Procopius the Heruls laid down their weapons when Anastasius took over the Roman empire - which
was in 491 AD. The battle took place at least 3 years after this ceasefire.

Wolfram analyzed the alliances of Theodoric against the Franks. According to Wolfram Cassiodorus (Theodoric)
with the preserved letters to the Heruls, the Varni and the Thuringians tried to form a northern frontline against the
Franks - making these Heruls the Western Heruls, but they could as well be the Pannonian Heruls southeast of the
Thuringians. Wolfram regards Rodolphus as a strong ally to Theodoric at the eastern frontline, who was let down
when the Franks attacked the Visigoths in 507 in south-west. Accordingly the battle between the Heruls and the
Lombards took place shortly after 507. Unfortunately Cassiodorus' letter to Theodoric's Herulian "son in arms" has
no name or date, but Andreas Schwarcz has from the order of the letters of Cassiodorus dated the battle to 509 AD
(Schwarcz 2005).
34 Cassiodorus' Varia V 2 (507-511 AD): From King Theodoric to the King of the Heruli: “It has been always held
amongst the nations a great honour to be adopted as "filius per arma." Our children by nature often disappoint our
expectations, but to say that we esteem a man worthy to be our son is indeed praise. As such, after the manner of the
nations and in manly fashion, do we now beget you. We send you horses, spears, and shields, and the rest of the
trappings of the warrior; but above all we send you our judgment that you are worthy to be our son. Highest among
the nations will you be considered who are thus approved by the mind of Theodoric. And though the son should die
rather than see his father suffer aught of harm, we in adopting you are also throwing round you the shield of our
protection. The Heruli have known the value of Gothic help in old times, and that help will now be yours. A and B,
the bearers of these letters, will explain to you in Gothic (patrio sermone) the rest of our message to you.”

20
 The Heruls

went south along the Danube - and were later driven away by the Gepides. Most of the family of Hrodolphus
probably went north already in 509, and the fact that the royal family did not go to their allied Theodoric
(only few Heruls did so) indicate that they had a more convenient alternative. That will explain both the
Herulian/Byzanteen version by Procopius of the battle and the Lombardian version by Paulus Diaconus
adjusted according to their motives. Both authors were against the Heruls, but the Lombards probably didn't
want to tell that they had been subdued for years by the Heruls and found another reason for the war.

1.1.3 The arrival of the royal family to Scandinavia

According to Procopius many of the Heruls went north to the Scandinavian Peninsula led “by
many of the royal blood”. First they went to the Varni living in the Elb-/Mecklenburg-area. From
here they passed the nations of the Danes without violence and crossed the sea. Arriving to the
Scandinavian Peninsula they settled "at that time" at the Götes ("Gautoi"). As the Danish expulsion
of the Heruls mentioned by Jordanes is now regarded to be a contemporary description from the
6th century his information will also be an independent confirmation of the telling by Procopius
about the Herulic presence in Scandinavia.

We shall be carefull about the use of information from Jordanes and Procopius as they had no
general idea of the geography of Northern Europe. Furthermore their sources regarding events 40
years before their own time could be handled uncritical and circumstantial. As they had opposite
motives to describe the arrival of the Heruls their way to describe it can be interpreted that the
Heruls first settled between the Danes and the Götes from where they were later expelled further
north - in two steps. This is maybe confirmed by Procopius' use of the expression "at that time".

As mentioned the rest of the people lead by many of the royal family earlier left for Thule (the Scandinavian
Peninsula) - a journey which probably took place between 509 and 512 35. They passed the Slavs, crossed
barren country and came to the Varni. From there they passed the nations of the Dani without suffering
violence, and from the shore of the Ocean they were sailing to Thule, where "the arriving Heruls at that time
settled at/beside the Gautoi" – one of the most numerous nations there.

The route has often been discussed among historians. At that time the Slavs had reached Slovakia and Upper
Moravia. The text of Procopius can be explained if the Heruls tried to walk through the Moravian Gate the
usual way towards the Vistula but were surprised by the new Slavic groups. Therefore they turned more
westerly and crossed the barren East Saxon Moors on their way to the Baltic Sea. Procopius wrote that the
Varni lived between the Rhine and the Northern Ocean, but he totally neglected the Saxons in Germany and
England. The Varni were generally supposed to live in Mecklenburg and Eastern Holstein 36. As the Varni
later became a part of the Saxons and the Saxons were missing among the potential allies in the letter of
Cassiodorus few years earlier (Varni, Thuringians and Heruls) we can not exclude that the Varnian king
represented the scattered Saxon tribes at that time.

500 years later Helmold in his "Chronicle of the Saxons" told about Heruls living west of Berlin, but this is
regarded to be a simple mistake.

35 According to Procopius they went north before the rest of the Heruls crossed the Danube in 512. Since the battle at
least some of those going south lived in a barren part of the former Rugian area in Bohemia, but they were starving
and tried for a short while a corner of the Gepidian kingdom in Dacia, before they crossed the Danube. The Slavic
tribes invaded according to some sources Upper Moravia around 502, which is indirectly confirmed by Procopius.
The period for the departure to Scandinavia has to be 509-512. Procopius did not expres himself cleary when the
two groups separated as he possibly did not know, but probably they left just after the battle.
36 Ptolemeus. The Varni were around 550 forced against west by the Slavs, but apparently the river name “Warnow”
survived.

21
 The Heruls

The route has been used in order to prove, that the Danes - in spite of later sources - lived in Jutland37 using
the logical argument, that if the Heruls first crossed an ocean after passing the Danes, they had to walk to
Jutland and from there cross Kattegat to the coast near Götaland in Sweden. However we should never
expect Procopius to be exact on Scandinavian geography - actually he did only mention people/nations (or
barren country without nations) except for the word Thule which the Romans regarded as the farthest island
in the north separated from the Continent by the ocean. Probably the source of Procopius simply told about
the Varni as the only German people because the Heruls had to negotiate with their former ally about ships
going to Scania. It made no sense to cross two Danish islands needing ships three times in order to go to
Thule. In Scania they passed the Danes settling next to or at the Gautoi at the island in the farthest north - the
rest of the description might be his own reconstruction based on Ptolemeus, other old geographers and
general knowledge. As Thule was an island he knew they had to sail, but we are not able to read whether
they sailed the short way to the Danish Islands or Scania or they passed Jutland and maybe Fyen, and we do
not know whether the ocean was Kattegat, the Baltic Sea or the narrow Oeresund. It is relevant to compare
with Procopius' description of Britain/Brittia (Book VIII, xx) - he knew nothing about North European
geography.

According to Procopius they passed the Danish nations (in pluralis) "without violence" - probably by passing
the Danish islands and maybe even Scania by ship - and settled at the Götes. It has to be noticed that the
Gautoi were important to be mentioned by Procopius as they were supposed to be the family of the Goths -
the target of the "returning" Germanic people. Other Scandinavian tribes may have been closer. Jordanes told
about a Danish expulsion of the Heruls. If this expulsion referred to the same group this will probably mean
that they settled in the borderareas between the Danes and the Götes - Blekinge/Smaaland - before the
expulsion. Also Procoius indicated, that this was not their final settlement as the settlement at the Götes was
"at that time" (when they arrived) and that "they remained there on the island" (Thule) meaning that they
possibly were sent north of the Götes by the Danes. These sources are too short and unspecific in their
expressions to be regarded as certain, but this is discussed in a later chapter. The final settlement of the royal
family has to be identified by archaeology or by other sources.

Procopius told about 13 kingdoms in Thule and he mentioned the wargod Ares as the most important god
there – but this remark must refer to the time when Datius returned to Illyria. Regarding the arguments below
it is worth noticing that most of Procopius’ description of Scandinavia covered the Scridfennae and the
midnightsun north of the Svear. He even mentioned that he had interviewed eyewithnesses to the
midnightsun taking place more than 800 kilometres north of Uppsala.

Procopius just mentioned Gautoi as a numerous group in Thule, but Jordanes specificly told about
Ostrogoths, Vagoths and Gautigoths at the "island" Scanza, which he in his geographical description
confused with Gotland38. The Gautigoths could therefore be the Guter at Gotland, but we have to notice, that
Tacitus described the Suiones in the way we should expect the people of Gotland to appear. He had Sitones
with a female rule next to them, which could mean Svealand seen from Vistula. The Suetidi or Suehans of
Jordanes could be the people of Svealand, but the Suehans could also be the people of
Hälsingland/Medelpad. As both Tacitus and Jordanes used pairs of names both groups could alternatively
belong to the Mälar Valley with the Sitones connected to the cult in Badelunda, but other possibilities exist
too. The explanation of the names is not important regarding the Heruls and the sources are very unreliable,
but the Suehans of Jordanes with splended horses like the Thuringians should in any way be noticed, as this

37 In the 9th century Ottar called the Danish islands, Scania (Skaane) and Halland as the country of the Danes, while
Jutland in the sagas was called Hreidgotaland. From the middle of the sixth century Dani became the common name
for all people from the Scandinavian countries to people from the Continent, while the English historians later called
all Scandinavians Normans.
38 Ptolemeus placed the 4 islands of Scanza with the largest eastern island north of the river Vistula. The Romans
regarded the Scandinavian Peninsula as an island in Sinus Codanus (The Gothic Bay). Following Jordanes
descriptions of tribes in Scanza, Scanza must be identical to the Scandinavian Peninsula, but in his geographical
description he appears to describe Gotland due to the shape and the distance from Vistula. Procopius used the name
Thule - meaning the farest north - but from his description of the tribes and the midnightsun it is quite clear he
talked about the Scandinavian Peninsula.

22
 The Heruls

may refer to people involved in the southborn furtrade also mentioned by Jordanes.

1.1.4 The Heruls in Illyria

Their remaining kinsmen at the Danube drifted around until they were received by the East
Romans in Illyria, where they settled near Beograd. Their mercenaries later became an important
element in the army of Justinian, but his condition was that they were baptized. Lead by Mundus
they assisted Justinian during the Nika-revolt in Konstantinopel, which resulted in the rebuilding of
the current Hagia Sophia church in 537 AD. Procopius emphasized several Herulic officers -
especially Phara, who had a leading role in the defeat of the Vandals, and Suartuas. Procopius
wrote that these Heruls around 548 AD sent an embassy out in search for a new king - and found
him in Scandinavia, where they opposite in Illyria found "many of the royal blood". Therefore they
sent back the candidate of Justinian, Suartuas, who instead became his commander of
Konstantinopel. In 551 AD Jordanes finished his work in Byzans and in 553 AD also Procopius
finished his work at the same place - in other words two independent sources had 5 years after the
return of the embassy told about Heruls and Danes in Scandinavia for the first time. This telling
about the return of Datius, Aordus and 200 young Herulian soldiers at the time and presence of
Procopios and Jordanes is decesive for the value of our information. Procopius received in this
situation from a position close to the Byzantine court information from this Herulian embassy,
which had just returned from Scandinavia 38 years after their arrival. He also told that they were
much delayed as their first candidate died at their way back at the Danes - telling in this way that
they lived far north of the Danes at Sealand and in Scania. He even told that he had interviewed
withnesses from Scandinavia about the midnightsun. Unfortunately he did not mention the rule of
their royal family in Scandinavia in the first 38 years. His purpose was to "prove" that the new king
and his supporters in Illyria were faithless and "utterly abandoned rascals" - a people impossible to
rule, as they dismissed the royal candidate of Justinian. Among these words he also indicated that
they were homosexuals – raging words used today in connections which this uncertain kind of
historical foundation does not support.

Regarding the number of Heruls, who settled in Scandinavia with the royal family, it is worth to
notice that the Illyrian group made up an important unit in the Byzanteen army. This in spite of a
massacre on the people in Illyria after 512 AD. Procopius counted around 448 AD 3.000 soldiers in
the army of Datius and 1.500 in the Roman army, and in 553 AD he counted 3.000 soldiers in the
Roman army – around 12%.

The position of Datius in opposition to Justinian inside the empire was impossible and he was soon
expelled to the Gepides north of the Danube at River Tizsa. Both people were in 567 AD destroyed
by the Romans and the Avars. A daughter of Hrodolphos, Silinga, was married to the Lombardic
king Wacho and her son, Valthari, was crowned as king of the Lombards. He died young and the
only Herulian dynasty being later mentioned in Southern Europe was
a branch of the descendents of Phara, who were a part of the
Agilofingy dynasty of the Bavarians at the upper Danube.

When the Illyrian Heruls according to Procopius around 547/48 AD

murdered their king Ochus (ON Hoch?), they had no new candidates of royal
blood - confirming that nearly all the royal family went north as he wrote. An

23 The Hagia Sofia Church

 The Heruls

envoy was send to Thule in order to find a new member of the royal family. They found many there of the
royal blood, but the first one fell sick and died among the Danes. Next time they chose Datius to go south
followed by his brother Aordus (ON Hord?) and 200 young warriors. In Illyria Justinian took advantage of
the delay due to the death of the first candidate placing his own Herulian general Suartuas as a new king.
When Datius arrived he was however elected by the Heruls as a new king and Suartuas had to take flight to
Byzans39. A furious Justinian decided to reinstall Suartuas and caused once more a split among the Heruls.
Many of them joined the Gepides in Dacia Inferior, who were enemies of Byzans and the Lombards.

The key to the understanding of these conflicts – hereunder the murder of Ochus – might be a general split
among the Illyrian Heruls. After the offer from Justinian in 529 AD they appear to be separated into a
Christian group of at least 1500-3000 profesional soldiers following Justinian and a group of at least 3000
warriors who more and more openly returned to barbarian manners – obviously neither orthodox nor arian
Christians and maybe worshipping the wargod and their distant royal ancestors.

At the time of the final split there were already hostilities between the Gepides and Lombards, the latter
being supported by Justinian. Under these hostilities Aordus was killed in battle against the troops of
Justinian. Obviously his brother, Datius, became a Herulian king living in Dacia - which makes sense as he
had caused the split. The defeat of Aordus lead to a short ceasefire, but in 552 AD the Gepides in Dacia were
defeated by the Lombards with Byzantine support headed by a.o. Suartuas, and in 567 AD under Justin II the
Gepides were defeated into oblivion by the Lombards and the Avars. Also the Heruls disappeared from the
history in Dacia now being conquered by the Avars. The Herulian mercenaries of Narses had also
disappeared - probably in Dacia or assimilated among the Lombards, when these shortly after moved to Italy.
The only Heruls we suspect to continue a rule in Southern Europe were the descendents from Bellisarius’
Herulian commander, Phara, who became the royal dynasty of the newestablished Bavaria, the Agilofings 40.

Procopius without doubt covered political motives behind his description of the “drunken and treacherous”
Illyrian Heruls. First they denied to follow Bellisarius and preferred the other Byzanteen general, Narses,
who was competitor of Belisarius, and later most of them revolted against Justinian and Suartuas before
going to the Gepeades. On the other hand Procopius had no obvious motive to twist the description of the
journey to Thule - except maybe for the sentence "without suffering any violence" and the settlement

39 Suartuas might be a source of Procopius to the last part of the Herulian history, and he was probably well informed
about his northern rivals and the journeys to Thule. Procopius knew the officers from his former job and they were
both in Byzans when Suartuas returned from the Heruls, so it is very unlikely that the historian should write two
chapters about the Heruls without questioning Suartuas, as he mentioned, that he asked people coming from there
about the midnightsun.
40 According to Procopius 3000 Herulian warriors joined the Gepides when Aordus was killed, while 500 Heruls
joined the Byzantines send by Justinian in order to help the Lombardian king Audoin. Later 3000 Heruls were
together with Lombards an important element in the army of the Byzantine Narses (these Heruls made up 12% of
the Roman army), when he defeated the Ostrogoths for ever (Wolfram 1988), but the last time we heard the name
Herul in the Roman sources was when Narses around 560 defeated a Herulian king Sindualt of the Brents near Passo
de Brennero. According to F. Eckhardt based on chronicles from Wuertsburg and Salzburg the Bavarian duke
Garibald (ancestor of the Agilofings) was probably son of the Herulian commander under Bellisarius, Phara, and
duke Tassilo I, who followed Garibald as king of the Bavarians, was probably son of his nephew, the Herulian king
Sindualt of the Breones. The daughter of Garibald was married with the Lombardian king Authari in 589 and her
brother became duke of the Lombardic Asti. This indicates that the Illyrian Heruls were still accepted as a people of
importance and took part in the political matrimonial alliances between the Germanic dynasties. Another example
was the queen Silinga of Lombardia, who according to Origo Gentis Longobardorum (ca 670 AD) was the daughter
of a Herulian king. In the same chapter it is stated that the Heruls (at the Danube) had no king after Rodolphus and
followingly Silinga should be the daughter of Rodolphus. These family-brances were not accepted as kings of the
Illyrian Heruls in 548, and therefore the examples can not be used as evidence against the royal family earlier
leaving for Scandinavia, but they might indicate connections between Scandinavia, Bavaria, Raetia and Lombardia.

In 554 the Heruls left Narses under a battle because he executed one of their officers, but the last years they had
been fighting together with the Lombards, so maybe the last contingent of Herulian mercenaries became a part of
the Lombards conquering Italy - making together with Silinga a connection between the Heruls and the Lombardian
Style II possible in the late 6th century.

24
 The Heruls

"at/between the Gautoi". Procopius could not change the fact that Datius was found in "Thule" and returned
in his own time, and somewhere the Heruls had to stay in the meantime. His and his readers' knowledge
about Scandinavia and its geography was very limited, but there is no reason to believe that the description
of the journey itself was manipulation. His reliability, sources and motives are further discussed in chapter
1.3.1.5.

Many questions have been asked about the Heruls, but nearly all scholars agree in the fact that the Heruls
moved from the Black Sea Region towards west to a kingdom in Moravia, and that the royal family 494-512
migrated to the Scandinavian Peninsula via Eastern Saxony and Danish surroundings settling first as
neighbours to or at the Gautoi. They could still be found in Scandinavia 39 years later. Nevertheless we have
never heard about Heruls in Scandinavian history and legends - as Heruls.

How do we imagine this people to disappear in Scandinavia? Was it possible for such an outstanding,
individual, feared, powerful and militant people to disappear from all the Nordic narrators, historians and
archaeologists, when the Illyrian Heruls 35 years after their arrival were able to find many of royal blood in
Scandinavia? Why did they not all follow their prince and his group of young warriors back to Illyria if
things went wrong in Scandinavia?

The most - and maybe only - probable explanation is, that they appear under another name or in another
shape in Scandinavia.

Our only contemporary information from Scandinavia is of archaeological character, and therefore the
archaeological conclusions and traces have to be analyzed and compared independently with the history
written by Procopius in order to confirm this. Afterwards the more unreliable sagas and cronicles from
Northern Europe will be compared in order to find possible explanations and to show that the Heruls may
have been mentioned in the legends after all.

1.2 Scandinavian connections before 509

The migration of the royal family to Scandinavia was no coincidence as the Heruls had a close
connection with Scandinavia, which had nothing to do with their origin. The connection can be
divided into several stages based on archaeology combined with history:

As mentioned earlier the Moravian kingdom of the Heruls covered in the second part of the 5th century a
part of Moravia and of the Marchfeld in Eastern Weinviertel and Zahoria. Moravia is a later Slavic name of
Mähren – maybe identical with Maurungani/Mauringa mentioned by Cosmographer of Ravenna and Paulus
Diaconus as a Lombardian settlement after crossing the Elb. In the end of the 5th century the Herulian
superiority was expanded to a.o. the former Rugiland up along the Danube until around Nibelungengau,
where the Lombards soon after settled.

Already Ammanius Marcellinus told in the 380'ies that the Huns and their followers had occupied the land
north of the Danube from the Black Sea to the area mentioned above, which is in accordance with Julius
Honorius, who already placed Heruls in Moravia in the end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century. At this
early point it was probably scattered camps of horseriding nomads in the country of the agriculturing Quadi –
people who had also earlier been used to live in marches.

What made this position important was that the Moravian Gate in the Carpathes was a keypoint at the
mainroute to the Baltic Sea from Rome and the Balkans – the old Amber Route along the Oder River or the
Vistula River - both rivers having their wells in Upper Moravia. As earlier mentioned the Marcomannic Wars
in this area forced in the 2nd century the trade between the Orient/Rome and Scandinavia along the eastern
routes controlled by the Goths. Hoards from that connection are especially found at Fyn and in the
Götalands. When the Huns arrived and the Goths moved these routes were blocked, but the Amber Route
was still a route between Scandinavia and the Huns and their followers – used also by Scandinavian

25
 The Heruls

mercenaries and allied with the Huns.

The route was Byzans/Rome - Aquilaia - Carnuntum - Moravian Gate - Vistula - Oeland/Gotland - Helgoe -
Högom - Trondheim/Berntnem - Westen Norway/Lofoten and with a branch Oder - Bornholm - Scania -
Vestergötland - Viken - Southwestern Norway.

1.2.1 The Eastern Heruls 375 - 454 (Phase A1)

Remains from Hunnic burial rites in Sösdala indicate that a group of Hunnic horsemen and their
Eastgermanic followers (ae. Heruls or Ostrogoths) operated at the Scandinavian Peninsula in the
first half of the 5th century before or during the campaign of Attila – maybe in order to recruit
Scandinavian warriors for the campaign. As the same type of sacrified horse equipment is found in
great numbers in the Scandinavian war booties in the bogs of Finnestorp and Vennebo these
horsemen were probably killed, when they tried to intrude into Vestergötland. The character and
the number indicate that they were no returning mercenaries.

First we will take a look at the finds in Southern Sweden indicating connection with
the Eastgermanic people in the Hunnic campaign in the early 5th century. In Sösdala
and Fulltofta in the middle of Scania and in Vennebo and Finnestorp in the borderlands
between Halland and Western Götaland equipment for horsemen is found in a context
quite similar with the finds in Moravia and the Middle Danube Region called the
Cosoveni or Untersiebenbrunn Style [Fabech 1991; Tejral 1997a]. Tejral has in 2007
[Tejral 2007, 58-60] described this style as connected with Estgermanic and Alanic
people from the Bosporanian area at the Black Sea. He wrote that they appearently had a powercenter at that
time just north of the Danube and Carnuntum in the first part of the 5th century. This mixture of people was
exactly my conclusion about the etnogeneses of the Eastern Heruls. The finds are unusual in Northern
Europe, but are according to Tejral known at the mouth of the Elbe and at the mouth of the Vistula too. In
Vennebo and Finnestorp - being escavated again in 2002-2004 and later - the finds come from wet or former
wet areas covering a longer period of time until 550 AD - also containing Nydam-style [Nordqvist 2007].
The few isolated places with a large number of foreign equipment indicate that they cannot be a result of
general trade or a few returning mercenaries, but appear to be offerings of weapons from warrior groups like
the earlier finds in Jutland. Charlotte Fabech has connected these finds with Eastgermanic horsemen –
probably Heruls or maybe Ostrogoths. Her reason was that the finds around Sösdala (several places between
Ringsjön and Fenjasjön in the middle of Scania) do only contain horseequipment buried in hills of gravel -
not far from burial sites [Fabech 1991]. This is similar with burial rites found in places like Pannonhalma in
Hungary. Finds like Pannonhalma are normally connected with the Huns or maybe their followers. It is
unlikely that returning Nordic mercenaries should use hunnic burial rites back in Scandinavia, and that the
surviving should spoil the prestigous and expensive equipment the dead man brought back. These
Scandinavian finds must be connected with a group of Huns or people closely related to the Huns – probably
in a group of horsemen of a mixed ethnical origin being a part of the Hunnic expeditions.

The finds in Finnestorp and Vännebo are war booties leading to the most probable conclusion that a group of
horsemen being those in Scania or related to these tried to intrude into Västergötland, where they were
defeated and their equipment sacrificed to the gods.

As the Heruls according to Julius Honorius lived here in the early phase with Untersiebenbrunn in the their
territory just opposite Carnuntum the Heruls probably joined the horseriding warriors to Scandinavia along
the old trade route.

It has to be emphazised that above we are only talking about the special horseequipment in this style using
stamped ornamentation and animal heads in profile, as the technique and stylistic elements became more
widespread in Southwestern Scandinavia under the name Sösdala Style in the first part of the 5th century.

26
 The Heruls

This spread does not need to be connected with the finds in Sösdala. The Sösdala Style inspired from
Southeastern Europe existed side by side with the carved Nydam Style, inspired by Roman military
equipment. Later these two styles were combined in the Scandinavian Style I.

1.2.2 The Eastern Heruls 454 - 509 (Phase A2)

After the Heruls established their kingdom in Moravia around 454 AD several archaeological finds
indicate a connection between Scandinavia and the Eastgermanic people in South Eastern Europe -
ae. Bornholm, Scania, Finnestorp and Högom in East Scandinavia and Evebø and Snartemo at the
western coast of Norway. Among these artefacts are Hunnic/Eastgermanic saddles and their type
arrow heads. A special kind of swordpommel with animalheads is only found in the South in the
above mentioned Herulian grave in Blucina, Moravia, and in the tomb of Childeric in Tournais, but
several pieces are found in graves and sacrifices in Scandinavia along the trade route. More
generally the Scandinavian fibulas in the region of the Baltic Sea are influenced by Eastgermanic
stylistic elements like rosettes and halfround heads with three knops.

Especially the chieftain in the mound in Högom in Norrland had close connections with the
Eastgermanic people. It was this region Jordanes praised for its precious furs, which appear to have
been one of the most important export articles of Scandinavia at that time. He was probably a part
of a network of chieftains along the trade routes at both sides of the Scandinavian Peninsula,
extending the old Amber Route from Carnuntum - a network which appears to have used the CIIa1
bracteat. Apparently the rich dynasty in Högom disappeared from that area around 500 AD.

The Heruls probably used their knowledge from the early raids and decided to be in control with
the Amber Route through the Moravian Gate in the Carpathes when they established their new
kingdom - rather by taxation than as merchants. According to Procopius that was also the way they
treated their neighbours. Some of the Heruls should in that case be expected to ride north in order
to inspect the possibilities and negotiate deals about trade and protection - or as mercenaries in
Scandinavian service.

It is important to be aware of the mixture of people being initially mentioned. This makes it
impossible to separate them by archaeology from the other Eastgermanic people following the
Huns. Probably the population in the Herulian kingdom included besides Heruls ao. Sammartian
Alans, Huns, Thuringians, Sciri and the earlier population of Swebes. Ostrogoths and Rugians may
have taken part, but their own dynasties waged war on the Heruls and other Eastgermanics until
some time after 493 AD, and all Gothic attention was turned against the Romans. We must
therefore expect the Heruls to block the Gothic and Rugian access to the trade route through the
Moravian Gate. It is therefore most likely that the Scandinavian connection at that time were the
followers of the Herulian dynasty. When the Ostrogoths later became superior of the Heruls they
were Christians and busy in Italy. They had no reason to settle in Scandinavia before their defeat
around 550 AD - and hardly at that time either.

The archaeology can not tell us with certainty if the style and items were brought to or from
Scandinavia by Heruls, by Scandinavians or by trade, but the history can tell us that the Heruls
controlled the key area passed by the route along which the spread took place - giving in one way
or the other the contact against north, which will explain their expectations and the later events.

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 The Heruls

Due to their blurred archaeological profile and their missing historical writing some scholars have
claimed that the Heruls were just a band of warriors – a.e. Alvar Ellegaard. That must be due to
insufficient study of texts like the one of Procopius as it is obvious that they were an ordinary
migration people with women and children and with their own dynasty, gods and traditions -
keeping together for 300 years.

1.2.2.1 Solidi
Lots of solidi are found in the Baltic region of Scandinavia (660 in Sweden – hereoff most at Gotland,
Oeland and Helgoe – and 150 at Bornholm), both from the 5th and the 6th century. 77% of the solidi in
Scandinavia are Byzantine, but as some of the Byzantine solidi were made in western mints 40% of the solidi
are from the western part of the empire [Fagerlie 1967]. This percentage is nearly the same from Theodosius
to Justinian. It should be noticed, that none of them (except an old one) are from the Ostrogothic mint of
Theodoric, and the most intens stream was from Leo I and his contemporaries (458-476). (Odoaker
dismissed the Vestroman emperor in 476 AD.) After (or maybe during the reign) Anastasius (491-518) the
stream of golden coins ceased dramatically. 82% of the coins are found at the three Baltic islands, but at
Oeland nearly no coins are from after 476. We also know, that the highest concentration of Theodoric-coins
(3-400) was found in Southwestern Germany, that 400 solidi of the same kind as in Scandinavia in the 5th
century were found at Lower Vistula, and that only 5 solidi were found in the middle Danube area. Only 4
coins of Odoaker are known, as he did not want to provoke the emperor but used Byzantine coins or older
coins.

How do we interprete that? The solidi were a usual payment for mercenaries and tribute to threatening
barbarians who could use them as rawmaterial. There is no doubt that the concentration at the Baltic Islands
and Helgoe was due to the status of these places as trade and workshop centers. Many of the later precious
fibulas and the ”guldgubber” are found at these places too. Therefore they are not necessarily found where
those people lived who brought the solidi to Scandinavia. The society was not based on exchange of coins,
and the total lack of Ostrogothic coins contradicts earlier theories about an Ostrogothic connection, and
maybe also a generally used trade route, which should result in a more general spread geographically and
regarding to types of coins. Therefore the deposits of solidi found at the centers were probably meant for
rawmaterial. This is maybe also confirmed by the fact, that after the decrease of the stream of solidi and the
disappearence of the golden hoards in 536 AD as the latest, nearly all gold in Scandinavia disappeared. The
solidi may have been payment from imperial mercenaries, but this is contradicted by the constant spread
between Byzantine and western coins all over the period, so tribute from various other people, who had got
the solidi from the Roman Emperors, is an obvious alternative. The big number of similar coins in the
Vistula-area indicates that the connection was established along the Vistula and maybe the Oder. It is
important to realize that the date of a coin will only tell the day the first owner got the coin – they were
probably lost or burried in Scandinavia years later. The spread 60%/40% indicates a collecting position
between Rome and Byzans, and therefore a people operating in the Danubian area in the second part of the
5th century – like the Heruls – is an obviuos possibility. The general stream of solidi except to Gotland first
time ceased when Odoaker took over (or when a change took place on Oeland) and again when the Heruls
left the Moravian Gate close to the the wells of Oder and Vistula (or when the Slavs expanded).

1.2.2.2 Burials - Moravia

First we shall examine the finds in Southern Europe where the Heruls had lived. In that region there are no
cremations at all found from the time when the Heruls lived there. As we know from Procopius that the
pagan Heruls burned their dead, he must have referred to the Heruls in Sweden. Accordingly we will
apparently vaste time on looking for similarities regarding the royal family arriving in 509 AD, but we can
still find connections in the 5th century.

Jaroslav Tejral has mentioned burials of Germanic looking women with Hunnic scull-deformations in the
Danube-region in the 5th century. In his early works he guessed these to be Heruls, but later he has indicated

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 The Heruls

that they were Huns or Sarmatian Alans following the Herulian group. Also in the Bavarian Erding, where a
woman with Scandinavian jewellery was found, 10 women were buried with such scull-deformations, but at
this time some of the Huns were still present in Western Europe – including in the army of Narses. Even if
some of the Heruls used scull-deformation, they probably left this custom after the uprise against the Huns in
454 AD and neither was the habit ever mentioned by Procopius. Therefore there is no reason to expect scull-
deformations in Scandinavia when the Heruls went there in the 6th century. In the Volga-region 70% of the
Alanic male burials showed scull deformations. Scull-deformations have been used by other people in other
times too, but the spread in Europe in the Migration Ages is similar to the probable spread of the Huns and
the Sarmatian Alans, who had used this custom in Asia for centuries.

This is only one of the many examples of the uncertainty when we attempt to separate the tribes in this
turbulent period of Pannonia and surroundings. It is difficult to combine archaeology and ethnicity in an area
with a very mixed population.

Nevertheless the archaeologists of the Czeckish Republic and Austria have pointed out some burials from the
second half of the 5th century in Moravia/Marchfeld to be Herulian - primarily burials with attributes of
Eastgermanic horsemen in the area regarded to be the Herulian kingdom (based on Procopius', Eugippius'
and Lucius Honorius' remarks)41. The Blucina-Cezavy tomb42 south of Brno is of a standard close to the
famous Childerich's mound in Tournai - they even wear fibulas and identical armrings as signs of military
rank among the Roman feederates. It is interesting to notice that Childeric had an alliance with Odoaker, who
was supported by the Heruls. The archaeologists agree that his reflexbow, arrowheads and horse equipment
show that he was belonging to the Eastgermanic people earlier following the Huns. The richness of the
Blucina tomb, the attributes of an officer, the dating around 466-85 AD, the bow, the horse-equipment and
the central location in this part of Moravia makes it almost certain that this grave in Blucina is the burial of
one of the Herulian leaders, who at that time began to subdue and tribute all their neighbours and to follow
Odoaker. Maybe his name was Alaric - mentioned by Jordanes in 467 AD.

Tejral and Windl do also agree that the oldest tomb in the nearby Zhuran Hill must be a royal Herulian tomb
too43. Under a gigantic Lombardian mausoleum at the top of the battlefield of Austerlitz the remains were

41 In the area of Vienna and Moravia finds from 450-550 AD indicate a very mixed population with Lombards, Suebes,
Eastern Germanics, Sarmatians/Alans and Huns. Many of these are of course Herulic, but the pattern will be
complicated and the artefacts brought to Scandinavia may sometimes have been used for many years because of
longer distances to the resources.

However at Brno (Blucina and Zuran Hill (Austerlitz)) and at Rothenseehof (Mistelbach north of Vienna) royal
burials from the second half of the 5th century are found - some of them in combination with large mounds. They
are supposed to be graves of Herulian or Lombardian kings, but also other Herulian graves are probably found there.

42 The low mound in Blucina contained the skeleton of a chieftain at 30-40 years from 450-485 AD with a spatha, a
sax, a bow, a shield and precious horsequipment including a saddle. At the shoulder he wore a "buegelfibula" -
generally accepted as a sign of high military rank in the Roman army according to Tejral [Article in Menghin 1987].
A part of the equipment was cloisonne similar to the Merovingian Childeric-tomb (482 AD) and the later Sutton
Hoo. A similar buckle in Gudme is by the Danish National Museum used as an example of the connection between
Denmark and the Franks though the cloisonne appears nearly identical with the buckle in Blucina possibly being
burried before the Merovingian Empire was established. In Jaroslav Tejral's article "Archaeologisher Beitrag zur
Kenntnis der völkerwanderungszeitlichen Ethnostrukturen nördlich der Donau", chapter II,2 [in Friesinger 1990],
the chieftain in Blucina is regarded to be a Herulian and connected with Procopius, Ottars Mound, the Uppsala
Mounds and Zuran Hill. He mentioned that the top of the golden handle of the spatha appear to be a type known as
Scandinavian. Other scholars call the burial Herulian or at least Eastgermanic in the literature [Windl in Tejral
1997a, Karel Tihelka, Parmatky Arch. 54, 1963 and RGA (Blucina)]. According to Birgit Arrhenius [Arrhenius
1985] the cloisonne of that time were Byzantian modules used in local workshops – not Frankish or Alemannic craft
as often referred to in Scandinavia.
43 In Zhuran Hill 3 plundered burials from the Herulian/Lombardian Period were registered at 3 mounds from the
Stone Ages. At the eastside of the old central mound a man from the second part of the 5th century was buried with
many horses as Childerich. It is not registered if a separate mound was erected over him, but there is no doubt that
they used visual effect of the top of the plains and the row of 3 existing mounds. Only some Hunnic/Eastgermanic

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 The Heruls

found of the burial of a horseman with several horses like Childeric.

The tomb was dated around 500 AD, but like the later tomb of a
Christian woman beside it and like the mausoleum this grave was
totally plundered. Only two fragments were found: Iron pieces of a
character of horseriding nomades from the Russian Plains and a piece
of wood with a pattern only known at that time from Nydam
(spearshaft) and Scandinavian bracteates from the Scania-region. The
combination with the later gigantic Lombardian mausoleum - which the
escavator Josef Poulic regarded to belong to Waccho - might indicate
that the other tombs contained his Herulian wife Silinga and her father -
who is often supposed to be Hrodolphus. This is however guesswork,
and it was rather Waltari than his father Waccho who was buried in the
mausoleum.
From the Blucina tomb
In the southern region of this kingdom around Mistelbach in Weinviertel Windl has referred to mounds in
Rothenseehof and female graves in Ladenhoff as Herulian. It is important to notice, that K. Hauch in 1954,
Menghin in 1987 and Tejral in 1990 in articles combined the Blucina tomb and Zhuran Hill with Procopius,
Ottars Mound in Vendel and the mounds in Uppsala, and Tejral also mentioned similar artefacts in Moravia
and Scandinavia - including the top of the golden sword-handle in Blucina and the strapwork in Zuran I,
which is found similar in Scania and the Vendel-bouat graves44. It has however to be stressed, that the burial
mounds in Uppsala are not like Blucina and Zhuran I – or any other earlier burial.

ironpieces and a piece of wood with strapwork of "Scandinavian" Style I "bandfletwerk" were found. The burial
appear in a way indicating hurry with the burial, but this is difficult to determine due to the later destruction.

Poulic searched for the 3-band strapwork but found it only in a similar strapwork of metal at a Lombardian cross in
Italy from around 600 AD. Tejral however referred to the Erilar-bracteat from Esketorp but this must be confused
with the Aasum-bracteat from Scania with identical strapwork – both 2 and 3 bands identical with the Lombardian
cross - but nearly a century older. The same strapwork is found on bracteates at Bornholm and Oeland, and at a
spearshaft in Nydam. The Aasum-bracteat is of a type with a horseman which Malmer called CIIa2 found mostly in
Scania and at the Danish islands, but the similar CIIa1 is the type of bracteat found in most of Scandinavia and 12 in
Eastern Europe too. As the bracteates are of Nordic origin the general spread of the CIIa1 type in Scandinavia makes
it impossible to tell from where the Easteuropean bracteates arrived, but it is likely that the strapwork in Zuran was
influenced from the coasts of the Baltic Sea. Strapwork with exactly the same bands but other patterns can be found
at the helmet in Vendel XIV, at the shieldboss in Vendel XII and as a fragment in the eastern Uppsala Mound. This
kind of strapwork was generally used by the Vikings later on. Tejral has later [RGA Zuran] changed the dating of the
grave based on the strapwork, but he has missed that this kind of strapwork was already used in Nydam.

At the northside of the central mound in Zuran a woman was buried in the first part of the 6th century. The grave
contained several pieces of glass of a kind also known from Uppsala/Vendel and the Eastgermanic area and two
fragments of a small relief of ivory, where one figure carried a cross. At the top of the central mound a new mound
and mausoleum was erected covering the two earlier graves. The mausoleum dated to before 567 AD was of a type
like Augustus' and Hadrian's in Rome with a radius of 30 meters. It was destroyed early when the stones were used -
including the grave chamber. The escavator Poulic regarded the horseman as Eastgermanic and the two in the other
tombs as royal Lombards - due to the unusual nature he guessed the mausoleum contained the fameous king Wacho.
Another possibility which fits the combination of an Eastgermanic horseman and Christian Lombards in the same
mound is Wacho's third queen Silinga, their son Waltari, who died as a young king in 547 AD, and one of her
Herulian ancestors - as example Hrodolphus. This would also explain the character of the first burial, as the Heruls
had just been defeated.

44 Pictures of the Blucina and Zhuran mounds including the finds can be found in Germanische Museum's "Germanen,
Hunnen und Awaren" [Menghin 1987], where Birgit Arrhenius describes connections between Scandinavia and
Southeastern Europe and Menghin describes like Tejral connections between Zhuran, Blucina and the Uppsala
mounds. The report about Zhuran is found in Slovenska Arkeologia 1995 [Poulic 1995].

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 The Heruls

1.2.2.3 Burials - Högom/Norway

In Scandinavia we have rich chieftain burials in the 5th century with connections along the traderoute –
especially in Högom, Norway and Gotland. Around 500AD the custom with flat cremations in the field was
introduced in large numbers all over Eastern Scandinavia, but also earlier a majority of the people had been
cremated.

The burial in Scandinavia most similar to Blucina is the grave in Mound II in Högom. In Sundsvall in the
Swedish Norrland (just north of Hälsingland) the largest of the 12 Högom mounds contained a very rich
inhumation burial of a chieftain with obvious connections to Southern Europe – a.o. Blucina. These were the
only mounds in Scandinavia of that time except for some mounds in Southwestern Norway. While the sword
in Högom points in the direction of Southern Norway and England [Menghin, 1986] and a bridle points at
Finnestorp [Nordqvist, 2007], 13 three-winged arrowheads and especially a saddle point at a close contact to
people following the Huns [Anke, 1998]. As the arrowheads were more identical with the Norwegean
arrowheads than with the hunnic arrowheads Anke wrote that the arrows in the tomb could be due to fashion,
but the Norwegeans appearently had the same connection. Also in the Blucina tomb three-winged
arrowheads were found. Finally 2 antique glasses from the Black Sea region with a position indicating a
cultic purpose [Ramqvist 1990] were found in the mound. As the signs of high rank like rings, fibulas,
swords and equipment with cloisonne were common among all Germanic chieftains serving the Romans at
that time, they do not reveal the ethnical origin of the man in the grave.

The other mounds contain earlier cremation burials, but in Mound 3 only a globe stone like the one at
Inglingehoeg in Värend was buried - without any ornaments, however. The mounds in Högom are dated
around 350-500 AD with Mound II dated in the end of the 5th century - the time between the Sösdala finds
and the Heruls of Procopius.

It should be mentioned, that Högom is placed at the earlier mentioned trade route to Halogaland. This was
probably the center of the people trading with furs as mentioned by Jordanes. Bridles with similar-looking
eagleheads are found in Högom, Stockholm and the sacrifice in Finnestorp in Götaland. Regarded isolated in
the light of the finds of southern Sösdala-equipment in Finnestorp and Vennebo this could indicate that
loosers from Western Götaland also tried their luck in the cultures of Högom/Svealand, but the attackers
could of course originate from these regions. Also an example of the Eastgermanic inspired fibula-type with
curved heads mentioned above is found in the Högom-region and Lofoten – indicating a connection between
the Atlantic route along the Norwegian coast to Lofoten and the Botnic route along the Swedish coast from
Helgoe/Uppsala crossing the mountain range at the lowest place between Högom and Bertnem. This may be
the way Procopius got his information about the midnightsun and the Scridfennae brought south by Heruls
from Högom or Uppsala.

The mound escavated in Högom constitutes the center of a row of 3 big mounds like the mounds in Uppsala,
Vada and Bertnem in Namsdal north of Trondheim - all found on the trade route. There are no signs of this
activity later than Mound II indicating that this society disappeared contemporary with the emerge of the
society raising Ottars Mound and the 3 mounds in Uppsala.

In Evebø (Eide) at Nordfjord in Western Norway a similar mound was found - also with three-winged
arrowheads and a Syrian glass - and at Barshalderhed at Gotland such a grave without a mound was found
too - with identical arrowheads and a glass from the Danube-region. The only other three-winged arrowheads
of iron are found at the western coast of Norway as Evebø (at least 17 places) from Jæren to Trøndelag
indicating this as the origin of these Nordic arrows inspired by Eastgermanic horsemen - but also indicating a
connection with Högom as mentioned above. In the mound at Evebø was also found a geometrical toy of
kind only known from Iran and Afghanistan, and at Barshalderhed a clasp was of Slovakian origin. All three
chieftains were buried without cremation in the end of the 5th century, and together with the contemporary
grave at Snartemo in Southern Norway these burials constitute the four richest burials in Scandinavia in the
5th century.

In Snartemo grave V near the south coast of Norway a chieftain was buried in a small mound with his

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 The Heruls

famous sword in Style I from the second half of the 5th century [Menghin 1983]. The swordpommel is of the
same type as in Blucina with two animal heads – which were originally inspired from South Eastern Europe.
Such swordpommels are found in Broåsen (Grimeton-Hunnestad in Halland), Sjörup (Scania) and
Finnestorp, but these findplaces were no graves. As the style is Scandinavian Style I, the swordpommel in
Blucina should be expected to be Scandinavian – but as Childeric's swordpommel in Tournais as one of the
only Continental pommels (in more expensive materials) had these animal heads too we can not be sure of
the background. Under all circumstances the swordpommels show a connection between Blucina and
Scandinavia, and especially the swordpommels in Blucina and Finnestorp are very similar. The golden
handle from Blucina is found in Tournais and Snartemo too. The guard of the sword from Blucina is found in
Snartemo, Scania, Gotland (4), Södermanland and Sutton Hoo. Most of these finds are dated in the second
part of the 5th century. The swordtype in Blucina is regarded as a transition from Hunnic to Germanic
swords.

There is no doubt that the chieftains in Scandinavia were connected in a way which involved the
Eastgermanic people in the Danubian area. If they were Scandinavian mercenaries or Eastgermanics we are
not able to decide - making Scandinavians the most probable answer. Their positions could together with the
other finds indicate that they at that time formed a network extending the old Amber Route from the
workshops at Gotland over Högom to Northern and Western Norway.

1.2.2.4 Fibulas - Style I

The fibulas are often indicating trade connections
and/or movements of people. In the old Herulian
kingdom covering Moravia and Marchfeld many
curveheaded relief-fibulas with 3 knobs are found
being called the Sokolnice-type [Tejral 1997a].
Tejral dated these fibulas to the period just after
450 AD while Bierbrauer has placed them in the
last quarter of the 5th century. They are found all
over the area – with 5 knobs also in the female
grave in Ladendorf, which according to Helmuth
Sokolnice Fibula Windl [Tejral 1997a] was Herulian 45. Two
versions of identical fibulas are found in Melsted
near Gudhjem [Anke, 1998] and a similar in Rutsker - all at Bornholm. Further
locally developed types are found at Öland, Gotland, Östertälje near Helgö,
Falster and Dalshøj/Sorte Muld at Bornholm 46. Most of these places are known Dalshøj Fibula

45 A fibula from Sokolnice, grave 5, near the mound Zuran Hill at Brno is by Jaroslav Tejral [“Neue beiträge zur
erforschung in Mittler Donauraum”, Tejral 1997a] called a forerunner of several Eastgermanic “dreiknopf”
relieffibulas with “spiralranken”. The end of them all was the head of an animal, which more stylized became an
important motive in Style II. Identical fibulas are found over all Moravia/”Mittler Donauraum” and examples are
found single in France, South Germany, Italy, Kerch at the Sea of Asov and Bornholm. At Bornholm two quite
identical fibulas are found in Gudhjem and one in Rutsker. More developed they are found at Oeland and Lake
Mälar near Helgö. In Ladendorf near Rothenseehof north of Vienna two nearly identical fibulas (but “funfknopf”)
are found in a female grave by Helmuth Windl called Herulian [Article in Tejral 1997a].
46 Since the excavations of Vendel in the 19th century several graveyards have been excavated between Gudhjem,
Kobbeaa and Oesterlars. The latest description used from Southeastern Bornholm is by Lars Jørgensen and Anne
Nørgaard Jørgensen [Lars Jørgensen 1997] mentioning, that the area had been inhabited by a rich family of
chieftains in several family branches from around 500 AD until 800. Especially in the beginning the grave goods
were very impressive, but later this changed to a standard equipment – probably not because the richness decreased,
but because the power was so consolidated that vaste and boasting was superfluous. Some chieftains got their horses
with them in the grave, and the graves were often low mounds – sometimes covered with stones. The Sokolnice-
fibulas are found south of Gudhjem in a female grave in Melsted and one similar in Rutsker. The larger cemeteries
are in the hills near the coast a.o. Glæsergaard, Bækkegaard and at Kobbeaa. At Nørre Sandegaard the women wear
their biggest fibula across the chest in a high position between the shoulders and two smaller fibulas lower at the
chest. Here several disc-on-bow fibulas of the Style II type with cloisonne are found – a common type at the

32
 The Heruls

as trade centers with central workshops on the Baltic trade route, but 2 items in Medelpad and in Steigen at
Lofoten [Sjøvold 1993] point further north too. The Sokolnice-type is also found at the Upper Rhine, in
Burgundy, in Kerch at the Sea of Asov and in Northern Italy, but they are all by the French archaeologist
Michel Kazanski [Tejral 1997a] characterized as Danubian of origin and by the Czeckish Jaroslav Tejral
[Tejral 1997a] characterized as Eastgermanic. Both the Heruls and the Ostrogoths had operated in all these
areas - but the Ostrogoths lived in the area south of the largest concentration of these fibulas.

Also east of the mouth of Vistula in the Olchzyn region a type of curved relieffibulas with 3 knobs are found
(Mazur-Germanen) [Kleeman 1956] – in the same region as the above mentioned finds of the
Untersiebenbrun-/Sösdala-style at the “Amber Routes”.

In the second part of the 5th century simple versions of the Sokolnice-fibula were also found around Paris
and the Rhine, but afterwords all relief fibulas in the Frankish region got 5 knobs and even more knobs in the
Alemannic and Lombardian regions. It is important to notice that these common Alemannic and Frankish
curved fibulas with 5 or more knobs are never found in Scandinavia, while curved relieffibulas with 3 knops
are found in 16 cases [comparing Koch 1998 and Sjøvold 1993].

The dating of the finds and of the development at Bornholm does not fit in with the description of the Heruls
by Procopius and the finds may as well be caused by Eastgermanic inspired craftsmen at Bornholm. Among
the 130 Scandinavian relief-fibulas [the maps of Sjøvold 1993] 18% had curved headplates, but in the
districts up to the Baltic Sea south of Gotland these made up 80% against 50% at Gotland and 3% in the rest
of Scandinavia. Of course the analyzes of the shape do not cover all aspects of these fibulas, but the
geographical spread of a fashion should not be neglected - especially as Kuhn has paid much attention to the
symbolic importance of shape and ornamentation [Kuhn 1973]. The significant number of these fibulas in
Southeastern Scandinavia prove that this part of Scandinavia had some very strong connections being absent
in the rest of Scandinavia, and this total absence in the neighbourhood also indicates that the distribution was
not due to normal trade - the skilled craftsmen of the islands probably changed their products due to the
presence of people with other symbols in Scania/Blekinge and the Baltic Islands. The character of the
headplates (including the three buttons) and the geographical position point at the Eastgermanic people in the
Carpathian Bassin. However the fibulas at Bornholm are based on a Sokolnice style at a stage earlier than the
Heruls arriving around 512, and according to the text of Procopius the Heruls did hardly choose Bornholm as
their destination. It has to be stressed, that the nomadic Heruls of Procopius and their possible followers from
Western Europe may have brought styles with them from many corners of Europe forming a new mixed style
– being later a part of the Vendel style.

A stylistic element of the Sokolnice fibula was the row of spirals which was also a part of the special Sjörup-
style found very close to Sösdala in Scania 50 years later than the Sösdala finds. This style was according to
Birgit Arrhenius closely related to Eastgermanic style in the Roman border areas around 500 AD, and also
these elements became a part of Style I. [Arrhenius 1985; Tejral 1997b]

Scandinavian coasts and islands at the Baltic Sea – including Vendel.

In the hills behind Svaneke 10 kilometres south of Gudhjem there was since the Roman Iron Ages a big settlement
consisting of a.o. Sorte Muld and Dalshøj. According the archaeologists the old settlement was destroyed around
500AD, but a new settlement was established with an important market place. Dalshøj is famous for the hoard with
a fibula and 10 solidi with Anastasius as the latest. He was emperor since 492 and when the Heruls left Pannonia.
Several of the hoards with the big fibulas and coins are known in Denmark, but only the hoards at Dalshøj and
Elsehoved (Fyen near Gudme) contained solidi – normally they contained bracteates. The most impressive are the
finds of 2350 gold foil figures at Sorte Muld. They are normally found at marketplaces like Lundeborg at Gudme.
The gold foil figures are thin stamped plates like the plates at the helmets, but very small. The stamped style was
first met in Scandinavia as the Sösdala-style similar to the Untersiebenbrun-style. The purpose is unknown, but the
motives and the low volume of gold indicate religious purposes. Probably they symbolic plates were sold as
offerings for the gods giving the principal of the temple a solid income. At Rutsker a die is found used for some of
the gold foil figures in Sorte Muld. In the settlement iron from the Lake Mälar-area is found. In 2001 a new
goldhoard was found at Sorte Muld containing Roman coins from the 5th century and brachteats from 500 being
contained in a Roman silverplate. The hoard is for the moment regarded as a sacrifice.

33
 The Heruls

At some of the fibulas in Scandinavia a border around the headplate was used with triangles and a
small circle at the top. Such a stamp was also used at many of the items in Finnestorp and later on
the top frieze at the mausoleum of Theodoric. At the Dalshøj-fibula the triangle is curved as if the
background was forgotten..

Obviously the relief-fibulas spread from the beginning of the sixth century all over Scandinavia in the upper
level of the society were a combination of the style from Sokolnice and the traditional Scandinavian square-
headed fibula. Therefore the Scandinavian fibulas are much more varied than the square-headed relieffibulas
in Kent/Mercia/East Anglia, where only one curveheaded fibula is found from around 450 AD - regarded as
Jutish. The Scandinavian fibulas appear more expensive than the small Sokolnice-fibulas – probably with the
purpose to demonstrate power and richness. The archaeologist Jutta Waller from Uppsala has in her
dissertation wondered which connections from outside lead to the changes of fibulas and dress-pins in the
Mälar Valley just before the Vendel Period, but she primarily looked in the direction of England - not of
Pannonia [Waller 1996]. One of her reasons was that the richest of the later Scandinavian fibulas got a disc
on the bow (a.o. the Kitnæs and Skodborg finds), and they are also found in England. In Uppland
surprisingly few relief fibulas are found, but later disc-on-bow fibulas with cloisonne were common there as
in most of Scandinavia. The cloisonne-inlay in Scandinavia is described as Merovingian, but the method was
Byzantine and it was already used by the Eastgermanic people at the Danube before the Merovingian
kingdom was established.

1.2.2.5 The trade route and the Heruls

It is obvious from the many similarities that there was a connection along the old traderoute – especially after
the Huns left and normal trade connections to Rome and Konstantinopel could be reestablished along the
route. Except for a few finds such as Blucina the archaeology can not tell us about the etnicity of these
Estgermanic connections, but due to their key position in Mähren the Heruls and their followers are the
obvious choice. The Ostrogoths have been mentioned too, but as the Ostrogoths waged war against their
earlier companions from 454 to sometime after 494 the Heruls probably blocked the traderoute for supporters
of the dynasty of the Ostrogoths. That is confirmed by the fact that no Theodoric coins are found in
Scandinavia, but 3-400 in Southern Germany – indicating that the Arian Goths had no interest in Scandinavia
at that time.

There is no reason to believe that the Heruls were merchants at the route themselves. As Procopius described
their way of income was tributing and looting their neighbours. Probably this was the way they treated those
passing by at the trade route too. Taxation and protection was probably their methode rather than looting –
just like the Danes later used their position in Øresund.

It is impossible to say how often they went to Scandinavia themselves. Probably they went north for
negotiation and reconaissance, and maybe some of them went into Scandinavian service, but in the time of
Odoacer they probably rather headed south. It is however a possibility that some of them established a
position in Scandinavia a.e. in Högom.

The archaeology indicates that a Germanic people (Goths or "Mazur-Germanen") at the mouth of Vistula
were an important partner at the traderoute as both the Untersiebenbrunn-style, roundheaded 3-knob-fibulas
and solidi are found there too. In the beginning of the 6th century the Slavs penetrated the area aroun river
Vistula, but the Oder-route was probably used until around 567 AD, when all Scandinavian connections
turned against the Elb and the Rhine.

The finds in the wet areas of Finnestorp and Vennebo contain Nydam-, Ejsbøl- and Sösdala-style from a
longer period up to around 550 AD, indicating that these artefacts were brought up by attackers being
defeated by the Götes. This question will be discussed later.

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 The Heruls

1.2.3 The Western Heruls 286-509 (Phase B)

As a more or less independent parallel the Western Heruls living at the North Frisian coast
probably harried the south westerly Scandinavian coasts - just as they according to the sources
harried Gallia in 409 AD and Spain in the 450'ies AD. These Heruls had served as Roman
mercenaries - mostly in England in the 4th century - but after the Romans left England and the
emperor was removed their mercenaries had to find other sources of income. They were mentioned
for the last time in the historical sources in 478 AD. It is obvious to suspect that they were among
the mercenaries being called to England by the Britains in 448 AD. Later many of the other
Western Heruls probably went back to England together with their Anglosaxon neighbours, but
some of them may have turned north against the Scandinavian kingdoms as military advisors and
mercenaries. These suggestions, however, are hypotheses which will be discussed in a later
chapter.

Hundred years later the Celtic munk; Gilda47, wrote that the Saxons were invited to England by the Britons
in 548 AD as a defence against the Picts and Scots. The same wrote the clerical historian Bede in the
beginning of the 8th century. He added that the Anglosaxons were led by Hengist and Horsa48. They first tried
to call the Romans as they did 75 years before when the Romans sent the Heruls and the Batavi, but the
Romans had now left England and were busy with Attila. What was more natural than to call the Western
Heruls back again to fight the Picts and the Scots once more?

This shield painting is known from the Westherulian mercenaries in the Italian infantry unit "Herules
Seniores". It was found in a mediaval copy of Notitia Dignitatum from the beginning of the 5th century
AD. Consequently we cannot be sure of this picture - and we do not know which symbol is behind the
circles. The circle was ao. a symbol of the sun in the soldiers' Mithras Cult - worshipped in temples along
the Wall of Hadrian in England, where the Heruls were posted together with the Bataves. It is unknown
wether the Eastern Heruls used the same symbols, but circles and half circles are recognised at many artefacts found in
their tracks.

Gilda and Bede did not know the past, and together with Procopius they mentioned Frisians, Saxons, Angles
and Jutes49 – or just barbarians. We can not put much value in names of people they mentioned much later.

47 Gilda ca. 540 AD, 23: “At that time all members of the assembly, along with the proud tyrant, are blinded; such is
the protection they find for their country (it was, in fact, its destruction) that those wild Saxons, of accursed name,
hated by God and men, should be admitted into the island, like wolves into folds, in order to repel the northern
nations. Nothing more hurtful, certainly, nothing more bitter, happened to the island than this.”
48 Bede, 731 AD: ”In the year of our Lord 449 ... the nation of the Angles, or Saxons, being invited by the aforesaid
king [Vortigern], arrived in Britain with three long ships, and had a place assigned them to reside in by the same
king, in the eastern part of the island, that they might thus appear to be fighting for their country, whilst their real
intentions were to enslave it. Accordingly they engaged with the enemy, who were come from the north to give battle,
and obtained the victory; which, being known at home in their own country, as also the fertility of the country, and
the cowardice of the Britons, a more considerable fleet was quickly sent over, bringing a still greater number of
men, which, being added to the former, made up an invincible army. The newcomers received of the Britons a place
to inhabit, upon condition that they should wage war against their enemies for the peace and security of the country,
whilst the Britons agreed to furnish them with pay. Those who came over were of the three most powerful nations of
Germany Saxons, Angles, and Jutes. From the Jutes are descended the people of Kent.. The two first commanders
are said to have been Hengist and Horsa.Of whom Horsa, being afterwards slain in battle by the Britons, was
buried in the eastern parts of Kent, where a monument, bearing his name, is still in existence. They were the sons of
Victgilsus, whose father was Vecta, son of Woden; from whose stock the royal race of many provinces deduce their
original. In a short time, swarms of the aforesaid nations came over into the island, and they began to increase so
much, that they became terrible to the natives themselves who had invited them.”
49 Procopius 553 AD, VIII, xxx: “The island of Brittia is inhabited by three very numerous nations, each having one
king over it. And the names of these nations are Angili, Frissones and Brittones ... And so great appears to be the
population of these nations that every year they emigrate thence in large companies ... and go to the land of the
Franks. And the Franks allow them to settle”. Procopius mixed up the Northern geography and he never mentioned
any Western Heruls who had disappeared 75 years before his time.

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 The Heruls

At that time pirates in the South were simply called Saxons if their Germanic tribal name was unknown. We
must assume that members from all the tribes along the coast from Normandy to Jutland joined the
migration, including the Western Heruls, who – as argued earlier – lived at the western coast between the
Saxons, the Angles and the Jutes. Especially to the Western Heruls this was a return to their earlier area of
operations.

Archaeologists believe they have traced the Jutes by some big fibulas found in Jutland and in Kent, and at
Lake Flevo in Netherland a settlement point at the Jutes too. These people were probably mixed up in the
Migration Ages.

A branch of the Western Heruls remaining in Jutland could be the later Myrgingas in Northern Frisia
mentioned only in Widsith. Their name may have an etymology similar with the twisted etymology
mentioned by Jordanes: Eloi = "The people from the swamps" which in Westgermanic could be Myrings
(Swedish "myr" - ON "myrr" - German "moor" - Old-Frisian "mor"), just like the later mentioned "Marings"
in Moravia (Chapter 2.1.1.3).

We can not reach any historical conclusion about the fate of the Western Heruls as they probably
were split up between Scandinavia, England and the Frisian Coast – hypothesis being mentioned in
the following chapters.

1.3 Conclusions regarding the history

1.3.1 Sources and critics
The official Germanic history of the 3-6th centuries is not a scientific conclusion based on facts, but mostly a
"decided truth" based on conservatism in the scolarly networks.

Originally it was accepted as the truth that the Heruls were expelled by the Danes in the 3rd century, and
returned around 500AD. Ivar Lindquist and von Friesen assumed they settled south of the Götes, while
Lukman, Gudmundsson and in 1969 Wessen assumed they brought the Eastgermanic legends to
Scandinavia. Already in 1925 Lauritz Weibull raised doubt about their Scandinavian origin, and later the
interpretation of all the sources has been discussed.

1.3.1.1 Alvar Ellegaard

In 1987 the sources of the Herulian history were eliminated by Alvar Ellegaard50 except Procopius and some
brief Roman reports of Herulian mercenaries. With help from the inexact Latin of Jordanes Ellegaard in this
way made room for alternative theories.

The searching and criticism of the sources carried out by Ellegaard is mostly a careful work, which with
modifications has been used here. On the other hand his final theory looks like a provocation51. When
Ellegaard wrote in 1987 he was not the first, but he is here used as the most recent representative for the
actual scholarly attitude to Jordanes and the Heruls in Scandinavia, as many historians support similar
theories or elements hereof.

In most Scandinavian history books the Heruls still have their origin in Scandinavia - dating the expulsion in
the 3rd century as Brøndsted and von Friesen, but in the last decades most scholars have accepted the
interpretation maintained by i.e. Ellegaard, Goffart and Andreas Schwarcz, that this was a recent event when
50 The articles in Scandia 1987 (53) – Götiska Minnen nr 113, 1992 are regarded as the latest Scandinavian research
concerning the Heruls.
51 Alvar Ellegaard, who was earlier a professor in English language, provoked in Scandia 1993 the historians and the
theologians with a very hard criticism of their sources and with theories in opposition to the accepted theories
regarding the Bible.

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 The Heruls

Jordanes wrote, as already described in Chapter 2 above. This shall not be repeated here as that claim of
Ellegaard is accepted in this article too though the arguments are not identical.

The next claims by Ellegaard are improbable. He claimed that Procopius' telling about the Heruls in
Scandinavia was only covering some hundred individuals for a period of 35 years – or in other words: The
expulsion described by Jordanes might be the same story as the return of two princes followed by 200 young
warriors being described by Procopius.

Ellegaard accepted as a source Procopius, who in 553 AD told that the royal family was still numerous in
Scandinavia and that the Heruls remained on the "island". He also told that the envoy went back til the
Scandinavian Heruls, when the first candidate died on his way to Illyria. Therefore the information that
Datius the second time left for Illyria followed by his brother and 200 young warriors gives Ellegaard no
basis at all for his claim that all the Heruls returned – quite opposite the words implicate that the rest
remained. It is even in this way indicated that they were a rather large group in Sweden since the could send
these warriors away. His claim does not any make sense.

Many scholars regard the number of Heruls going to Scandinavia to be very low, but this is not due to the
information in the historical sources, but an ajustment of the numbers fitting the official opinion in Sweden
regarding sagas, archaeology and foreign influence.

Moreover Ellegaard claimed, that the Heruls were not a tribe or a people but a group of warriors formed by
the Romans around 300 AD in Castra Batava. This claim stands in contradiction to the rest of the above
description and the sources he referred to himself52 and he forgot both the Western Heruls and Ablasius.

52 Ellegaard developed with reference to Wenskus the theory, that all migration people in fact were vagrant groups of
warriors – including the Heruls. He forgot to distinguish between simple robber bands, military expansion into the
neighbour countries, vagrant nomads and a real migration of a people to a new country. First of all Procopius
mentioned the Heruls as a numerous superior people with its own king, secondly he mentioned their different
religion (with a “host of gods” which could not be Arian) and curios family habits, and thirdly he mentioned how the
Gepides raped their women and stole their cattle. Ammianus mentioned the Heruls among other independent people,
and Jordanes called them a nation. The historical evidence of that time is therefore against Ellegaard and apart from
this, a group of warriors was not able to exist separately in 200 years – still less to arise in the Roman army with a
separate religion. There must have been a people behind, which did not interest other Romans than Procopius. The
Heruls were probably a halfnomadic people from the borderarea between the Goths and the nomads at the Russian
steppes. Some of their young men formed warriorbands serving as mercenaries or acting like robbers. These
warriorbands were often mixed up with the people by the written sources, as these groups were everywhere in the
frontline.

Ellegaard's theory about the Heruls starting as a German warrior group in Castra Batava (Passau at Danube 250 west
of Vienna) in the 4th century is based on a hypothetical fellowship with the Bataves in Castra Batava. However the
only common stamps between Heruls and Bataves are the reports of mercenaries from Ammanius about campaigns
in England and at the Rhine. Probably the Roman use of the two people together was due to their livingplaces in
Frisia near the Rhine, where the Bataves were mentioned from around year 0 and the Heruls from 286 AD. As
mentioned in note 2.2.5 the historian Ammianus told the Heruls were living "beyond the Rhine", which is maybe a
little diffuse, as he also mentioned Celts, but this could never describe the area north of Passau, where it also was
difficult to argue why they never should cross the Alps (note 2.2.5). Laterculus Veronenses, mentioning Heruls in
northwest and east, is rejected as “corrupt” by Ellegaard without mentioning other reasons than it was contradicting
his claim. It is correct, that the Romans as a defence against the barbarians stationed some Batavian cohorts in
Castra Batava, who were still mentioned by Eugippius in 480, but contrary hereto Eugippius mentioned the Heruls
as plundering barbarians – coming from their kingdom at the northern bank of Danube a little more east in the old
Hunnic Empire. Normally the Herulian mercenaries are supposed to be stationed in Concordia near Triest due to
grave stones. The Bataves later became a part of the Francs. The information used by Ellegaard to indicate, that the
Heruls arose as a group of warriors at Passau, could indicate several other explanations. Therefore there is no reason
to choose an explanation which contradicts all other information.

Furthermore the theory depends on a mistake by Jordanes mixing up “Heruli” with some hypothetical “Heluri”,
supposed by Ellegaard to operate together with the Goths at the Black Sea in 267AD. Finally the story by Jordanes
about Ermaneric defeating Alaric in 350 had to be free fantasy. As many Heruls lived around Jordanes in Italy and

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 The Heruls

However his explanation may cover the much earlier establishment of the Heruls as mentioned in Chapter 2.
In the 5th and 6th century there had to be a people behind the Herulian warrior groups operating in so many
places over so many years - as tell the sources ae. Procopius' quotation of the Gepides at the court of
Justinian: "...Indeed thou hast bestowed upon the Franks and the nation of the Eruli and these Lombards such
generous gifts of both cities and lands, O Emperor, that no one could enumerate them. ...".

Theoretically his claims are possible, but his two last claims are very unlikely – especially as his conclusions
do not follow Procopius, although he has proclaimed Procopius to be his only reliable source. Ellegaard went
too far in order to provoke and find an alternative to the Scandinavian origin.

It has to be emphazised, that the linguist Ellegaard regarded the connection between Eruli and Eorl/Jarl as
"very probable" - which in a way even contradicts his own claims too.

1.3.1.2 Andreas Schwarcz

Andreas Schwarcz, professor at the University of Vienna, wrote in 2005 the article "Die Heruler an der
Donau" describing the history of the Heruls until they left March/Morava. Nearly all the content of that
article is accepted above as the most probable explanations. However he also wrote in the article that the
story about the royal family of the Heruls in Scandinavia must be regarded as speculation. He has earlier
called the Scandinavian sources literature, and he is also right that everything regarding their destiny in
Scandinavia can be called speculation in historical sense. Earlier he emphasized his view at an open maillist
(Gothic-List) confirming that Procopius is reliable in this connection and that it can be regarded as certain
that a group with the royal family of the Heruls arrived and settled at "Thule".

In his view it probably was an example of an integration. He also suggested that the interpretation of
Procopius’ use of the word ”para” can be that the Heruls settled among the Götes and were integrated as a
part of the Götes. The general translation of ”para” is ”by” - normally in the meaning ”beside” or "along".
Schwarcz has argued that Procopius also used "para" describing the settlement of the Heruls at Singidunum,
which became a part of the Byzanteen Empire. These Heruls, however, settled at the southern bank of
Danube at the very border of the Roman Empire, they remained Heruls with their own king, and a part of
them separated from the Romans again by going north to the Gepides after nearly 40 years - they were never
integrated.

It makes sense that the Heruls were attracted by the Gothic legends to settle in the area of Götaland, but
nothing in the archaeology and myths indicates changes or newcomers in Götaland in that period, and it
makes not much sense, that these unruly warriors – and especially not the royal family - should walk ”to the
end of the world” in order to be subdued by a local people. The Rök Stone is the only Norse source which
connects the royal family with Götaland - but that was 300 years later after the expansion of the Vendel
Culture. They knew where they were going in 509 AD, and they had without doubt a plan when walking so
far, as they could have established their own kingdom in the barren country they met earlier in Eastern
Germany. If the the royal family had lost their sovereign position, they had not survived as a royal family
and the Heruls in Illyria had not sent for loosers 35 years later. Around 350 AD they were subdued by
Ermaneric, but 100 years later they did still exist as a strong people with their own king. If an integration
into a stronger society was their plan, Theodoric was the natural superior king to join – but only few did so -
and other possibilities were the Byzantines, Gepides, Lombards, Thuringians or Western Heruls. Andreas
Schwarcz is probably right that the mentioning of the Gautoi is no coincidence, and that the Heruls at their
arrival intended to settle in or beside the widespread territory of the Götes, which they probably did. This,
however, does not mean, that they became subjects to the Götes against their nature, and it does not mean
that they stayed. Andreas Schwarcz has also mentioned that Procopius' use of the word ”tote” (meaning
”of/at that time”) about the settlement might indicate a later change of settlement – and in that case they
could not have been integrated first time.

Byzans such a signal mistake of their home only 150 years before is possible in the theory but very unlikely. But
even in this case, the Heruls might believe what Jordanes believed.

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 The Heruls

According to Andreas Schwarcz, Walther Pohl and other scholars a successful migration could only end up
as a settlement where the former inhabitants were expelled or as an integration. This is probably correct, but
the word “integration” must have very wide limits - from the intruders placing themselves in the top of the
society or as occupiors to an acceptance of the existing kingship. The lower groups of the society should in
all cases be integrated over time. If both royal families survived the future coorporation could be secured by
marriage.

Andreas Schwarcz has earlier expressed doubt if they had a king after Hrodolphus, as Origo Gentis
Longobardorum later told that they had no kingly office after the fallen Hrodolphus. But "Origo" probably
referred to the Heruls remaining in the region - not the Scandinavian Heruls who were not mentioned in this
source as they had lost any importance for the Lombards. Procopius however told that the trekk against north
was led by many of royal blood though he did not mention a name of the king. We know that there was a
king in the Illyrian group at the time of Justinian, and we know that they still found many of royal blood in
Scandinavia, when there were no candidates back in Illyria. This strongly indicates that most of the family
went north and it is obvious that a group at such a mission had a leader among them, who necessarily had a
superiority over the royal family - a king. All Procopius' talk about royal blood indicates that the kingly
office was important for the Heruls, and it should be so for a people of warriors.

1.3.1.3 Walter Goffart

Headed by Walter Goffart some scholars maintain that the motive of the Byzantine Procopius was solely to
show, that the Heruls could be sent back to their ancestral homes safely. As a general motive this could be
correct, but Procopius never mentioned a past in Scandinavia - only that their ancestral homes were beyond
the Ister (Danube) – and their success in Sweden was in no way emphasized except maybe the royal family.
If Procopius' motive was to tell about a successful repatriation, his manipulation was miserably carried out.
Nevertheless there may be a grain of truth in Goffart’s claim, if the purpose was to show that it would be
possible for the Goths to settle at the Gauts, but this would only lead Procopius to lie about the peaceful
character of the arrival to Thule and the Gauts – and this was probably what he did (chapter 6.5). He did not
in that way get any motive to change the description of the route and the consequential story about king
Datius – actual and well known in Procopius' own society and time.53 Goffart has made a provoking and
sophisticated work regarding Jordanes, but his analyzes of Procopius are very brief and insufficient – as this
was not the purpose with his work. As Jordanes was his study it is probably more important to notice that
Goffart in his footnote 336 accepted, that the expulsion of the Heruls by the Danes written by Jordanes was a
recent event.

The consequence is that he in this way accepted that both Jordanes (Cassiodorus) and Procopius with
opposite motives were reporting about Heruls in Scandinavia – the details about Scandinavia even from
independent eyewitnesses as Jordanes’ information probably was due to the exiled Roduulf54 at the court of
Theodoric, while Procopius’ information probably was due to the people following Datius as described
below.

53 These scholars maintain, that the description by the Gothic Jordanes was caused by motives opposite Procopius –
but Jordanes served the Romans the best possible argument to send the Goths and Heruls to Scythia or Scandinavia.
At that time ethnical purging happened every day, and the above theories are even more difficult to follow regarding
the passages where Jordanes used the text of Cassiodorus, although he was chancellor in the Gothic kingdom, where
no one could dream of sending the Germanic tribes back.

Cassiodorus' purpose was of course - like Saxo's - to give his master Theodoric and his royal Amali family a
superior position in the Gothic history in order to protect the legitimate right for his descendants to the throne of the
Goths. Goffart is of the opinion that Jordanes did not follow Cassiodorus, as Jordanes wanted assimilation between
the Romans and the Goths.
54 Angelika Lintner Potz (Pohl?) has rejected Roduulf as a person seperate from the Herul Rodolphus claiming that
such a coincidence is impossible. That argument as such is too weak, and it is even obvious from the text that the
king from Scandinavia leaving his people can not be the Moravian king being killed when ruling his people before
they left for Scandinavia. Her mistake is possibly caused by the brakes in the translation she presents in her thesis.

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 The Heruls

Therefore the interpretation of Jordanes by L. Weibull supported now by Goffart, Pohl, Schwarcz and
Ellegaard has strengthened the information of Procopius about a Herulian settlement in Scandinavia.

1.3.1.4 Jordanes' sources

Jordanes' Getica is based on a lost 12-volume work by Cassiodorus. Cassiodorus was the chancellor of
Theodorich and finished his final version of "History of the Goths" before 533 AD (probably around 519
AD), where one of the purposes was to show that the Amal-family of Theodorich according to the tradition
had the right to the Ostrogothic throne. Jordanes had lived in an Alanic/Gothic environment in Moesia and
finished his Getica in Byzans in 551 AD. His purpose appear to have been to support the falling Gothic
Kingdom. He told that his work was based on Cassiodorus' work, but that these books had not been available
for him all the time. While Jordanes obviously had his own sources for the time after Cassiodorus, the Getica
before this time is regarded as an abbreviation of Cassiodorus' work55, where he accordingly had to
concentrate on the Goths and to let out the descriptions (being irrelevant at the time of Jordanes) of the
political landscape around Theodorich, which a politician like Cassiodorus without doubt would pay much
attention to in his work.

Arne Søby Christensen (Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths, 2002) is among the scholars
claiming that the works of Cassiodorus and Jordanes can not be regarded as history. His arguments, however,
are based on irregularities in the royal genealogies of Cassiodorus, which had a clearly manipulating purpose
- and which are irrelevant regarding the questions being discussed here. As another example he demonstrates
that the episode presenting the word "Ansis" is not historically correct and concludes by using this argument
that Ansis "cannot be part of a long Gothic tradition" (p. 127) - notwithstanding his observation regarding a
single king does not lead to such a firm conclusion as Ansis probably was a general custom. The discussion
if some of the Getae ended up as a part of Goths is also avoided by him - though this would explain some of
the problems he points out. There is no doubt that a great part of the early history of the Goths and the Amal
family lines were collected or maybe even constructed by Cassiodorus for political purposes - which was
what caused Arne Søby Christensen's examples - but which Roman or mediaval historian (or modern?) was
not influenced by politics?

It appears to be popular in certain schools of historians when writing their doctoral theses to reject a whole
classical source of by demonstrating inconsistency or unreliability somewhere in this or others works of the
author. This is especially a problem if descriptions of earlier events are used to conclude about episodes
contemporary with the author. Not even a serious classical author used old sources after our scholarly
criterias, but that does not influence his own contemporary observations. As we have too few sources to
provide us with the necessary confirmation, when analyzing Germanic history before 750 AD and Nordic
history before 1250AD, there is no reason to spend time on history of that time at all if all the information
from a historian can be rejected in this way - especially if the comparison with archaeology is avoided
because it is another scholarly area.

As we know from the letters of Cassiodorus the Heruls had played a role in Gothic politics, and they could
still at his time be expected to play a future role - indicated by political marriages like Silinga's and the way
Justinian treated them. Therefore their expansion, defeat and split must have been mentioned in his
voluminous work - including the story of the group of Heruls migrating against north. As Jordanes
mentioned a Scandinavian king Roduulf at the court of Theodoric Cassiodorus was probably well informed,
and the chapter about the people of Scanza in Jordanes' Getica is by most scholars regarded as a copy of
Cassiodorus' text - except maybe the short sentence about the Heruls.

Jordanes was not interested in the Heruls. When he finished his work in 551 AD they could not support the
Goths, as the Heruls were now Roman soldiers, Gepidian subjects or a distaint Scandinavian people - except
for the few being assimilated among the Goths 40 years earlier. But not even these Heruls were mentioned.
He just mentioned the Heruls as participants in the stories of Ermaneric, Odoaker and Attila - probably being
important stories in Cassiodorus' Gothic history - but nothing about the Heruls around the Gothic Kingdom
55 Arne Søby Christensen, "Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the history of the Goths" - Doctorial thesis 2002.

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 The Heruls

and the Roman Empire in his own 6th century and nothing about the Western Heruls at all. The only other
remark is the small sentence put into the chapter he copied from Cassiodorus about Scanza - "Herulos
propriis sedibus expulerunt".

As mentioned Cassiodorus probably wrote about the Heruls going to Scandinavia beside the chapter
describing the original people living in Scandinavia. In this case it was natural to let out the description of
the Heruls in the abbreviation process. In order to keep a correct listing of the people in Scandinavia he may
simply have put a short sentence into the existing text with their name related to one of the other people -
causing the clumpsy grammar. How did he chose that remark? The most natural choice was a concluding
element from Cassiodorus' story about the Scandinavian Heruls - maybe from the last report by Roduulf - or
a later information, which Procopios did not want to bring. Some scholars (a.e. Goffart) have claimed that
his purpose by mentioning the expulsion was to point out that the Goths could not be sent back to
Scandinavia, but in that case he would probably have used more words on that problem instead of indicating
a Gothic origin from Scanza. If he used the expulsion for that purpose this is not an argument against the
expulsion being an event in the 6th century - especially as the better informed Procopius did not mention
such a recent event, but indicated in his wording that the Heruls in the 540'ies did not live, where they settled
at their arrival.

If we assume that Jordanes did not refer to a Herulian origin in Scandinavia since he described an etymology
from the Black Sea (Chapter 2) this expulsion must have taken place after the Heruls had left the Black Sea
and before 551 AD. In this way we have two independent contemporary sources reporting about Heruls in
Scandinavia after the Hunnic campaign. The probable time of this expulsion is between 509 AD and 533 AD
- long time before 551 AD - as the explanations of Procopius and Jordanes in this way will fit totally into
each other. As the area between the Danes and the Götes according to archaeology appears to show
Eastgermanic presence already in the 5th century the expression "propriis sedibus" will make sense even at
an expulsion shortly after the Heruls of Procopius arrived.

1.3.1.5 Procopius' sources

As all historians of his time Procopius was not critical when using his sources, and furthermore he had no
clear picture of the geography outside the Roman Empire of his time. Therefore his geographical
descriptions and the legends and numbers of warriors from the past were often unreliable (as his description
of England in Book VIII, xx x). This can not be used as an argument against his description of contemporary
events, as the most important part of his work covers the wars which he had been very close to as the
secretary or legal advisor (assessor) of Bellisarius - at least until around 540 AD when he settled in
Constantinopel with close connection to the court of Justinian. His task was the description of the wars and
not the earlier history, which he just used to give a background serving his purpose. Therefore his details
from the past may be invented or distorted by himself or his sources in order to make a colourful telling, but
he probably knew only the general headlines from the beginning of the 6th century. Therefore his description
of the defeat by the Lombards in 509 AD and their route to Scandinavia must be regarded as uncertain - but
comparing with other sources and his general way to write there is no doubt that this kind of events took
place in one way or another.

Neither is there any doubt that Procopius manipulated the text, but his possibilities were limited regarding
events in his own neighbourhood and time as he would loose reliability among his readers if his descriptions
were not inside the limits of their own knowledge. In such cases suppression and distorsion were the tools.
Procopius had definitely been close to the Illyrian Heruls, and he regarded them with a disgust and curiosity,
which is obvious from his text (Extracts of his text). In case of the midnight sun in the chapter about the
returning Heruls he specifically stressed that he "made inquiry from those who come to us from the island",
and the description has correct details which are not found at earlier authors and Jordanes, who wrote about
the midnight sun. There is no doubt that he also used Suartuas and other Herulian officers as sources when
following Bellisarius and living in Byzans afterwards at the same time as Suartuas. Neither is there any
doubt that he after 540 AD met several participants in the events involving the Illyrian Heruls and that he at
the imperial court or at a journey talked with at least one person coming from Scandinavia knowing where

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 The Heruls

the Heruls had settled.

From the text of Procopius it is also obvious that Justinian, Bellisarius, Suartues - or maybe even Procopius
himself as an earlier assessor – wanted to justify the political change or mistake which took place regarding
the Heruls. Some of the Heruls were more loyal to their own royal family than to Justinian in spite of the
Roman ”generousity” giving this totally defeated people a chance to get a civilized life. Procopious therefore
called them "the basest of all men" and used all kinds of abusive language. Probably in order to smear them
he indicated homosexuality among them, which is showing how homosexuals were regarded at that time
rather than showing that the Heruls were different than other groups of mercenaries in that way. They had to
be described as uncivilized, ungrateful, unreliable and disloyal in order to explain to the Romans, their allies
and themselves, why the politics of Justinian in this case were unsuccessful and why a major part of these
brilliant soldiers were forced to leave the empire and join the hostile Gepides - making it necessary for
Suartuas and two other generals to attack them. This is a strong motive to be considered when interpreting
Procopius' descriptions of the Heruls.

Especially Procopius' former chief Bellisarius - now also close to him in Byzans - had the problem that he
had not been able to rule, christianize and resocialize his Herulian soldiers - and Procopius may even as the
secretary or assessor of Bellisarius have been personally involved in this process. Therefore it was important
for Procopius to emphasize that the Heruls could not be ruled at all - and therefore he made a long story out
of the destiny of Ochus and of Suartuas. In spite of his words it is obvious that they wanted a king, but he
had to come from the group 1600 kilometres away in the pagan Scandinavia. About this Scandinavian Datius
Procopius just indicated, that he was a second choice they had to make in a hurry among the numerous royal
family. Procopius could in no way tell in his books that they had successfull rulers in the Scandinavian group
- but his silence about the dynasty in Scandinavia is speaking too.

A more traditional motive also mentioned above is the description of the Christian Lombardian forces
destroying the pagans by the help of God 40 years earlier - an event which was now a part of the past which
could be "painted" a little without creating uncertainty among the readers. It has to be noticed, that Paulus
Diaconus told another version pleasing his people better, while Origi Gentis Longobardorum was neutral.

Another description which could be destorted is according to Goffart the arrival to Scandinavia. As
mentioned Procopius' motive in this connection would primarily be to hide, that there was no fertile land to
get there without hostilities for the Goths if they were expelled from Italy. This may be the reason why he
did not tell about an early expulsion and the later integration, but only told about the numerous royal dynasty
and their settlement at the numerous Gauts (claimed to be Goths by Cassiodorus), emphazised the first
peacefull passage of the Danes and just slightly indicated a second relocation.

1.3.1.6 The Swedish archaeologists

Opposite von Friesen and Ivar Lindquist the Swedish archaeologists to day do not describe any theories
about the Heruls of Procopius – their arrival is not even mentioned in the work ”Vendel Period” from the
Historical Museum of Sweden. Since World War II Scandinavian archaeologists are in general sceptical or at
least cautious when archaeology is used to explain etnicity - as this is done now in Germany and Eastern
Europe. Based on this attitude most Swedish scholars reject that archaeology and history give any reason to
believe that an Eastgermanic people settled in Sweden. They are arguing that the Vendel Culture was a
natural local development by the tribe of Svear (Suiones) influenced 50-70 years later by the Merovings –
and that this could be supported by the Högom-finds. This is not surprising as already Olof Rudbeck in the
17th century tried to prove that the Uppsala-society was the lost Atlantis from where European culture was
spread out. In spite of the usual reaction against such claims the royal mounds in Uppsala have been the
symbol of the Swedish nation ever since. Normally the popular modern critiques, Goffart and especially
Ellegaard, are referred to support this view, but none of these scholars have tried to deny, that the Heruls had
been in Sweden - they just claim that the Heruls never got a position worth mentioning. This possibility
cannot be rejected, but not even traces of such a low activity are registrated by the Swedish archaeologists as
possible Herulian in Uppland or Götaland, and an integration in an existing local people of a small number

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 The Heruls

of immigrants (primarily upper class) does not appear to be analyzed either.

An argument against Procopius has been,that there are no similarities between the Nordic powercenters and
the archaeology of Moravia/Marchfeld. First of all this is not correct as Tejral and Menghin have
demonstrated similarities and mentioned the possibility. Secondly the similarities should not be significant as
no specific Herulian characteristics are known from Southern Europe and as a majority in Svealand or
Götaland still were local tribes after the arrival of the Heruls. Further the argument is eliminated by the
mounds in Svealand, some similar finds in Moravia and Uppsala, the development of the fibulas in the Baltic
area, the Sösdala-equipment, and the precense of Scandinavian artefacts in the Herulian surroundings in
Illyria/Dacia. Also the spread of solidi could be regarded in this way. In this connection it makes no
difference that the early finds of Sösdala-equipment and the fibulas do not point at Uppsala.

Another argument against Procopious has been, that the Vendel-finds and -style point at the Merovings. As
earlier demonstrated the early Merovingian style is in many ways similar with the Herulian style - probably
because they were both based on Roman/Byzantine style as they were allies and Roman foederati. Later the
style became Western Germanic, but due to political and religious conflicts between Heruls and Franks other
connections than the Franks themselves are more probable, though the Scandinavians may have copied the
strong enemy.

Of course we can always find exceptions. In all fairness against the Swedish archaeologists shall be
mentioned the head of the escavations in Finnestorp, Bengt Nordqvist, and the late professor of archaeology
from the University of Stockholm, Åke Hyenstrand. Åke Hyenstrand's questions in his book "Lejonet,
draken och korset" (Hyenstrand 1996) will be basis for the next chapter.

1.3.1.7 General contradictions – their number

A general contradiction has been, that Herulian soldier- and pirate-kings were not able to establish a new
hierarchical level in this wide region. The total population in Uppland and surroundings was assumed to be
around 10.000-30.000 at that time while Hyenstrand in 1974 assumed 40.000 in the whole Lake Mälar
Valley excl. Närke (Hyenstrand 1996) in the end of the Iron Ages. This corresponds to 1.500-8.000 men
being able to fight in that kind of society. We have to remember that parts of Uppland were new territory at
that time due to the fall of the sealevel.

Procopius told, that the Heruls in the Danube-area became their neighbours superior in number and in power.
The battle against the Lombards weakened the Heruls perceptibly, but his reference to the interference of
God showed us his motive to exaggerate the victory of the Lombards. We do not know the relative difference
between the two splitting groups after the battle in 508-09, but since many of royal blood went north and the
Illyrian group (“some of the Heruls”) had to send for a king there, it was a substantial group. Later the
Romans under Anastasius held a massacre on the Illyrian Heruls, but still they were at least 3.000 + 1.500 =
4.500 warriors in 548AD. They were even more warriors than that as the imperial group consisting of 1.500
members in 548 AD were 3.000 mercenaries in 553AD – being an important unit in the army of Narses. The
group was still very interesting to Justinian and Procopius56, so it is obvious that the group of Heruls
crossing the Ister in 512AD were very powerful – and that must count for the group around the royal family
too. The figures of Procopius should in this case be reliable due to his professional role, as this was the
actual number of soldiers in their own army.

It is impossible to guess their number of warriors in Sweden which could be all between 500 and 5.000
warriors. The question is also how much it will tell us as military strength is not just a question of numbers,
but also of equipment, training, attitude, organisation and leadership - demonstrated by the relatively low

56 Justinian persuated the Heruls to be Christians, he used them early against the Nika-revolt, later they were an
important element of his army, and he interferred in their election of a king. Procopius seem to be very interested in
the Heruls in spite of his disgust and he often emphasized them in the army together with the Lombardian
mercenaries. Even the letter from Theodoric and Cassiodorus to the king of the Heruls may have been sent to the
Heruls at Danube.

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 The Heruls

numbers of soldiers used by the Romans at Limes (30.000) and by Theodoric (20.000).

It has to be considered, that the Heruls were trained by Romans and Huns, and that they had actual
experiences from the Danube-region subduing the other migration people 10-20 years before. Furthermore
they had observed or joined Theodoric and Odoaker. Maybe they were joined by followers - a/o Western
Heruls, people they met on their way, suppressed people in Scandinavia or refugees from the Alemanni from
498, the Visigothic defeat in Gaul in 507 or the later Byzantine expulsion of Barbarians. In Northern Europe
in the 5th century young Scandinavian leaders full of initiative heading south against the warmer climate or
heading to England in order to get their part of the remains of the Roman Empire might have caused a
vacuum in leadership or a lack of young warriors. As mentioned the Heruls must have known the situation in
Scandinavia. Did the Heruls get a strategic advantage moving opposite the usual migrations using the
Theodoric-model stepwise in the vacuum?

This way of thinking was in 1934 put into a gloomy perspective by the German expert in the Goths, Ludwig
Schmidt, who without knowing the destiny of the Heruls – and his own people – presented this evaluation of
the Heruls in “Die Ostgermanen”: “Die Heruler waren ein echtes Herrenvolk”!

The evaluation is absurd, but if they regarded themselves in that way, the need of rehabilitation of the royal
family after the defeat in Moravia might together with need of distance to the new Christian nations (see
below) explain the power which urged them all the way to Scandinavia ending as neighbours to the Gautoi.
It is a strong indicium that a neighbour region to the Gautoi – Uppsala – for the first time in the history got a
superior position among all the small kingdoms of Scandinavia at the very time the Heruls arrived, who left
such a position in Moravia57.

500 years later this process was recognised again, when the Viking Ages were put to an end by the Norman
dukes from Normandy establishing in England as a new ruling class. Later the Normans became English as
the population they ruled – but for generations these new English earls were still called Normans like the
Heruls may have been called Earls.

1.3.2 Conclusion
The archaeological Scandinavian connections mentioned above are here only used as indications
explaining why the Heruls, who did not want asylum at the East Roman or Gothic Christians, went
north with their pagan royal family. The explanation is supporting the contemporary, independent
second hand reports by Jordanes and Procopius regarding the presence of the Heruls in
Scandinavia in the 6th century. This will lead us to the simple conclusion:

There is no reason to doubt that a group of high-ranking Heruls with their followers settled
somewhere at the Scandinavian Peninsula around 510 AD. The open question is: Where and how
many?

As a historian the leading expert in the Heruls, professor Andreas Schwarcz from the University of
Vienna, has confirmed this final conclusion regarding Scandinavia. He has suggested that they
were integrated in one or more Scandinavian people, but has left that for the archaeologists or
speculation in Norse literature.

How could the leading dynasty of this strong and feared people of warriors disappear in
Scandinavia without a trace in archaeology or legends? That is one of the many neclegted
questions our conclusion should lead to.
57 Procopius told about the many kingdoms in Thule. In “To rede and to rown” Svante Norr describes a later
hierarchical structure of kingship in Scandinavia. Maybe it was caused by the Herulian “occupation” of kingdom
and religion.

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The Heruls

45
 The Heruls

2 The settlement in Scandinavia

2.1 Five questions by Åke Hyenstrand
Scandinavian historians and archaeologists have - with a few exceptions - ignored "the return" of
the Heruls only being interested in their "Scandinavian origin". That in spite of the fact that only
their arrival in the 6th century is confirmed by history. Instead the substantial development in
Scandinavian culture in the end of the Migration Ages (especially in Sweden) has been regarded as
an internal ekspansion - in spite of its obviously international character. In modern times first of all
Birgit Arrhenius has pointed out the clear Eastgermanic influences on the first stages of the Vendel
Culture, which probably made Åke Hyenstrand ask his five questions about the Heruls in 1996
(both professors in archaeology at the University of Stockholm):

Which connections exist

- Between Heruls and Svear?
- Between Heruls and the god Eric?
- Between Heruls and the powerful elite later called Earls?
- Between Heruls and boat graves?
- Between Heruls and Runes?

Of course the questions about the Scandinavian hypotheses being indicated here may not be fully
answered. We cannot, however, avoid them in this time of change if we want to describe the
development in Scandinavia leading to the famous Vendel Era. Hyenstrand himself found that idea
obvious, but no official answers have ever been published. Below the intention is to answer the
questions as well as possible - but in another order. Afterwards the question about the settlement of
the Heruls will be answered in the form of the most likely scenario.

2.1.1 Heruls and Runes?

2.1.1.1 The first runes

The first inscription in runes, "HarjaR", was from around 160 AD. It was at a comb, probably from
Northern Germany, but it was found in a war booty in Viemose at Fyen. Most of the runes in the
Roman Iron Ages until 375 Ad are concentrated around South Western Norway, Fyen and Eastern
Sealand - if we ignore the war booties in Jutland having a foreign origin. Maybe this pattern
indicate a connection with the Western part of the culture connecting Himlingøje at Eastern
Sealand, Avaldsnes in Norway and Badelunda in the Mälar Valley. Opposite there are no early
runic finds in the Herulic areas of that time except a single one in Moldavia. Consequently there is
no reason to refer the origin of the runes to the Heruls.

The runes in Southeastern Europe are spread where the Eastern Heruls earlier operated, but the finds are so
few that the 24 sighn Futhark-alphabet was hardly invented here. In a grave from the end of the second
century AD in Oevra Stabu, Oppland in Norway a spear point of Southeastern European type was found with
the inscription "RaunijaR" (ON Reynir). According to most scholars the runes were invented in Denmark or
Northwestern Germany, which could rather point at the Western Heruls. The first North European letters -
probably being an early version of the runes - from the first century AD (Bernard Mees in Stoklund 2006 )

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 The Heruls

were found in Dithmarschen (Meldorph and Osterroenfeld am Eider), and the first runes from a century later
were found at the war booties in Viemose and Thorsberg not so far north from Dithmarschen.

2.1.1.2 The ErilaR inscriptions

Turned against the south westerly coasts of Denmark, Norway and Sweden 9 runic inscriptions
with "ek erilaR" (I the Eril) are found from around 450-550 AD. With this kind of spread the
inscriptions are probably connected with the Western Heruls, if the word meant Herul. Earlier there
was no doubt that "erilaR" wa identical with "Herul". Later that was opposed by dogmatic linguists
who still accepted that it could have been the background for the title "earl"/"jarl". The rejection of
the connection between Herul and ErilaR is according to the Russian runologist, Makaev, done on
wrong premisses as the transferral of names between different language groups does not follow the
rules of linguistic evaluation. "The missing link" between the Latin/Greek (H)erul and the
Germanic Eril is found in the old kingdom of the Heruls at the Danube in shape of the place names
"Herilungoburg" (832 AD) and "Herilungowelde". Runologists have interpreted ErilaR as "rune
master", but the title "earl" is more likely taking the military role and qualifications of the Heruls
into consideration.

The name “ErilaR” in several runic inscriptions was earlier with certainty interpreted as “Herul”, but to day
the connection is rejected by some linguists because of the missing "H" and the transition from "u" to "i"
when translating the name from Latin to Germanic. Nevertheless a work like RGA still confirms the
connection.58.

Many linguists suspect the runic "Erilar" to derive from a Protogermanic "*erlaz" (with an epenthetic vowel
developed to Erilar) and developing to the later ON "jarl" as a parallel to the ON "eorl" and the OS(Saxon)
"erl", but it has to be stressed, that *erlaz is a reconstructed word based on a general theory about an
undisturbed historical development of the languages inside a people without any historical attestation of the
word itself. This theory is based on a general break of "*erl-" before 700AD - being contradicted by the Irish
"Erell" from 847 (maybe deriving from Scandinavian Vikings).

58 In 1977 a spear with the runic inscription “Erilar” was among the offerings of weapons in Kragehul at Fyen. The
spear should therefore be expected to belong to a member of a smaller group defeated by the local tribe. The newest
datings point at 400-600 – primarily the first part due to the ornaments (Jørgen Ilkjær). Items from many centuries
are mixed up in Kragehul and Arkæologisk Leksikon describes these spears as the later Style II. The text is “EK
ERILAR ASUGISLAS EM UHA HEITE” followed by an incantation or “I ErilaR / Asu-gils am / Uha called”. Eril
has by some scholars been interpreted as Herul, while Asu-gils has been regarded as a name consisting of As/Ansu
(god/ancestral god) and gils/gidsel (“hostage” or more likely “arrow/beam”). In Dischingen a silver fibula was found
with two runes "Horse" and "A(n)sus" (meaning Horse-Aesir according to Krause) and one in Nordendorf with
"Wodan, Donar, Loke". Both are found in Alemannic territory north of the Danube, but they are dated in the middle
of the 6th century.

The same metrical foot is found on a bracteat from Sealand with a horseman dated 450-550 and on an amulet from
Lindholm in Scania dated 6th century – the latter having the inscription “EK ERILAR”. These finds are very
interesting in connection with the Hypothesis of the Heruls, but unfortunately the uncertainty about the
interpretation and dating of the Kragehul find and the others is so considerable, that all possibilities are open.

From 4 runic inscriptions in Sweden and 5 in Norway (some of the Norwegian stones dated to the 5th century and
the rest from the 6th century) we also know the inscription Erilar in Scandinavia - one at Gotland spelled ErlaR.
Most of them are “signatures” without a specific content. Normally the name of a people should only be expected as
a signature, when the signing person was not among his own people. In Norway we also have the inscription
AirlingR probably meaning Erling.

The early inscriptions might theoretically be connected with the early ring buttons in note 3.11.3 as the result of a
Herulian vanguard or Western Heruls visiting Scandinavia.

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Basically this development is a false scenario. The Russian scholar E.A. Makaev has claimed that problems
with a development from Roman Herul to Erilar has no value as arguments. “Erouloi” and “Eruli” must have
been formed in early translations from Germanic to Greek/Latin - not the opposite way. In this process also a
transition from "i" to "u" could take place. Here among the Romans the name was frozen by their written
language and used as the name of their Roman mercenaries as the Eastern Heruls had no seperate contact
with the Romans the next 200 years. We shall remember that our present version of “(H)erul” is a much later
translation from Latin to the modern languages when the Heruls had disappeared – it is not a surviving
Germanic version and it does not necessarily represent the Germanic pronounciation from the 6th century.

Earlier historians claimed that the name was derived from the Gotic "hairus" (sword) where "ai" would be
pronounced "ae", but this did not explain the "l". One of the readers of this website, Richard Paulsson, has
suggested, that "hairus" was used together with the diminutive suffix "-ila" as the Heruls were described as
swift and lightly armed - which might indicate small swords opposite the heavy Gothic weapons. If we
follow this suggestion, this will lead us to a name being pronounced "Haruila" or "Haerula" following the
development from Gothic "magus" to "magula". As the Heruls had no written language it is obvious that a
Greek or Roman listening to the Goths and Heruls around 268 AD in pluralis could write the name as
"Heruli" or "Eruli". This would be frozen by the Romans in written language - used as the name of the
mercenaries, who were primarily Western Heruls in the 4th and 5th centuries.

The Eastern Heruls, who followed the Huns, did not use written language and in their Eastgermanic world
the name would still be "Haeruila", which might become the personal name "Herila" used by a comes in
Rome in 462 AD. Among the Alamanni the name "Herilo" was known. The name is also found in the
Austrian territory of the Eastern Heruls at the Danube in the end of the 5th century, Herilungoburg and
Herilungevelde. This name was first attested in 832 AD and here the suffix "-inge"/"-unge" representing
descendants was added59 by people who did not necessarily know that the suffix "-ila" was already a part of
the name. This is probably the same as the personal name found in Widsith, Herelingas, which by many
scholars is connected with the Harlungen Twins. The Harlungen-name (in much later Germanic myths)
belonged to two brothers being hanged by Ermaneric - and regarded to be Heruls by Wolfram. These names
are all mentioned in an article in RGA about the Herelingas.

From the 11th century should be noticed the Frisian name Herloga for Harlinger Land (Adam of Bremen -
claims of Herlingo/Herulingo as the earlier name of this peninsula is not sufficiently documented). In
England, to where some of the Western Heruls possibly migrated, the Harle-name is widespread and the king
in the "wild hunt" is known as King Herla.

These names attested in the Herulian environment indicate that the name could have been developed directly
from a Gothic "Haeruila" to a Germanic "Herila". The problem is if the "H" could disappear in a transition
from "Herila" to the name "ErilaR" spelled in Nordic runes (R is the grammatical ending of a name).
Opposite the silent Roman "H" the loss of an "H" is unusual in Germanic, but as the runes were used in
Scandinavia before the Heruls arrived "ErilaR" was probably written by a few Scandinavians listening to
Eastgermanic Heruls. At least the change of name was not a current change of language, but a more
unpredictable translation. However we also have to consider if the Heruls presenting their name in
Scandinavia would use an international pronounciation. As many of them had been Roman mercenaries their
nationality may have been influenced by the silent Roman "H". As the Heruls disappeared as a name in the
6th century most later scholarly spelling may be due to the traditional Latin spelling after 365 AD when "H"
was used in the name.

Due to their migrations and the translations we cannot use the common linguistic rules to prove that the
ErilaR was a Herul, but the linguistic rules do not contradict a connection in this situation.

59 Pöchlarn at the Danube in Nibelungengau west of Vienna was called Herilungoburg in a charter of Ludvig the
German from 832 (including Pöchlarn, Harlanden and some other towns). Herilungoburg was probably the old
Roman camp, Arilapa, which is hidden under Pöchlarn, being earlier an island at an important crossing of the
Danube. It may have been used by the Heruls as a western outpost when they subdued the Longobards. In 853 also a
Herilungevelde was mentioned.

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 The Heruls

In the next centuries when the Heruls disappeared as a seperate people the name may have changed to a title
of their leading officers spread out over Scandinavia. Linguists have shown that "ErilaR" could change
slowly to ON "Iarl", OIrish "Erell" (847), OSax "Erl" - the last form being changed in OE to "Eorl" and
modern "Earl". This part of the development is generally accepted.

Wolfram has as earlier mentioned suggested (Götiska Minnen 1992) that the name was derived from the
Protogermanic "*harjaZ" (army) - being maybe even in this way connected with the earlier Roman versions
of Hirri/Harii. However Harii (in pluralis) could also be Tacitus' way to misunderstand "hairus" (in
singularis) - if this was what Tacitus wrote (Harii is maybe a later misunderstanding by a writer), and the
name in Himlingoeje, "Hariso", could be derived from this word too. If that is correct the Gothic name
"Erioulphos" (Blekinge: Hariwulf/Hærulf), mentioned by Eunapius (Fragmenta of Eunapius, Dindorf,
Historici Graeci Minores, vol. 1, p. 253), could make a bridge to both Greek/Latin "Erul" and Runic
"ErilaR".

The early development might linguistically be influenced by an ethnogenesis at the Black Sea (Chapter 2) as
a few of the Herulian names did not follow the Germanic patterns, but contained Iranian/Sarmatic elements
instead (i.e. the Herulian officer Naulobates, which was also the name of a Bosporanian king).

The 8 (9) known “Erilar”-inscriptions indicate that the ErilaR was the writer or at least the person ordering
the inscription to be written. Mindy McLeod has in "Runes and their secrets" (Stoklund 2006) suggested that
if "ErilaR" was a title, the inscriptions would make sense - i.e. leading to a possible translation of the
Kragehul spearshaft: "I am called the follower of Earl Ansugislas". The Jarls were according to Rigstula the
persons in the top of the society knowing the secrets of the runes, which confirms a connection between
“Earl” and “ErilaR”. If the connection between the words ErilaR and Erul is confirmed, there is accordingly
a connection between the Heruls and the class of earls in the society too. It has to be noticed, that the
“ErilaR”-inscriptions probably originate from a short transition period (450-550AD) and that some of the
Norwegean inscriptions and maybe the inscription from Kragehul are dated before the arrival of the Heruls
of Procopius. If this Norwegean dating is correct the connection between Heruls and earls must be developed
by early Heruls in Sösdala or rather by the Western Heruls, who were originally spelled without “H” by the
Romans.

The "ErilaR"-inscriptions are spread out over the Southern and Western parts of Scandinavia - exactly
opposite the regions where the Heruls were expected to settle according to the hypotheses of this article. This
paradox can be explained in a logical way by the fact that nobody will or can use their nationality as an
identification among their kinsmen - these inscriptions were used by Heruls being "abroad". Some of the
Heruls are supposed to have worked as mercenaries, officers and advisors in the small Scandinavian
kingdoms (Lukman). Probably they left their "signatures" in this way. Consequently the spread of the
inscription will be natural to both the Eastern and the Heruls.

It has to be stressed, that the connection "herul" - "erilar" - "earl" is still a topic being discussed among the
scholars - and that I have no expertice in that matter.

2.1.1.3 The Märings and the Rök Stone

From the 5th century two runic inscriptions are known from the Danubian region where the
Eastern Heruls were operating. Totally 6 runic inscriptions have been connected with the
Ostrogoths due to the syllable "s" and words used by Wulfila, but as the Heruls probabaly spoke
the same language and the Goths had developed another alphfabet at that time it is more likely that
the runes are Scandinavian or Herulic. The Pietrossa Ring is mentioning the name Goths, but may
have been a gift or written by a Herul or Scandinavian. The other find - a buckle in Pannonia
opposite the mouth of River March - has the inscription "Marings". According to the simple logics
of naming the Maerings should be the people from Mar, which was the name of river March

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 The Heruls

according to Tacitus. This region was the kingdom of the Heruls under the Germanic name
Maehren, which like the "Eloi" of Jordanes meant marsh areas, corresponding in this way even
with the later Slavic names Morava/Moravia. The scholars have combined Marings with the Old
English poem "Deor" which tells: "Theodoric held in 30 years Maeringa Burg". Maeringa Burg
must be the stronghold in Ravenna, where the Heruls and Odoaker were besieged in two years by
Theodoric. Accordingly there is no reason to believe that the name meant "Goths" as many
scholars have done without being able to explain the origin of "Mar" in that case.

The scholars could have used this as a key to the interpretation of the Rök Stone in Öestergötland,
which according to the official reading by Riksantikvarämbetet is mentioning Theodoric as "chief
of seawarriors" (which is unknown as a Gothic label) and "first of Märings". The riddle before this
inserted stanza, however, can be answered with the king of the Heruls, Hrodolphus, who 9
generations earlier was appointed "weapon son" under the protection of Theodoric. In that way the
two expressions will suddenly make sense as the Heruls had been either Märings or pirates. In that
way also the next inserted stanza between the numbered riddles will give us 8 names being
together with the father, Varin, the 9 generations, who must be the 9 missing riddles indicated by
the numbers at the stone. The first father in this matrix of 8 names is Radulf - Procopios'
Hrodolphos - and thereby the circle is closed. The name combinations correspond in all directions.
In the first numbered riddles at the stone Varin simply traced his family back to the weapon son of
the Germanic hero, Theodoric, and his family going to Scandinavia. In this way it became a very
traditional element at the memorial for a dead son - and set up according to the culture which a few
decades earlier had merged at the court of Charlemagne. It has to be mentioned that the
interpretation of the Rök Stone is still eagerly discussed among the runologists.

It is all very simple in this way. The pieces of the puzzle have been wrongly combined - with the
result that the scholars nowhere were able to explain names and connections. When the
Eastern Heruls arrived to River Mar(us) they must have got the byname Marings/Maerings to
distinguish them in the West from their kinsmen - the Western Heruls, who in Scandinavia were
known as ErilaR. In Scandinavia names and legends indicate that the Eastern Heruls were also
confused with Huns they had followed.

It is likely that the remarkable Rök Stone (Rökstenen) in Oestergötland was raised by descendents of the
royal family of the Heruls around 800 AD. The scholars have worked with the stone for 140 years and nearly
all runes and words can now be read - but there is no generally accepted interpretation. The text consisting of
750 runes is very complicated with a lot of information which should be expected to have a meaning since a
man used all this effort to write it. A very simple structure in the text, however, is indicated by "sakum" ("I
say/tell") followed by who/where/which. Probably the text of the stone consists of riddles and answers as
many other texts of the Viking Ages - where the answers here are hidden in the next riddle. The text and the
riddles are described in a separate article to which the reader is referred (Rök Stone).

Here it shall only be mentioned that one of the conclusions is that Varin probably regarded his ancestors to
derive from the Herulian king Hrodolphus, being weaponson of the Germanic hero, Theodoric the Great. He
also told that his dead son belonged the family of the "jgOldiga" with divine roots. This family were
according to the text ruling the Marika/Marings, which may as earlier mentioned be a name of the Eastern
Heruls also met as a runic inscription at a Hungarian buckle and in OE Deor.

A runic text of that age will always be uncertain and of course such an interpretation will be critisized - at
least by scholars figthing for their own interpretations or just wanting to keep their old mysteries alive.

The runic "jgOld(i)ga" is normally translated as Ingoldings or Ingwaldings, as the root for these names is
"IngvaldR". IngvaldR is also the root for Yngve being the ancestor to the Ynglinga-family (Yngve-Frey).

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 The Heruls

Of course we do not know if the name refers to the Ynglings of Uppsala and we do not know if there was a
dynasty of Ynglings there. This source alone is too uncertain to show that the Heruls ended up as kings in
Uppsala - but the presence of the name as the connecting link between the Norse gods and a family claiming
to derive from the Herulian king Hrodolphus is very interesting.

Under all circumstances a connection between the Heruls and the family of Varin in Eastern Götaland in the
9th century will not rule out the possibility that the Heruls settled in Uppsala in the 6th century. According to
the sagas the royal family in Uppsala spread out later, and this is supported by the contemporary Sparlösa
Stone in Western Götaland referring to a father sitting in Uppsala and royal names similar with the names in
Ynglingasaga.

2.1.1.4 Rune stones in Blekinge

In Blekinge the three rune stones at Lister and the Björketorp-stone have traditionally been
combined with the Heruls. They are from the transition period between the 24- and 16-sign
futharks, and they are consequently dated to the time 500-700 AD. The connection with the Heruls
has primarily been based on the repeated combinations of the names Hariwulf - Hathuwulf -
Heruwulf. In that way we do not have the same certainty as on the Rök Stone, but the odd sentence
"put staves 3 fff" at the Gummarp Stone will explain an unexplained sign at the Rök Stone, which
all the runologists agree should be a "th". The sign is combined by fff and a reverse fff, which can
mean "th" (3,3 in ciffercode). "fff" must be a religious incantation like the word "futhark" where
the "f" is the first sign - and is in that way it will be a common cultic feature between the stones in
Blekinge and Rök.

It is often claimed (since von Friesen and Ivar Lindqvist) that the rune stones around
Listerland in Blekinge (Istaby, Stentoften and Gummarp) with the names "Hariwulf",
"Haþuwulf" and "Hæruwulf" were Herulic. That can not be proved, but the names of
the family members are constructed in the same way as the names at the Rök Stone,
"Raþulf", "Hraiþulf" and "Rukulf". Furthermore the Gummarp-inscription contains 3
"f"s as a possible parallel to the 6 "f"s in line 21 at the Rök Stone. As earlier
mentioned "Hariwulf" was probably the Gothic name in Greek, "Erioulphos".

2.1.1.5 Other runes after 509 AD

After the Heruls arrived to Scandinavia the spread of the runes changed. They were now spread in
Scandinavia, England, Frisia and north of the upper Danube - correlating the areas where the
Eastern and Western Herulian dynasties established after the defeats in Southern Europe.

From 500 AD to 800 AD the old runic inscriptions with 24 characters were slowly substituted by the 16 sign
Futhark - a change which is contemporary with a change in the Scandinavian languages, as some linguists
called the 6th century the most stormy century of Nordic language. It should be noticed that the only high
concentration of runes outside Scandinavia increased as late as in the 6th and 7th century around the Upper
Danube among the Alemanni and Bavarians – probably when these pagan people broke their ties with their
Frankish sovereigns in 638 AD and struggled for independence. During the 8th century they were reduced to
provinces of Francia again and were baptised60. This was the time when also Style II was found in

60 Early finds of runes are known from Jutland, but their place of origin is unknown, though many scholars point at
Southern Scandinavia, where most of the early runes are found. The other high concentration is found in Alemannic
and Bavarian territory at the Upper Danube (Primarily in the Swabian Alps), but this isolated group was from 550-
800 AD. The 16-sign Futhark of the Vikings was first seen in Scandinavia around 500, and in the next 200 years it
totally succeeded the old 24 sign Futhark. The Pietrossa-ring and the runes of Eastern Europe - including the few

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 The Heruls

Allemania, Lombardia and England and members of the Herulian families ruled in Bavaria and and
Lombardia. We may wonder why the more efficient written languages from the South and from England did
not reach Scandinavia for 500 years, but the explanation may be found in Rigsthula, where the runes were
described as magic runes controlled by the earls - maybe confirmed by the Sparlösa-stone and the many
incantations on weapons. Nevertheless the background for the runes was probably very prosaic as messages
carved in wood (Venantius Fortinatus in the 6th century), but we cannot exclude that the pagan Nordic earls
did not want to give up the exclusive power provided by a written language - especially as general reading
supported the Christian belief.

Under all circumstances a common language, "Danish Tongue", was said to be used in the Viking Ages and
the simplification of the runes from 24 to 16 characters may support that.

2.1.1.6 The personal names

Other names should be noticed too. Ochus is probably a latinized Hoch (Beowulf/Widsith) or Hauk/Hake,
and Aordus is a latinized Hord - being maybe derived from the Harudes in Jutland and Norway. This name is
probably also found in Procopius’ Herulic names Aruth and Aruphus – being under all circumstances the
same name as the runic Haruth at the Rök Stone.

The royal Herulian names Hrodolphus, Alaric and Haruth and the Gothic Theodoric and Eric are all found at
the two runestones in Rök and Sparlösa from around 800 AD. These runestones are found in the Götalands,
but as Sparlösa refers to their father sitting in Uppsala this does not point at the Götalands as the place of the
final Herulian settlement 300 years earlier. Also the Gothic Erioulphos as Hariwulf in Blekinge and the
Herulian Herila as Erilar are as mentioned pointing that way, while the earlier Hariso in Himlingoeje and
Constanza can only be a relevant connection if it was caused by the Western Heruls. We shall however be
aware that Germanic names were often based on the same roots.

2.1.1.7 The answer

Based on the arguments above we must conclude that there is no reason to believe that the Heruls
invented the runes, but the pattern of spread indicates that they were some of the later users, who
spread the runes.

2.1.2 Heruls and Earls?

2.1.2.1 Niels Lukman and Barði Guðmundsson

The Danish scholar, Niels Lukman, elaborated in 1943 in his doctoral thesis on the theory that the
Heruls became earls in the Danish kingdoms. He suggested that their families brought the many
legends from Central and South Eastern Europe to Scandinavia. He wrote in German during the

runes at the Black Sea - are found concentrated near the early Gothic centers. In Germany there is a concentration of
runes in the Upper Danubian area, but they are later than the Migration Period. A tribe travelling as a part of the
Goths might be the best explanation. Even as the runes are found near the route of the Heruls, there is no clear
connection, but the new 16-sign form might have been developed by the Heruls. The history of the runes is too
uncertain to be used here, but more about runes can be read at Arilds runes and the links found there.

The language connected to the runes in Scandinavia demonstrate a development similar to the runes. The 6th
century is by Scandinavian linguists called "the stormy century in the history of the Scandinavian languages"
introducing the syncope, the vowel mutations and the break. However this also happened in other Germanic
languages - somewhere a little earlier (Vemund Skard).

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German occupation of Denmark giving his theories no future in Denmark in the following decades.
In 1959, however, he was supported by the national Icelandic antiquarian, Barði Guðmundsson,
who connected a transfer of Herulic legends to the Icelandic sagas with East Scandinavian settlers
at Western Iceland. Since then no scholars have used these theories as the folklorists are of the
opinion that legends cannot be remembered for so many years. As we er talking about distorted
fragments this argument will only work as a rejection of the sagas as historical sources, but that
problem shall not be the topic here.
Some of the theories of Niels Lukman are discussed in chapter 3.1.3. It should be mentioned that
also Elias Wessén supported the idea that the Heruls brought with them the Estgermanic legends in
Norse literature.

2.1.2.2 A likely explanation

Without using the legends as an argument it must be a fact that the West Herulian officers and
mercenaries lost an important source of income when the West Roman emperor left England and
his empire later collapsed. They had to find work elsewhere. In the 450'ies AD they performed the
viking raids against Spain, but such ships could just as likely bring them north. At that time the
new Scandinavian kingdoms emerged with an obvious market for the experienced Herulic officers
as military advisors and army commandors. Those, who did not join the Anglosaxons to England in
the same role, woukd hardly leave out that possibility. Probably the "Ek erilaR" inscriptions shall
be regarded as their "carte de visite". Their role leads to the titles "jarl" in Scandinavia and "eorl"
in England - and in this way the wellknown cultural connection between these areas may have been
established. After the defeat of Odoaker also Eastern Herulian mercenaries may have followed the
trade route against north playing the same role as their kinsmen. An example of such a role model
in the legends could be the Starkad figure - Sterkedius was even the name of an Eastgermanic
officer in Rome. In the Vendel Era in Uppland a more formalized structure of earls was apparently
established - symbolized by the ring swords (an earlier Frankish tradition) and the golden rings, as
shown above at the helmet plate (matrice) from Thorslunda.

2.1.2.3 The answer

It is very likely that the title jarl/earl has a background in Herulian mercenary officers - even
without using the linguistic background as an argument - but it is not possible to prove that.

2.1.3 Heruls and Svear?

2.1.3.1 The general development in Scandinavia 400-600 AD

In the first half of the 5th century the golden bracteates appeared. Some of the C-bracteates were
apparently connected with the cult of Odin. Soon after the sacrifices disappeared from the bogs and
the burial customs were changed to flat burials and especially cremations directly in the field.
Together these changes could indicate a change in religion, where the Germanic Wothen during the
next two centuries spread from south west and became the Norse god Odin.

In the 6th century new greater kingdoms emerged - ao. the Danes were now mentioned for the first
time by Southern historians in 3 cases. The military equipment became more uniform and was
more rapidly and contemporarily changed. The burial mounds had in a few cases been used in

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 The Heruls

Norway and Högom, but now the big royal mounds were raised in Sweden - with the mounds in
Uppsala as the greatest. Also Lejre was established in the 6th century as a small copy of Uppsala
making now among the known settlements Uppaakre, Lejre and maybe Gudme the most important
centres of the Danes. Also the first boat graves appeared in the second part of the 6th century -
especially in Uppland, where they are supposed to represent a new structure of vassals or earls.
They are a symbol of the Vendel Culture, where Uppland emerged as the power center of
Scandinavia.

In this period of change Europe was also hit by a climatic catastrophe with "the three dark years"
536-538 followed by "the disease of Justinian". In that period especially the Scandinavian famine
must have weakened the old dynasties connected with the failing fertility gods - being an
advantage to the new Odinistic warrior dynasties as the Heruls.

Archaeology indicates a connection between the Vendel Culture, the Anglian part of England,
Southern Germany and Lombardia - such as identical pictural motives at the helmets, Animal Style
II and runes (no runes in Lombardia). That spread is identical with the last places where we heard
about Herulic dynasties outside Scandinavia. The spread could indicate dynastical connections
between these places. Opposite the military equipment was nearly the same in all the Germanic
societies.

The movements and the split-up of the army of the Hunnic Attila and the Germanic migrations to England
were followed by significant changes and formations of new people. This has without doubt caused a more
diffuse archaeological pattern in Europe in the years after 450 AD. Moreover the Germanic people along the
Roman borders and the mercenaries working closely together in the Roman armies got a more homogeneous
character, making it even more difficult to identify the individual people – especially when analyzing royal
graves as they were also influenced by political marriages. Language, economy, the earlier Iron Curtain and
different educational and scholarly traditions may have caused many Scandinavian links to point at the well
documented western reference group, the Merovings. The finds in the mound of Childeric in the Belgian
Tournai from 482 AD are regarded as a model for the royal equipment n the following generations, but the
new empire of the Merovings should rather be regarded to be established with the baptism of Clodeweg in
496 AD. Childeric should be regarded as one of the Germanic mercenarie-kings – the Roman foederati. The
Christian Frankish society became during the 6th century a cultural center, but before the Herulian settlement
in Sweden the Heruls had the same characteristics as the other Germanic people following the Huns. As
example the finds made in the Czeckish Blucina tomb in the former Herulian territory are both similar with
and contemporary with the tomb of Childeric.

The Western Heruls were close to the Bataves in England in the 4th century, but the Bataves joined the Franks
later in the 5th century. We do not know for sure what happened to the Western Heruls but it is obvious that a
new blocks were formed with the Christian Franks and the people they subdued along the Rhine at one side
and at the other side the pagan people ending up in the bigger groups of Frisians, Saxons and Danes. The
way the Thuringians, Alemanni and Burgundians were treated must have influenced the northern people.
They we no friends, but it is obvious that the pagans had to follow and copy their strong enemy in their
development of weapons and military organisation.

The Eastern Heruls could not be separatated by archaeological characteristics at the known livingplaces in
the 5th century, but Eastgermanic people did of course have certain other characteristics than the
Scandinavians. It is, however, important to realize that the migration of the Heruls of Procopius should not
be expected to cause a significant Eastgermanic impact on Scandinavian archaeology. They were a military
force – not a cultural trend setter.

In Denmark the significant votive gifts ceased in the moors, and both in Denmark and Sweden numerous
golden treasures from the previous period were deposited in the dry soil - including destructed cultic objects.

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 The Heruls

This may be the background for the invention of some legends of dragons defending golden treasures61.
Nearly all the gold disappeared except gilded silver and the thin gold foil figures (guldgubber) normally
found close to the the market places. In 1996 Åke Hyenstrand summarized these general changes in
Sweden.62 The richness of a society, however, will not necessarily be revealed by the finds in the ground as a
Scandinavian society would never waste the imported metals except due to accidents, hiding for enemies,
religious reasons or a special need for a manifestation of power.

The Danish archaeologist Morten Axboe has recently suggested that some of the Danish hoards were
offerings to the gods due to a bad harvest in 536-538, which is the latest date of these hoards (especially the
expensive fibulas with bracteates like Kitnæs)[Axboe 2007]. The purpose could also be hiding due to
plunderings following the bad harvest, which is supposed to be caused by dust in the air from a volcanic
eruption in the Far East, but the combination of fibulas and bracteates is in that case too uniform. Under all
circumstances some of the general changes shall be regarded in connection with the famine caused by this
event, which would support a war-like people like the Heruls. If the latest dating of the mounds in Uppland
[Ljungkvist 2005] is correct this may even explain such a Herulic take-over in Uppsala. The dark years were
followed by a plague raging Europe just before 550 AD, but many archaeologists doubt it had any impact in
Scandinavia as no signs of the black rats spreading the disease are found in the escavations.

2.1.3.1.1 Bracteates
Most of the bracteates are Scandinavian. They were inspired by Roman coins, but in the middle of the 5th
century they appeared in Southwestern Scandinavia with abstract pictures - probably connected with the new
Wothan Cult. Standard types of ornamentation cover most of the bracteates being called A- to F-bracteates.
According to statistics presented by Mats Malmer [Malmer 1963] especially one type called CIIa1 can be
found in South Eastern Europe (12 out of the 23 items in Eastern Europe), but this type is also widespread all
over Scandinavia (77 items in 1963) with a rather high concentration in Southern Norway. As the bracteates
are of Scandinavian origin and not a usual trading object the flow must have followed Huns or Eastgermanic
horsemen from Scandinavia back to Southeastern Europe. Because of the spread we cannot tell from where
in Scandinavia these bracteates and their carriers arrived. If we regard the similar CIIa2 bracteat a 3-band
strapwork used at some of these bracteates and at spearshafts in Kragehul and Nydam was also found in the
Czekish Zhuran-mound (Chapter 5.4) indicating maybe a Scandinavian connection. These bracteates were
found in Eastern Scania, Bornholm and Oeland around the Hanoe Bay.

The motive at the C-bracteates is by some scholars [latest Jensen 2004] regarded to be a picture of a
shamanistic Odin leaving his body (contradicted by a human foot at some bracteates) while other scholars
interpret it as the story about Odin and the horse of Balder (The Merseburg charm)[Axboe 2007]. The A

61 This supernatural protection is described in e.g. Beowulf.

62 At page 119 in "Lejonet, draken and korset" Hyenstrand wrote that in the Migration Ages - primarily in the 6th
century - several important changes took place, which should be regarded in connection with the changes in Europe
(he quoted especially Jordanes and Procopius regarding the Heruls):
Changes in the settlements (especially in the Mälar Valley and on Gotland)
Defended workshop areas (especially in the Mälar Valley and Oestergötland).
Culmination of Helgö.
Chamber burials.
Burial mounds (a.e. Uppsala and Högom.)
Changes in burial customs.
Boat graves.
Symbols regarding horsemen.
Offerings of gold (especially Västergötland).
Golden bracteates.
Iron production.
War booties (Swedish a.e. Finnestorp and Vennebo).
Animal style I & II.
Runestones.
Burials with horses.

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 The Heruls

bracteat shows a head like an emperor and B shows the head at the C-bracteates. Also the D-bracteat could
be a symbolic picture of Odin at a shamanistic stage (animals and a few human parts (the ear)) - just like it
was described by Snorri in Ynglingasaga. The two most obvious motives show Tyr and Balder being
disabled and killed - their exit as ruling gods. It is remarcable that these myths could be told 700 years later
without a written language, but we should also notice, that these are the only known myths about these gods
loosing their importance due to these stories. No of the gods being important at the late stage are recognised
at bracteates and guldgubber - except maybe Odin and Balders horse. Their stories may have been currently
changed. These bracteates may be the first indication of a change of the religion - probably the presentation
of the Westgermanic Woden as a Norse Odin.

Later when the stream of gold ceased the bracteates were substituted by the small gold foil figures
(guldgubber) also wearing stamped religious motives, which have not been interpreted.

2.1.3.2 Blekinge/Värend – The place of arrival?

As mentioned the Heruls arrived to Scandinavia from the Varni. Probably they were sailed directly
to the Scandinavian Peninsula by their earlier allied, and it is most likely that they landed in Scania
or Blekinge without any fight against the Danes. The text could imply that they simply passed the
Danes in Scania by boat. When reading the combination Jordanes/Procopios the explantion will be
that they first settled in Blekinge/Värend between Danes and Götes - which already von Friesen
pointed out based on archaeology. Beside the many Eastgermanic finds in the area the
archaeologists first of all paid attention to the runestones in Blekinge and the first Scandinavian
boat grave in the Migration Ages, which is situated near the runestones. More important is
probably the globe stone on Inglingehoeg at Thorsjö, as the ornamentation is similar with
Eastgermanic fibulas - and the Sösdala-mount from Vennebo shown above. Maybe the symbolism
even point at the big monolith at the Mausoleum of Theodoric. A similar stone is found in a mound
beside to the chieftain in Högom. The way to cut the hard stone was hardly done by Scandinavians
as no similar work is known at that time in Scandinavia (the Gotlandic stones are of another kind).
Close to Inglingehoeg the legendary Blotberg (blot=sacrifice) is found with 12 mounds from the
Iron Ages at the small location "Odensjö".

It is possible that the Heruls had a temporary settlement in Blekinge/Värend, but as they were no
farmers they had no chance to live there - except if they began looting and tributing the Götes and
Danes in Scania. This may be the reason why the Sjörup Style was found in Finnestorp and the
Danes formed a stronger alliance expelling the Heruls – and became for the first time known in the
South. Such an event may even be reflected in Beowulf, Widsith, Snorre and Saxo - though the
names were mixed up so long time later.

According to Procopius we shall look for a place further north of the Danes where the development
indicates the arrival of such a strong people in the beginning of the 6th century. It has to be a place
generating values which could be picked up by the Heruls, who according to Procopius had lived
of warfare, looting and payment for protection.

2.1.3.2.1 Expansion
Procopius' way to tell about the peacefull passing of the Danes around 512 indicates that there had been a
fight just as told by Jordanes, but in 546 their prince fell sick in Denmark though they could have passed
Denmark by boat. A development against peace had taken place since the expulsion. The archaeology shows
us a change in Denmark around 530-40, and several buried hoards with fibulas and bracteates indicate a
contemporary threat. Grydehoej in Lejre indicates similar - but not identical - royal burial customs in the

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 The Heruls

middle of the century as Uppsala. There may be a connection with the "dark sun" 536-538, forcing the Danes
to get a more peacefull relationship with the new kingdom in Uppsala63. There is however no doubt that
marrige between the dynasties was used as among the Germanic dynasties in Southern Europe - making the
royal dynasties along the Scandinavian coasts of the Baltic Sea and Kattegat one big family using all
Herulian military advisors and speaking all "Danish tongue" as told in the Viking Ages.

At Oeland the hoards are dated so early that they might be connected to an attack from the horsemen in
Sösdala, Danes or others, while the archaeologists at Bornholm have dated the changes in Gudhjem to the
time of the arrival of the Heruls of Procopius. The kingdom at Bornholm might therefore be connected either
to these Heruls, to Goths from the Vistula-area or to refugees from the Frankish expansion. In the beginning
Bornholm might be an independent kingdom, which later just like Gotland got many characteristics in
common with Vendel.

There are no indications that Gudme or Gotland were attacked, but Gudme lost its dominating position as the
civilisation disappeared in th 7th century. One of the reasons might be, that the rich trade centres made an
alliance with Vendel - maybe paying tribute to exist in peace. Claiming tribute was the living of the Heruls in
Moravia.

2.1.3.2.2 Traces of the arrival of the Heruls

What precisely happened in the 5th century will be assumptions as this is not explained by the historical
sources, but it is obvious that the Heruls from the kingdom in Moravia were under all circumstances fully
aware of the situation in Scandinavia, when their royal family joined by a part of the people in 512 AD or
three years earlier set out for Sweden after their great defeat. If we follow the explanation above the
migration mentioned by Procopius was only the culmination of a long development building up a network -
originally for trade purposes.

Procopius did only describe the route by mentioning the most important people they passed – except for the
final goal Thule. As they passed the Varni (who later became Saxons) and the Danes they probably followed
a more westerly route than the Lower Oder - maybe surprised by many groups of the expanding Slavs in the
East. It is likely that they established contact with some of the people, whom Cassiodorus before 507 AD
tried to gather in an alliance against the Francs – Heruls, Thuringians and Varni. The passage of the Varni
was even mentioned by Procopius. He emphasized the surprisingly peaceful passage of the Danes, which
indicates that they did not thread Danish territory directly when they passed - also indicating that the
hostilities mentioned by Jordanes, but not by Procopius, took place at another time. The later remark of
Procopius appearing independant of the earlier description of geographical route "it was at/beside the Gauts
the arriving Eruli settled at that time" does not tell if they settled beside or among the Götes. However "at
that time" indicates that they later moved away from the Götes and if this is combined with a peacefull
arrival and Jordanes' expulsion by the Danes, the Heruls must have settled a first time between these two
people.

The place for the first settlement was probably somewhere in the area between Ringsjön, Bolmen, Växsjö
and Augerum. Most likely they first settled i open areas of the forests north of the plains of Scania, which
would not upset the Danes64. At the northern side of the forests they had the Götes. The Sjörup finds may

63 Procopius may be understood in the way, that the Heruls first became kings of the Danes after the visit of the Illyrian
Heruls in 546 - if they ever did so - but the peaceful history of the passage and dead of the first candidate indicates
that the Heruls had subdued the Danes at that time. Notice also the remarks about the fibulas of the Kitnæs type in
Chapter 3.3.
64 Local Swedish historians are talking about Herulian finds consisting of inheritance rules, runic inscriptions and
coins in Värend and Listerland (Småland/Blekinge). These theories were earlier presented by Ivar Lindquist and
Otto von Friesen. In Värend women had the same rights as men in the inheritance rule like in Roman rules until the
13th century. Värend means place with many men (earlier called Virdar), while Väksjö once was Vesjeo probably
deriving from "vi" (holy place) and the big lake is called "Helgasjö" with the island "Helgö" where "helg" is "holy"
too. In the neighbourhood we can find these names and Inges Hög, Ingelstad at Torsjö, Odensjö, Odenlanda,

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 The Heruls

origin from these new Heruls, and so could Inglingehoeg, the boat grave in Augerum, the Lister-stones, the
necklace in Ravlunda, the Bosjö-eagle - just to mention some possibilities in the surroundings of Sösdala
pointing at Eastgermanic connections around 500 AD. This is the same region where the bracteates with the
Zuran-pattern were found and the Sokolnice-style was spread.

The most impressive mound in southern Sweden is Inglinge Hoeg in

Värend with the remarkable "globe"-stone at the top. These stones are not
found elsewhere with ornaments of that character, but a similar stone was
as mentioned buried in one of the other mounds in Högom. Birger
Nermann regarded the stone as a bronceage stone because of the
ornaments, but similar ornaments are found at the bracteates and fibulas
like the one from Dalshoej - the style is the earlier mentioned Sjörup Style
connected with South Eastern Europe. Later they spread with the fibulas
along the Danube and are known from the curveheaded fibulas - like the
Scandinavian Dalshoej - and the Anastasius dish from Sutton Hoo. In the
center of the stone there is a figure with four corners and around this a
circle with "beams" - maybe symbolizing the four corners of the world and the sun. In the next circle 19 lilies
are found and at the side of the stone the 12 above mentioned spirals are placed. The mound is not escavated,
but it is by other archaeologists dated around 500 AD - as are some of the graves around. Sune Lindquist
regarded the mound to belong to the Uppsala-dynasty. West of Inglingehoeg an Odensjö is situated and here
a cliff can be found called "Blotberget" (Offering Mountain) with 12 mounds from the younger Iron Ages on
the top (unescavated). An old legend about women defeating the Danes while their husbonds were in warfare
elsewhere is connected with this cliff (a similar Czekish legend about the female warrior zarka is known
from the 6th century).

As the Heruls "remained there on the island" they settled next time farther away from the Danes and the way
it is expressed probably also apart from the Götes at Thule - pointing north of the Götes with Viken, the
Mälar Valley or Högom as the most likely possibilities. This northern position makes sense as Procopius
through the envoy met people who were able to give a precise description of the Saami and of the midnight
sun, which begins 700 kilometres north of Uppsala and which was not described so detailed by any other
author though the midnightsun was already known by Pytheas 300 years BC. Also the delay of the envoy due
to the return to the Heruls (because of the death of the first candidate at the Danes) indicates such a position
far north of the Danes.

Procopius' focusing on the Gauts might indicate that these Gauts were in some way involved as a target of
the migration. Assuming there was a religious commonship between the Gauts and the Goths until the
Arianism, as proposed by Ingemar Nordgreen, it is likely that the Heruls, who had followed the pagan
Ostrogoths until 453 AD were attracted to settle in their neighbourhood after all their problems with the
Christían Germanic tribes. The Western Gauts on their side, however, appear to have had troubles already
with the Eastgermanic "forerunners" (Finnestorp and Vennebo). When the Heruls took up their old way of
living (plundering and tribute) - which they had to do when living in Smaaland/Blekinge - they provoked the
Danes to expell them, and the Gauts would probably support the Danes. Therefore the next choice of the
Heruls most likely was the Mälar Valley with its increasing richness due to the trade routes with the Helgoe-
center and the new methodes of metal-winning in Bergslagen - especially if the northern outpost of the same
trade route in Högom was already ruled by their allies. From Uppland they could control the trade with furs
described as valuable by Jordanes. This position was similar to Moravia.

In Smaaland they do not appear to have been integrated since they were expelled and they may therefore
have expelled or subdued a smaller people there unless they found barren country. In the Mälar Valley they
Borlanda, Salen, Skäggelösa, Rinkaby, Tunatorp, Hovtorp, Huseby, Lidhem, Vikensved, Vikensjö and Dansjö with
Bråvalla. Also an unrecorded boat grave should be found in Värend long time ago. The only strong indications of
Heruls in this area are however the finds in Sösdala, but dated before 450 AD they must be forerunners long time
before the Heruls of Procopius. Snorri mentioned a stop of Odin in Odensey, which he regarded as Odense, but the
old legend he used may as well have mentioned a place like Odensjö in Värend. Hyenstrand has mentioned
Hovshage - a northern suburb to Växsjö - as the place with most finds in the area (Hyenstrand 1996, page 28).

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obviously found a rather peacefull solution - as example by offering the Svear military assistance as Gilda's
description (545 AD) of the Saxons and the Britains in 450 AD (later Bede's Hengist-tellings) - with unclear
archaeological consequenses. When this second settlement took place we do not know, but as mentioned in
Chapter 6.4 it probably took place in the decades after 509 AD. This is confirmed by the missing significant
archaeological signs of a settlement south of the Götes.

The only place found by the archaeologists north of the Danes at Thule, where a society arose of the kind we
should expect being influenced by the Heruls, was at Uppsala. Gudhjem and Gotland do not fit his
description of Thule, which obviously was the Scandinavian Peninsula north of the Danes. Högom was
probably too far away and the culture of the society began and ended up too early. The dating and the
character indicates that the mounds in Uppsala could be connected with the first members of the royal family
of the Heruls in Scandinavia, and just this place was by Adam of Bremen described as the religious center of
the Odin Cult around 1000AD. Some may wonder why the boat graves are also found in Vendel, Valsgärde
and the ”-tuna”-villages, but probably Uppsala became the holy temple area for superior priest kings, while
the local vasals or rulers of Svealand (jarls) lived at strategic and convenient places in the neighbourhood -
maybe Tuna-villages. In the beginning these earls may have been a part of the royal family in Uppsala, but
the very few DNA-tests do not indicate that the position as earl in a certain district was inherited.

2.1.3.3 Norway, Götaland and the islands

The Norwegean west coast could have been a target due to the connections in the 5th century, but
these small isolated societies flourished already in the 5th century and no substantial expansion is
realised in the beginning of the 6th century pointing at an arrival of the Heruls.

Also Vestergötland flourished already in the 5th century with rich golden treasures and the famous
golden neckrings. The finds pointing at Eastgermanic people are war booties indicating that the
local people there were able to keep the intruders out, because these people at the Swedish plains
according to Jordanes were used of a pressure on their borders. Just like the Gudme area they had
contacts with the Black Sea in the beginning of the Migration Ages. The later sacrifices in
Finnestorp have a clear Eastgermanic touch, but the culture in the area still appear to be local -
even though Herulian earls may have supported the development at a later stage.

The Sparlösa Stone is now by a few scholars attempted to be dated in the 6th century, but that
interpretation does hardly work as both the runic text, the house and the ship indicate a dating in
the late 8th century. Therefore the stone can not be used as a proof of an early dating of a
connection.

Neither in Halland nor Östergötland we know centres indicating the arrival of such a people. Even
though the Rök Stone is found there it may be caused by a branch of the royal family moving there
some time in the following 300 years - and the text of the Sparlösa Stone even indicate such a
movement from Uppsala.

At Öland the impressing and unusual strongholds of stone were erected, but that too was in the 5th
century - as the above mentioned civilisations. If the strongholds had anything with the Heruls to
do they were rather provoked by the Hunnic and Eastgermanic horsemen in the 5th century.
Besides Procopius told they remained in Thule, leaving out also Gotland and Bornholm.

All the places mentioned above may have received Herulian mercenaries - or for that sake
Ostrogoths who believed Scandinavia was their original home. This may be one of the reasons
behind the uniform military development in the 6th century.

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The excavations in Finnestorp show very obvious traces of Heruls being examined for the moment. The finds
are war booties belonging to people who were defeated by the local population around this central place in
Falbygden. The possible connection with the Heruls can be divided into following phases:

● 375-454 Huns and Eastgermanic horseriding warriors (Sösdala Style*)

● 400-550 Western Herulian officers and mercenaries (Nydam Style*)
● 454-509 Heruls wandering along the traderoute (Eastgermanic/Sjörup Style*)
● 509-? Heruls living between Danes and Götes (Eastgermanic/Sjörup Style*)
* Simplifications

The first three groups are described in the chapters above. It is also mentioned that the group around the
royal family may have plundered and tried to attack Västergötland before they were expelled by the Danes.

A very interesting find in Finnestorp is the buckle showing the head of a man. Bengt Nordqvist will in a new
article argue convincingly for an interpretation as Odin. What is interesting too are the small circles at his
cheeks – appearing to be tatooes. Sidonius Apollonaris wrote in 478 AD when describing the many different
people in in Toulouse: “Here strolls the Herulian with his glaucious cheeks”. This is by the scholars
interpreted as blue/green tatoos at the cheeks, but though it is mentioned by Sidonius as a special mark of the
Heruls also other Germanic people used tatoos. The circles, however, are quite similar with the red shield
mark of the “Heruli Seniores” in Notitia Dignitatum from around 410 AD. In this way the two only visible
signs known about the Heruls are found at this head in Finnestorp – most likely pointing at a mercenary
officer from the Western Heruls as the owner. Finnestorp is in the border area of the “Erilar”-inscriptions,
which spread from the same region as the first bracteats if Erilar meant Herul. As the symbols at especially
the C-bracteats and some of the Finnestorp finds may be similar there could be some interesting connections
here.

Öland, flourishing like Gotland in the previous period, was characterised by a big threat in the 5th and 6th
century, where the people concentrated inside big stone walls living there until the 7th century 65. These
castles appear to be constructed by people having been south in Europe. As mentioned the stream of solidi
ceased earlier at Öland than at the other marketplaces in the Baltic Sea - around 476 AD. Öland must have
been situated close to a people plundering their houses and spoiling their trade.

While Öland appear to be weakened around 470 AD - as earlier mentioned - Gotland still received solidi and
the change is primarily indicated in the end of the 6th century, when Uppland and Gotland got more finds in
common. Gutesaga from Gotland indicates, that the people of Gotland always were independent, but that
they once made a peace treaty with the kings of Svealand. This may be a political manifestation like the
manipulations of Saxo, but according to Karen Høilund such a development is probable in the end of the 6th
century.

At Bornholm around Gudhjem and Svanneke a new wealthy kingdom was established around 500 AD. Later
the inspiration apparently became Merovingian, but in the beginning there was also an obvious connection to
the Eastgermanic people living at the wells of the River Oder and Vistula. Like a nomadic people these
chieftains around Gudhjem primarily kept cattle opposite the agriculturists dominating the island until then.
10 kilometres against south the settlement Sorte Muld with the famous gold foil figures flourished as a
market place. Also hillforts are found at Bornholm – one of them in the hills behind Gudhjem – and the first
Scandinavian boat graves from the Roman Iron Ages are excavated at Slusegaard at the south coast of the
island. The archaeologists have recognised many similarities between Bornholm and the Vendel-culture, and
also the similarity with the names around Uppsala should be noticed: Gudhjem (Gudium 1547), which means
“Home/place of the Gods” at “Salene Bay” north of “Saltuna”. In every second of the towns with boat graves
65 Coins and fibulas in a/o Eketorp indicates a directly or indirectly connection to the Ostrogoths [The museum at
Eketorp] – or theoretically to the Heruls. Ulf Näsman has demonstrated (Military Aspects of Scandinavian Society)
the ringwalls to be spread in even districts all over the island of Öland with the farmers cottages inside the walls.
This indicates, that the walls are ideas of local earlier mercenaries from the island and not caused by an occupying
army. Earlier scholars (a.o. Werner) claim that Öland was attacked 480-500 causing a lot of hoards with solidi. As a
reaction against a possible overinterpretation this is rejected by modern scholars (a.o. Herschend).

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in the Vendel-culture “tuna” or “sala” is a part of the name, but no boat graves or helmets are found until now
though the people at Bornholm were some of the first to use boat graves at an earlier stage. Bornholm was
still a separate kingdom in 899 according to Wulfstan. Just north of Bornholm in Augerum in Blekinge the
oldest boat grave was found.

2.1.3.4 The Mälar Valley - Archaeology

Already from a superficial point of view the Mälar region appear to be the right place based on the
general development. Uppsala and the Vendel Culture was archaeologically characterized as the
power centre of the Scandinavian Peninsula from the 6th century - a culture being initially strongly
influenced by an Eastgermanic culture with contact to the regions where the Herulian dynasties
still appeared to live. Here Birgit Arrhenius emphasized especially the shield boss, a buckle and a
mount from the Vendel boat grave XIV, which is regarded to be the first of the boat graves.
Identical items are found at River Tizsa in Romenia, to where Datius escaped to the Gepides. The
shield boss is of a type which is typical for Vendel in those years. Another identical shield boss is
found in a tomb at the Rhine containing also items of Gepidic character. The time connections may
indicate that it belonged to the Datius-group where the survivors probably may have escaped
towards the west after the destruction of the Gepides and the Illyrian Heruls in 565 AD. Vendel
XIV also contained one of the famous helmets for parades. They were made in Scandinavia but
looked like Roman cavallery helmets from the 5th century - belonging to people who played on
and had a strong veneration for a past as Roman mercenaries.

The content and character of the Ottars' Mound in Vendel and maybe Sami-DNA in a boat grave
may indicate a connection with the society of Högom in Norrland being influenced by
Eastgermanic culture. This society appear to have been left in the beginning of the 6th century.
Opposite Högom the mound contained a cremation. In the ashes was found a very seldom coin
from the East Roman emperor Basiliscus ruling only in the year 476 AD, when Odoaker dismissed
West Roman Emperor. This coin is also known from the tomb of Childeric. Maybe the dynasty
from Högom met their Herulic allied in Uppland and joined them. Here in Uppland a new center of
richness emerged based on the fur trade route via Helgoe and the new iron extraction in Bergslagen
- activities which without any doubt would attract the Herulian warrior kings. This was exactly
what they needed.

The three royal mounds in Uppsala are dated inside the interval 500-625 AD - which was the time
when the Heruls established in the area. The eldest mound in the middle is not escavated, but it is
known to contain a cremation packed with stones as the two other mounds. The East Mound
contains a woman and maybe also a boy burned at temperatures so high that nearly everything in
the mound was destroyed. Among the fragments was a helmet for a woman or a child with a
helmet plate identical with some of the plates in Sutton Hoo in East Anglia. The motive is dancing
warriors with horned helmets – probably the Germanic mercenaries, Cornuti, from the Roman
army. In the mound also two simple female articles for daily use were found - a make up palette
and a mirror with an eye to be hanging in the belt. Both belong to the women of the nomades in
South Eastern Europe, and the mirror is found in 100 examples at the Danube and at the Black Sea.
North of the Danubian Bassin only two such mirrors are found - one in Thuringia and the one in in
Uppsala. Therefore the East Mound of Uppsala must contain a woman of Eastgermanic/Sarmatian
family - the Herulic mixture of people. The West Mound is the youngest containing fragments of
glass from the Black Sea, ivory gaming pieces from South Eastern Europe and Sassanidian camees.

The new cremation customs in the Mälar region are quite opposite the old burial customs of the
Heruls as no cremations are found where they operated in Southern Europe. As Procopius could

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tell about pagan Heruls burning their dead in big fires, he must have described the habits the Heruls
in Scandinavia being referred by followers of Datius. The Heruls must have changed their burial
customs, when they were integrated in Scandinavia, which may have been a part of the general
changes of the burial customs being observed at that time by archaeology.

No characteristics of the Heruls are known in the areas where they lived in South Eastern Europe -
except maybe the burial mounds from the 5th century in Moravia/Marchfeld being connected with
Uppsala by Czeckish archaeologists. The Heruls were etnically so mixed and had joined so many
other people that they cannot be separated from other Eastgermanic people following the Huns.
Taking into consideration the very limited material being left from the cremations in Uppland we
can conclude that we have found all the traces we could expect to find after a Herulian dynasty and
their followers being integrated as a minority with the local people. Most of the mounds and boat
graves being escavated are from more than 50 years after they left Moravia.

Even when the contacts after the destruction of the Eastgermanic people turned against the Franks -
or rather their pagan easterly neighbours - the content of the boat graves is still of the same
character as the other rich European princely graves. Only local patriots - or people caught by the
promissing ideas of Olof Rudbeck - can claim that the Vendel Culture is based on an internal
Swedish development.

Of course the flourishing of Uppsala is not an argument which can stand alone, as such a people in
the theory could arise as a reaction on the arriving Heruls - as the Danes. Opposite no places are
found with a development substantial enough to match this dominating Eastgermanic people. If
this was the case too much Eastgermanic influence is found in Uppsala and the boat graves.

As late as in the 11th century this centre in Uppsala was described by Adam of Bremen as the
centre of Odin, where Odin, Thor and the old Vanegod Frej were worshipped side by side.

The question about the settlement can only be answered by analysing the archaeology. In the following
chapter each kind of finds will be described separately.

2.1.3.4.1 Burials - Mounds in Uppland (6th c.)

Around 500-625 AD the 3 big royal mounds were erected in Uppsala66. The content of the two youngest

66 Most of the big mounds and especially the later boat graves are found near the small river Fyris Aan an its tributaries
in Gl. Uppsala, Valsgärde (3 km away from Uppsala) and Vendel (30 km away). Uppsala was obviously the religious
center with 1000-2000 mounds and own boat graves, while Vendel and Valsgärde may have been the seats of local
kings/earls. The eastern mound in Uppsala is from 525-75, the western from 560-600, and the mound in the middle
is undated [Arrhenius 1993; Dutzco 1996; Norr 1998 (mail)]. Recently John Ljungkvist has suggested these two
intervals to be 550-600 and 575-625 [Ljungkvist 2005]. The other mounds in the area are younger, but in the
western part of Högaasen at least one of the mounds is older. The mounds here contain cremations. Some of the
settlements are older than the royal mounds confirming that the Suiones had lived here long time before the Vendel
Age began in 550-570 with a period of transition defined from 520 - according to the archaeologists.

Around 500 chemical tests show an increase in organic material around Sigtuna supposed to be horse dung in the
area - but this might as well be from cattle like in Gudhjem at Bornholm. Procopius described a situation where the
Southern Herulian mercenaries used horses in battle. Possibly they had learned to use horses from the Huns and the
Alans, but it was impossible to use the horses in fight in this way in the Nordic forests like at the open plains of
Southern Europe. In Scandinavia the first known battle of cavalry was at Fodevig in the 12th century, but we have
much earlier pictures of soldiers fighting by horse and the chieftains used horses for transportation already before
500 AD. The warrior was buried with a horse in several of the boat graves of the Vendel period, but also in Gudhjem
at Bornholm horses are found in the graves. The horse was often used in offerings in the Norse religion and was

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mounds escavated until now are small fragments burned at a pile of wood at very high temperatures. In the
eastern mound was probably buried a young prince and/or a woman in the twenties. In the western mound a
warrior king was buried. The chamber in the third and earliest mound is not escavated, but the type of the
inside chamber of stone indicates a cremation too. Some of the small mounds at the hill in Uppsala are
supposed to be erected earlier, but the cremation in the 3 big mounds of a size not seen before in Scandinavia
totally deviate from usual burial practise and cremation in the region. Except for the size of the mounds and
the type of burial/cremation the mounds in Uppsala were most likely inspired by the earlier mounds in
Högom (and maybe Norway).

Due to the high temperatures nearly all artefacts in Uppsala were spoilt, but we know that the cremated
persons were supplied with rich gifts, horses and other animals. Like in Högom prestigous weapons like
swords do not point at the specific origin of the buried man, as these weapons were made in special
workshops available for all the Germanic chieftains and mercenary officers. They were probably often used
as an object of gifts. Among the less prestigous items were in both mounds some items pointing against
Southeastern Europe and Persia 67.

In 1993 the German archaeologist Bodo Anke analysed the horseriding nomads of the Migration Period in
his PhD-dissertation. One of the important items in his investigation was a mirror with an eye (ösenspiegel)
being originally Sarmatian. The mirror was made for hanging in the belt of a horseriding woman. Totally he
found 94 mirrors west of the Black Sea and 87 of these were found in rich female tombs at the lower and
middle Danube and its tributary rivers - especially Tisza and Morava. 5 were found west of Moravia in
regions where the Huns and Alans had operated around the Alpes, and the last 2 were found north of
Moravia. Of these two the first one was found in Thuringia in the tomb of a woman with a deformed scull,
which as mentioned earlier is a clear indication of Sarmatian Alans, Huns or maybe their Eastgermanic
followers. The last fragment of such a mirror was found in the eastern mound of Uppsala as the only one in
Northern Europe. The mirror was not prestigous but antique when the mound was raised. A slightly different
type of these mirrors is often found in the same context as the Sokolnice-fibulas from Moravia. In the mound
was also found a make-up palette. There is probably only one reason to find such a mirror for daily use in
Uppsala: A young woman cremated in the eastern mound had ancestors among the people earlier following
Attila. At that time she was with high probability one of the Heruls – maybe one of Sarmatian origin.

Earlier she was regarded to be an old woman being cremated together with her son or master. At that time a
small jaw with colour from metal like a helmet was regarded to belong to a teenage prince. However
primilinary DNA-tests from other bones showed in 2000 a young woman in the twenties. Because of the
fragments of a sword and a helmet plate a man is still assumed to be cremated too, but in 2003 the tomb from
the 6th century of a tall female warrior wearing shield and dagger was found in Lincolnshire. As the
helmetplate in the same mound in Uppsala has a picture identical with the one in Sutton Hoo south of
Lincolnshire a connection existed between the customs in the two regions. Concequently we cannot exclude
that the mound was raised to honour a warrior queen - which should not surprise the readers of Saxo as he
mentioned such a queen.

A few kilometres south of the boat graves in Vendel Ottars Mound was erected. The mound has been

regarded as an animal close to the gods.

67 In the youngest western Uppsala mound are found 4 camees of sardonyx of Sassanidian origin, a gaming piece of
ivory and pieces of glass (as in Blucina) from Southeastern Europe, a golden knob for a sword and cloisonne from a
workshop in the Rhine area (Trier?).

In the eastern mound is found a fragment of the helmetplate type showing the dancing warriors in with horned
helmets (the mercenaries Cornuti) like in Valsgärde and Sutton Hoo. A strapwork was found with a band like in
Zhuran, but the most important find is a mirror of Sarmatian type for daily female use [Anke 1998]. The special
version found in Uppsala was found also in Thuringia, Carnuntum, Hungary and Romenia. The highest
concentration of these mirrors is found around the Morava River (the Herulian Kingdom) and around the Tisza
River (where the Datius-group ended up). The few bones from the escavation in the 19th century are not fit for
DNA-tests, but tests have recently showed that some of the bones belonged to a young woman in the twenties. A
new escavation is discussed according to the newspapers.

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excavated showing a cremation burial where the ashes were collected in a wooden bucket. This kind of
bucket is only known from the inhumation burial in the before mentioned Evebø, where the bucket had
another purpose. The bucket contained a Basiliscus coin from 475/76 which will be commented later. The
tomb is dated around 500 AD, and Birgit Arrhenius mentioned [RGA Ottars Mound] that the tomb probably
belonged to the founder of this new society (indicated by pollen-analyzes to be a new settlement). In this
mound a man and a woman were cremated together. She suggested as a possibility that he could be a
Norwegean vassal of the kings in Uppsala, but as the similarity in buckets can be explained by the
connection Evebø - Högom - Gotland mentioned above, it is more likely that the connection was Högom, as
the dynasty left Högom at that time. Consequently a movement from Högom to Vendel will explain the new
society in Vendel and the custom with mounds in Uppland – but not the society in Uppsala.

Big mounds from the Vendel- and Viking ages are found all over Scandinavia. Some of the most impressive
are Skalundahoeg from the 7th century in Vestergötaland and the before mentioned Inglingehög in Värend,
but they are not connected with rich finds and an obvious civilisation like Uppsala.

Big mounds are found over the most of Europe too including at the mouth of River Don and in the later
Frankish territory - and of course including the later Sutton Hoo boat grave in England from around 625 AD.
Thus the first new kings in Uppsala used a wellknown effect known from Southern Europe, but the custom
was known in Scandinavia too and was used in Norway and Högom and even in a few examples in Uppsala.
What was new was the size and the cremation in the mound inspired by the customs of the local people.
When being transferred to Uppsala cremation was used according to the description of Procopius, and the
later increase of the first mound in the middle indicates, that the big size was a new idea. The first mound has
a very big center of stone, but later they filled more sand on the top to make it similar to the two later
mounds with smaller centres of stone. Now the mounds got nearly the same size as the contemporary
Lombardian mausoleum in Zhuran covering the earlier Herulian grave there.

The cremations in the 3 Uppsala-mounds may appear to deviate from the logic if the new dynasty were
Heruls, but here the description by Procopius support the explanation. Procopius described as mentioned the
death of an old Herul – killed by a dagger and burned at a pile of wood. This is by Procopius described as the
old burial habit of the Heruls, but in the last 25 years before he wrote these Illyrian Heruls had been
Christians and in the regions of Moravia/Weinviertel and Belgrade where they had lived since 100-150 years
ago there were as mentioned no cremations at all - nor in the rest of the region. He may of course have
described a very old habit, but comparing with his usual detailed style and his other descriptions this does not
appear to be something from a distaint past - and would they know that? Neither the Goths had used
cremation funerals for centuries since their time in Poland. According to the archaeology the custom
described by Procopius did never exist in Moravia and Illyria, when the Heruls lived there. Opposite we
know for certain that the custom at the time of Procopius existed in Uppsala and the rest of Sweden.
Procopius told that the bones afterwords were gathered and buried, and this was exactly what happened in
Uppsala were the bones from the fire were placed in a vessel at the place of the fire and covered by stones.
He probably believed, that the customs he heard from the Heruls returning from the pagan Sweden, were also
the old habits of the pagan Heruls - and this is for the moment the only way to explain, why Procopius
combined such a description with the Heruls. The only Heruls Procopius knew worshipping openly the old
gods were the Heruls arriving from Sweden. Furthermore Procopius mentioned with surprice that the wife of
the dead man was expected to take her own life - and in Ottars Mound and maybe in Uppsala women are
found in the ashes too.

2.1.3.4.2 Helmets and weapons

While the grave goods (excl. Bornholm) and the finds of gold generally disappeared, it is already described
how the rich royal burials took a beginning in the Uppsala area (Uppland). After 500 AD the big mounds
were erected – especially the Uppsala Mounds, Anunds Hög and Ottars Hög. The spoilt Grydehøj in Lejre
from around 550-650 AD was a cremation mound too and close to that in Gevninge a part of a "Vendel-
helmet" was found. Unfortunately the grave goods are nearly totally spoilt due to the high temperatures of
the fire at the burial in both Uppsala and Lejre.

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Around 567 AD the first boat graves of the Vendel Period were established in the settlements around Uppsala
– later also recognised in Sutton Hoo in East Anglia. The equipment in these burials is connected with the
special Byzantine inspired "Style II" with heads of beasts and birds which flourished in Scandinavia - just
like at the Lombards in Italy68. Normally the style is attributed to the Alemanni, but this is not clear at all.
The style is not identical in the different regions, but the local styles had several similar elements and
structures in common. Especially in Uppland and East Anglia the armouring had sometimes an Iranian touch.

The famous helmets found in the ship burials of Uppland are probably local work, but they look quite similar
with the Roman helmets from the 5th century or Byzantine/Gothic helmets from 400-550 AD. Some of the
pictures at the helmet plates show boar crests at the helmets. These boar crests had the same function as the
eagle heads found on Roman helmets. Similar boar crested helmets are already found as pictures at the much
earlier Gundestrup Vessel, but this is regarded to be a Celtic vessel originating from Dacia/Thracia. The boar
crested helmet of Roar is mentioned in Beowulf and Ynglingesaga and two contemporary examples like the
helmet plates in Sweden are found in the English kingdom of Mercia69 (Examples), but in Scandinavia the
68 According to most archaeologists the expansion of the so called Style II accelerated in the middle of the 6th century
– maybe from the Alemanni.

According to Johan Engström in "The Vendel Chieftains" (Anne Nørgaard Jørgensen 1997) pictures in the Vendel
graves and equipment often looks like Iranian armouring – and especially the cloaks of the horned warriors found
both in Vendel, the Uppsala Mounds and Sutton Hoo. The Heruls had at the Black Sea and as mercenaries been in
contact with the Iranian tribes, who were related to the Alans - companions with the Heruls in the 4th century.

The Lombards, who also adapted Style II, had lived in the area of the Elb in Germany, but later they fought several
times against Herulian kings. In spite of this, marriages and fellowship in the Byzantine army seem to have caused a
reconciliation between groups of these two tribes - at least with the Illyrian Heruls.
69 The helmets having a central position in the ship burials of Vendel and Valsgärde are possibly the key to the
understanding of the connections. The helmets are obviously produced in Scandinavia, but Bertil Almgren has in
"Vendeltid" (published 1980 by the Historical Museum of Sweden – and in an the english version in ”Vendel Period
Studies”, 1983) demonstrated a similar appearence as the helmets from the imperial cavalry of Rome and the helmet
in Sutton Hoo, which also has a face protection similar to a helmet from the imperial palace of Byzans. This attitude
among Swedish archaeologists is as late as in 1999 confirmed by Burenhult in "Arkeologi i Norden" and in
November 2000 by Svante Norr in the E-list EuropeanArchaeology.

In Thorslunde, Oeland, a die for metal foils is found showing a picture of a column of warriors with boar helmets
from around 600 AD, where the first warrior has a ring button on his sword – probably an officer/chieftain - and the
next wearing armrings, which according to Beowulf were the reward for the warriors. The boat graves of Uppland
contain several of these metal foils showing warriors with crested helmets looking like boar heads. These crests are
also found on Roman helmets, where the crest ended in an eaglehead. An example of such an eagle or griffin head
(from a standard) is found in Viemose at Fyen. Snorri told that Rolf conquered a boar-helmet from Adils of Uppsala,
and as mentioned Beowulf told about the golden helmet with the boar crest belonging to the “Skyldings”, but none
of the excavated helmets wear at the first view this crest – only found as pictures on the metal foil plates of the
helmets. The difference between the crests of the real helmets and the crests pictured at the helmet plates forced
Greta Arwidson (Vendeltid) to consider if these helmet plates were Roman - but probably this is contradicted by the
die from Oeland, the Sparlösa runestone (note 10.3.3) and finds in Mercia (Nottingham area) of two helmets with
boar crests - Benty Grange (1867) and as late as in 1997 a "Spangenhelmet" in Northhamptonshire <a
href="http://www.angelcynn.org.uk/history_helmet.html" target="rute">(Homepage Angelcynn)</a>. Many helmet
plates are found, but the same motives of animals and oldfashioned warriors are repeated again and again – pointing
into the past. Some of the helmets in Vendel are also identified as the Spangenhelmet-type, and looking at the boars
from Mercia combined with the Oeland die it is obvious that the crests of the later Vendel helmets and the one of
Sutton Hoo are also stylized animals – probably snakes or dragons.

We know that the boar was a sacred animal connected with Frey in Norse mythology, and possibly also earlier
connected with the fertility cult and Ing. A very early example of two boar helmets and one with a bird were shown
at the Gundestrup Vessel 500 years earlier. This could indicate, that the helmets had nothing to do with the arriving
Heruls, but the Gundestrup Vessel is now regarded as a Thracian work from 0-100BC originating from
Thracian/Celtic tribes in the Lower Danube area near the Black Sea - possibly brought home by Cimbrians. Also a
coin with a boar helmet was found at the Danube and other finds indicate that the boar was a common symbol
among the Celts. Therefore the boar crested helmets could be brought from the Danube area to Scandinavia by the

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real crests are more stylized. The poems and works - written down much later and therefore doubted - are in
this way confirmed by the archaeology.

The double-edged ring button swords, known from the belt Ravenna-Saxony-Northern Frankia, were also
found in chieftain burials in Scandinavia and England, while a simple copy of the light single-edged
Scramasax was found all over Scandinavia. The ring button is regarded as a symbol of an officer's oat to the
king – used in many Germanic societies. The Danish archaeologist Anne Noergaard Joergensen describes a
change in military systems around 500 against international uniform weapon sets changing fast all over
Scandinavia – but most significantly in the eastern parts70. Primarily she refers to similar weapon burials in
Southern Germany, but Merovingian weapon burials as a general term are mentioned to include burials in
Austria/Hungary too. Opposite the development in the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea now differs from
Scandinavia – the old connection with the Goths in that region had probably ceased when the Slavs settled
there.

2.1.3.4.3 Shield marks and helmet plates

In mediaval versions of Notitia Dignitatum from around 400 AD we can find lists of the military Roman
units and their shield marks. The “Heruli Seniores” are found in a group of auxiliary troops under Magistri
Peditum in the western part of the Empire. They are found beside the Batavi whom they joined in England in
the 4th century. At that time the Eastern Heruls still joined the campaign of the Huns. The shield mark of the
Heruli Seniores consists of white and red koncentric circles (www.gedevasen.dk/Shieldmarks.pdf). In the
group we also find the Cornuti and their fellows, the Brachiati. The Cornuti, which means “horns”, became
famous in the battle at Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, where Constantine I won his great victory – and their
horned helmets can be found at the Arch of Constantine in Rome [Aldöfi 1953]. Ammianus Marcellinus told
about their dancing before the battles and their war cry. The horns are the shield mark of a.o. the Cornuti, the
Brachiati, the Celtae, the Marcommannae and the Batavi Juniores (we do not know a shield mark of Heruli

Heruls. Before the Goths left the Baltic Sea Tacitus mentioned the boar in relation to the Aestis as a devine weapon
and protection connected to the mother of gods, so probably also these boar crested helmets symbolized a divine
protection of the warrior.

Under all circumstances the boar crest helmet in the Beowulf poem indicate together with symbols of power as the
ringbutton swords and the golden rings common knowledge or traditions between the courts of Mercia/East Anglia,
the Vendel dynasty and Roar of Lejre - and the last emperors of Rome or their mercenaries.
70 Anne Nørgaard Jørgensen expressed in another connection following in “Warrior and retinue in Germanic Iron Age”
(Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 1996): "Against the background of the Continental inspiration, a military elite arose
in Denmark as early as 500 AD". In "Military Aspects of Scandinavian Society" (1997) she wrote, that around 500
AD the military system changed from regionally-differentiated arms to an international arming - a so-called Pan-
European horizon with uniform sets of weapons. At the same time the weapon-sacrifices were followed by a few
rich weapon-graves, according to which she in “Nørre Sandegaard Vest” primarily referred to burials in
Southwestern Germany (Reihengräber), but also referred to Franks in general and to weapon burials in Austria and
Hungary. In 1999 she has in “Waffen und Gräber” by analyzing the Scandinavian burials with weaponsets
demonstrated that the weapons were changed often and over all Scandinavia at the same time – especially in the
southeastern part.

The distribution of the double-edged ring button sword in Europe is similar to the route of the Heruls and the people
mentioned in Nibelungenlied (note 2.2.9) and the southeastern England. In Sutton Hoo there was also a ring button
on the shield. In Scandinavia they are found in Sealand, Blekinge, Götaland, Svealand, Viken (Oslo), Gotland and
the south-western Finland from 500-750. From an earlier phase around 450-500 another ring button type of pure
gold is found in Gudme, Norway and the northern part of the Frankish kingdom, which was just then under
formation (The four in Gudme were without sword – probably merchandise). The ring button is supposed to
symbolize the oath the chieftain has sworn to his king, and was probably in Scandinavia and England the sign of
dignity to the officers of the royal army – obviously inspired by an earlier Merovingian use.

The scramasax became the principal weapon found in drastically increasing numbers from the end of the 6th
century. Maybe the Huns brought it to Europe. In another version (very few examples) they also existed in Denmark
0-200 AD.

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Juniores). It may appear like the Western Heruls joined a group of primarily Westgermanic warriors
worshipping a god with this feature, though their seniores used the common symbol of the circles which may
be connected with the sun and Mithras - being worshipped among the Roman soldiers in England. The
interesting is that these horns are similary with the horned helmets at the helmet plates found in Vendel,
Uppsala, Sutton Hoo and Allemania. Probably the Western Heruls and maybe also the later Eastern Heruls
were members of a brotherhood or cult among the mercenaries. On the other hand it is obvious that the
helmet plates do not point especially at the Heruls.

What is more interesting is that the shield mark of the Heruls has the same circles being found at the cheeks
of the head of “Odin” at the buckle in Finnestorp. According to Sidonius Appollonaris tatooes at the cheeks
were characteristic for the Western Heruls he met at the court of the Visigoths in 478 AD.

2.1.3.4.4 Later fibulas and Style II (6th c.)

In Vendel tomb XIV containing one of the most fameous helmets (with a Zhuran-like strapwork) a shield-
boss is found being identical with a boss from Hodmezovasarhely-
Kishomok at River Tisza 180 km north of Beograd, where also 2 of the 5
solidi mentioned above were found. As the Gepides were expelled by the
Avars in 567 AD, this boss in Vendel must according to Birgit Arrhenius be
dated to 560-570 AD. In both graves also identical mounts and buckles
were found. An identical shield-boss was found in Morken-Harff in
Frankish territory near Aachen with Gepidic items too. More advanced Shield boss from Vendel XIV
types of that shield boss were later developed both at the Rhine and in
Vendel. The Tisza region was probably the area where the Herulian king Datius settled after his escape from
Illyria around 550, and here his warriors must have been defeated in 567. Birgit Arrhenius primarily used the
similarities between these tombs for dating purpuses, but she also mentioned in 1983 that important elements
of the Vendel-style appear to come from Eastern Europe. The shieldboss in Vendel XIV indicate a connection
between Vendel and the region were the Heruls of Datius disappeared, and the one at the Rhine may be due
to refugees from the Gepidic defeat.

Precious ”disc-on-bow”-fibulas of the Skodborg/Kitnæs type are primarily based on the Scandinavian
square-headed fibula without the Eastgermanic elements, and such Danish fibulas are normally found in
hoards with solidi or bracteates being hidden before 540 AD. These fibulas possibly belonged to people
being attacked and subdued by other chieftains - but as mentioned they could be offerings due to the bad
harvest 536-38.

At the Continent the Scandinavian fibulas are found at the river Tisza [a.e. Szolnok-Szandaszollos 124] and
at the coast of Frisia, where the Western Heruls earlier lived. Furthermore two "disc on bow"-fibulas are
found in Ulpiana in Kosovo (the military headquarters of Illyria) in a female grave younger than 538. The
fibulas were placed in the grave in a way similar to the position of the fibulas in Gudhjem [Mihailo
Milinkovic, University of Beograd]. In Ganløse, North Eastern Sealand near a principal road to Sweden a
piece of a cikada-fibula of South East European 6th century origin was found - possibly as metal-scrap.
These fibulas were often Hunnic.

Earlier Nils Aaberg claimed a trading route to exist between the early Vendel Culture and the Carpathian
Basin without being able to identify it. Haseloff has later asked for an explanation, when he identified 15
examples of Scandinavian Animal-style I from the beginning of the 6th century around the middle and lower
Danube and Tisza [a.e. Szentes-Nagyhegy 84 and Gyala]. He wrote in 1982 that he was unable to compare
because of the lack of Scandinavian analyzes. He connected the finds with the Lombards, but also Gepides
and Herulian mercenaries were operating in that area of the withdrawing Goths. Datius arrived around 546
from Scandinavia to the Heruls in Singidunum (Belgrade) and he escaped later to the Gepides north of the
Danube/Sava-line – possibly to the area with the highest concentration of Scandinavian finds at Tisza 180
km north of Singidunum. It is also obvious that the Herulian mercenaries had connection with the Byzantine
military headquarters in Ulpiana, where the female burial with 2 disc-on-bow fibulas was found. South of the

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Danube in the area of Singidunum Germanic graves are found, hereunder 2 socalled Herulian graves in
Kamenovo at the river Morava (in Dacia Ripenses), but the fibulas and other artefacts in these graves point
both at Lombards, Gepides and Byzans. Even though this historically is known as a Herulian area the graves
are Germanic in general and do not reveal any special characteristics [Attila Kiss, 1984].

These finds are confirming the historical information about Datius and his group of young warriors leaving
Sweden around 548 AD. There is no reason to wonder about this attested connection between Scandinavia
and the Illyrian/Dacian region. The interesting is that some of them point so directly at the items in Vendel
XIV.

2.1.3.4.5 Ships
The first pictures of ships using sails in Scandinavia are dated around 600 AD – earlier the picture-stones at
Gotland shoved rowing boats. A few picture stones dated around 600 AD show a simple sail. The ships were
the flexible and seaworthy Scandinavian boat types. In the Roman Iron Ages they had been constructed for
rowing (The Nydam Boat), and they did not have the stem and keel necessary for an efficient sail. According
to Procopius the invaders of England did not use sails in the 5th century [Procopius 553, VIII, xxx] and also
Sidonius Apollonaris wrote about the Saxons oarsmen in Gallia [Sidonius VIII, vi, 480]. In the 6-7th century
the ships were changed and equipped with sails like the Roman sails. The new ships became an important
factor, when Scandinavia was established as a great power in the Viking Ages.

2.1.3.4.6 Halls and marketplaces

The big halls appear to have an important function at the royal courts of the Scandinavian kingdoms -
“meadhalls” as Beowulf called them. The inner of the big hall in Lejre is according to Frands Herschend
[Herschend 1998] arranged to function like the basilica of Theodoric in Mljet. These halls have now been
found in Uppsala, Skiringssal, Uppåkre, Lejre, Tissø and Gudme a.o.. Most of the known halls are dated later
around 800 AD, but the first hall in Lejre is from the middle og the 6th century – as is the temple and a hall in
Uppåkre.

The theories are rapidly changing in these years. Small templelike buildings - probably in more than one
stock - from the 6th century are found in Uppaakre and Lejre and later at Tissø. Close to the halls in Sealand
hoards of stones are found. In Uppåkre and Sortemuld offerings of spearheads are found at an early stage
around 500 AD. In the end of the Iron Ages and in the Viking Ages a more standardized pattern is found in
Scania and Sealand with a hall and outside the southwestern door a fence around a templelike building. In
Lejre a grave is found inside such a hall being rebuilded twice - indicating that it was a grave of a founder or
rather a king being divinized like the Swedish Erik as told by Rimbert. Probably these groups of buildings
without agricultural functions were the local representive and religious centres of a travelling king of the
Danes.

Another kind of centres were connected with craft and market places. Trading activities are obvious at the 3
island in the Baltic Sea and religious ceremonies too at Bornholm. Uppsala, Old Sigtuna and the Vendel
Culture at Fyrisaan are closely related to the trade centre excavated in Lake Mälar - Helgoe/Birka - where
Ansgar visited the king of the Svear around 830AD and 854 AD. His biographer, Rimbert, also mentioned
another “thing” in the kingdom of the Svear, which must be Uppsala being mentioned as the religious center
of Scandinavia by Adam of Bremen, Snorri and Saxo. According to the archaeology Uppsala and the Vendel
culture appear as a significantly stronger powercenter than any other known cultures at the Scandinavian
Peninsula in the 6th century. The centre kept its religious and commercial position until Christianity. No
other Scandinavian centres of this character are mentioned except Thietmar of Merseburg's words about
Lejre.

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2.1.3.4.7 A summary of the archaeology

In the areas at the Black Sea-region, Moravia and Singidunum/Belgrade, where we know with certainty that
the Heruls lived, it has until now been impossible to find signs separating the Heruls with certainty from their
neighbours, and no archaeologists have found common tracks of that kind between these southern regions
though we know the Heruls lived there. The archaeology combined with history indicates that the Heruls
were a Germanic people with signs common with the other Eastgermanic people in the region north of the
Alps from France to Slovakia and Hungary. They are even confused with Westgermanic Lombards and
Quadi. The rich Herulian graves after Attila were even heavily influenced by the connection with the other
Germanic mercenaries in the West. Therefore an absense of significant tracks of Heruls in Scandinavia
should not be an argument against a Herulian integration there.

In Scandinavia the archaeological finds indicate a general change taking place around 500 AD with the first
signs coming from south in the first half of the 5th century. One branch penetrated through Jutland and spread
first around Kattegat and the North Sea, while the other branch affected the Baltic coasts and islands with an
obvious Eastgermanic stamp – possibly via Scania, Bornholm and Gotland. A connection with the Roman
Empire had been obvious for centuries and the local armies had even been equipped with Roman weapons,
but around 5oo AD the earlier differences between the regions disappeared, a few strong powercenters arose
- a.o. Uppsala - the gold was replaced by silver and a change of the religion was traced. Normally these
changes are regarded to be due to the expanding Merovingian Empire, but the style-elements from the South
West primarily appeared later in the century, while the connections around 500 AD could point at the Middle
Danubian area as well, as there was no significant difference between Tournai, Blucina and the
Gepidic-/Lombardian finds – all being inspired by the Byzanteens. We shall even expect to find typical
Westgermanic signs caused by earlier Western Herulian mercenaries. Furthermore the coins point against a
more easterly connection than Franks, Alemanni and Goths. Nothing contradicts the changes in the first part
of the 6th century to be a mixture of Eastgermanic influence as in the 5th century, adaption of general
military systems from the earlier mercenaries and influence from the nearest neighbours in south.

The above mentioned burial traditions with new types of graves either in mounds, boats or plain in the field,
the cease of the votive gifts in wetlands and the increase of and the motives on bracteates/guldgubber
indicate a change of religion around 450-550 AD. The parallel inhumation and cremation could indicate that
two religious philosophies of life continued side by side in the same settlements, but as the inhumation was
only connected with one person per generation per centre this custom was probably connected with a
separate religious status of the king/earl. It has to be noticed that normally there has never been found a
consequent choise of cremation or inhumation in the societies of Scandinavia - even when they were
supposed to share the same religion. Looking at the C-bracteates an Odin-shape appear to have been
introduced at latest in the second part of the 5th century AD, and these bracteates indicate a Wothan
expanding from southwest71. Except for bracteates and guldgubber and a few earlier wooden statues with a
big phallos, we do not know many pictures of the Norse gods for certain. Already in 864 AD the pope in a
letter to Horik II critisized that his gods were made by human hands – being statues or even figurines like the
one newly found in Lejre. Adam of Bremen later told about in the temple of Uppsala. Such statues were
probably spoiled by the Christians as Saxo described the destruction of Svantevit, the god of the Wends.
Maybe other pictures were not allowed, just like the name of Odin was taboo. Neither were statues allowed
in Islam – developed in the same centuries.

Strong impulses from outside formed without doubt the changes 500-570AD around Uppsala. Under all
circumstances the big mounds with the unique cremation burials and the boat graves prove a change in the
traditions of the ruling dynasties in Scandinavia in the first half of the century, and the inhumated
kings/chieftains - maybe together with the flat cremations in the field - a change of the religion. It is difficult
to explain these fast contemporary changes of both religious, stylistic, economic and dynastic character to be
a local development so far north as the character is international with too many Eastgermanic stains in the

71 The bracteates are found before the Heruls arrived, which can be explained by the expansion of the Wothan-cult -
also leaving names like Vojens and Vonsild in Southern Jutland, while the normal Danish form is "Oden-" and
"Ons-". The bracteates were succeded by the guldgubber (gold foil figures) being found concentrated at market
places from 600 AD and later.

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beginning to be a coincidence. Such signs can never be used to point out a specific etnicity by archaeology
alone, which is the usual problem for the archaeologists, but that is not our situation this time. We are
searching the other way round looking for the settlement of a people, we know arrived somewhere at a
certain time – a settlement which we should expect to have a boasting character of soldiers who had seen
much stronger monumental manifestations of royal power than we know in Scandinavia.

The only manifestations of powercentres being still visible in the landscape are the big royal mounds being
raised at that time and the stone forts. We know that the halls were used in that way too, but this was already
common among the Scandinavians and they had a short life. That means that the places should not be
hidden, but we can not be sure of that.

Öland can probably be ruled out as other islands and a dating being too early. Norway is too isolated for the
Herulian way of life, except the Viken-area where there are no signs a such emerging cultures at that time. In
the same way the centres in the Goetalands were flourishing too early. The Danish areas in Denmark and
Scania can be ruled out due to the basical historical sources.

Högom attracts attention with the mounds and the royal tomb being a typically princely weapon grave
among the Germanic tribes of that time with elements pointing at a close connection with people following
the Huns. We can not let out that the colonisation of Vendel was caused by the dynasty from Högom going
south, but we should not expect the Vendel Culture as a whole to be developed by that small northern society
alone. If they were a part of that they rather they met their old Herulian partners in Uppland due to a renewal
of their old alliance.

For a century some archaeologists have pointed at Blekinge and Värend as the settlement of the Heruls.
According to early works of Birgit Arrhenius Eastgermannic finds exist in the triangle Augerum - Sösdala -
Växsjö, and the finds like Inglingehoeg, the runestones and the boatgrave are mentioned above, but no
permanent culture of that kind is registrated. Hyenstrand has pointed at Hov in Växjoe and Bolmen as a
possible center in the Iron Ages - especially around Bolmsoe and Ljungby - and he mentioned that an area
north of Stora Mosse indicated substantial changes in population in the ironages [Hyenstrand 1996, page 28-
29].

That leads us back to the impressive mounds in Uppland, which also had the best strategical position to the
Heruls placed as it was at the old traderoute with access to the iron extraction. Here we have the signs of an
international mercenary dynasty with clear Eastgermanic traces in the first gererations – most directly
confirmed by the presence of a Herulian or Sarmatic woman in the East Mound and the shield boss in Vendel
XIV. Unfortunately the cremations at high temperatures do not leave us with many traces – especially as the
number of Herulian graves has to be small due to the minority. With the datings of the mounds presented by
John Lundqvist the variations of the first general changes in Scandinavia are up to 40 years later than the
arrival according to Procopius, but that can be due to the natural intervals in royal burials, a first settlement
between the Danes and the Goetes or a connection with changes provoked by the athmospherical darkening
536-538 AD.

We can, however, pay much attention to impressive royal monuments in the Herulian kingdom of Moravia
and in Uppsala, to similarities between the descriptions of death, and to explanations about the changing
burial habits just when the relatively few Heruls arrived. We can conclude that the burial traditions do not
contradict the hypothesis that some Heruls settled in Uppsala - but neither is the rest of Sweden excluded,
though the indications there are much weaker. If the royal family of the Heruls arrived to Sweden, we should
according to the Czeckish and Austrian finds expect royal tombs with gifts and inhumation burials - maybe
in mounds. The original burial type of their people is primarily recognised in Högom and later at Bornholm,
but if the explanation of the change of burial habits by Procopius above is accepted, the mounds and boat
graves point at the Uppsala region as the only other probable location known today.

While the indications in the 5th century pointed against connections between Scandinavia and
Moravia/Marchfeld this changed in the first half of the 6th century to the Danube/Tisza area in Hungary,

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Pannonia and the old Yugoslavia. From the Vendel-period (beginning 560/70) it is obvious that the cultural
connections were between Scandinavia and the Western Germanic people - especially in Mercia/Anglia and
around the Upper Danube/Rhine in Southern Germany indicated by Style II and runes. They are even so
strong that they indicate a dynastical connection – maybe between a dynasty of Western Heruls and the
Herulian dynasties of Phara's family or refugees from the Illyrian Heruls. At the Eastern Bornholm also
traces of refugees from the Frankish expansion - a.e. Alemanni or Burgundians – are found in chamber
graves.

What should also be noticed is the cremation at high temperatures in Grydehøj in Lejre - contemporary (but
not identical) with the mounds in Uppsala. Maybe just a short style-intermezzo separated by 600 km, but the
escavated halls and the shared religious cults [Thietmar/Adam of Bremen/Snorre] indicate a later religious
commonship between these places. Karen Højgaard Nielsen has demonstrated that the artefacts were not
identical in Uppland and Southern Scandinavia at that time - they were not a part of the same society or a
close trade network

It is not possible to expound the archaeology in an unequivocal way by using only the archaeology, but if a
“take over” took place without a total substitution of the people the archaeological signs would appear in the
successive way described above.

2.1.3.5 The answer

In the theory the Vendel culture may have arised as an alliance against the Herulian dynasty
supported by other Herulian earls. Consequently the conclusion is based on the fact that no other
place is found with substantial changes matching this strong people of warriors. This does not
exclude that such a place has existed, even though it should have been indicated by mounds.
Therefore the conclusion regarding the connection between Heruls and Svear should be:

The most probable explanation is that the Eastern Heruls settled in the Uppsala region and that
their dynasty as kings or earls became a part of the dynasty of the Svear. The archaeology does
show the necessary tracks of that.

2.1.4 Heruls and boat graves?

Boat graves are unknown in the areas where the Heruls lived in the South and they do not make
much practical or symbolic sense regarding the East Heruls. boat graves are known from Bornholm
in the Roman Iron Ages and must be regarded as a Scandinavian development. The boat graves
were hardly a Herulian idea.

The content of the boat graves in Uppland is similar with the content of the other pagan princely
graves in Europe. These customs were probably in Scandinavia combined with the boats as a
mixed burial custom. As mentioned Birgit Arrhenius has emphasized the Eastgermanic connection
with the early Vendel Culture - hereunder Vendel XIV - where the spread of the boat graves appear
to be connected with a structure of earls.

2.1.4.1 The boat graves

Around 565-600 the boat graves spread in the region - nearly all containing inhumated bodies, weapons and
rich equipment. Most of these boat graves are found in places containing burials since the end of the Roman

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Iron Ages and these graveyards were used until the Viking Ages.

Birgit Arrhenius [Tuna och Husby i Vendel, 2000] has based on the escavations around Vendel demonstrated
that new settlements took place in Vendel around 540 AD. According to her these settlements appear like
Valsgärde to be connected with the king in Uppsala and possibly the Tuna-name too (a Tuna has existed in
Vendel too).

Both in Vendel and Valsgärde there was in average only one boat grave per generation with an inhumated
man – all other graves at these places were simple cremations. In the later Ulltuna and Tuna in Alsike this
was not so consequently done and the boat graves of Tuna in Badelunda contained only women and no men.
This place is however usually regarded as a cultic place since the 2nd century.

In Tuna in Alsike DNA tests have shown kinship in the male line among two of the buried, but not with the
third. The third had according to articles a male Saami among his ancestors due to an Y-cromosomal allele of
the marker DYS388 known from a grave in Norrland. However reading the PhD-dissertation of Anders
Götherstroem this conclusion was very uncertain as the Swedish reference sample missing this allele was too
small (n=37), while the allele was found in a German sample. It was not mentioned if this allele exists
among people of Mongolian origin, and even if he had a male Saami among his ancestors this does not
exclude the Heruls as they had been in contact with the people of Northern Sweden. In later books published
in 2001 and 2003 the archaeologists from the SIV-project made conclusions which can not be covered
statistically by these small samples mentioned by Anders Götherstroem - maybe because the books were
based on seminars earlier than his dissertation was published. Thus the background of the third man is
uncertain, but even the very limited number of tests does indicate that there was not just one ruling family.
The position was not necessarily inherited which indicates that the boat graves contained vasals or military
commandors - as suggested by Birgit Arrhenius regarding the earlier Ottars Mound too.

Procopius description of the envoy and the returning Datius around 545 AD shows that the royal family was
visibly and numerously represented in Scandinavia 35 years after their arrival, that they may have had a
peaceful relationship to the rulers of the Danes at that time, and that they had a kind of ancestor cult
stabilizing the power of the royal family. The reason for the last statement is that this is the best reason why
some of the Illyrian Heruls would go so far for a king, and it corresponds with the cult of Gaut/Wothan/Odin.
The find in Kosovo of fibulas like the one in Skodborg (placed in the grave like the fibulas at Bornholm), the
finds of several Scandinavian artefacts in the Danube/Tisza-area and the identical shield-bosses, could be a
confirmation of this part of the description of Procopius - though these finds could theoretically also be due
to trade.

2.1.4.2 Cremations after 565 AD

Besides the royal burials in big mounds and nearly invisible boat mounds a new habit was as mentioned
introduced with flat cremations in the field in large numbers all over Eastern Scandinavia around 500 AD. It
was primarily the type of the grave which changed, as a majority of the people had all the time been
cremated. Earlier some of the rich people had been buried in chamber graves without cremation. So it was
also in Northern Jutland (Lindholm Hoeje) and Norway, but in the Gudhjem-area at Bornholm they began to
use similar flat burials without cremation – sometimes with a low mound of stone. In the rest of Denmark,
where cremation and rich inhumation burials were earlier found, tombs are simply missing after 500 AD
except for Lejre’s Grydehoej72 of Uppsala-type, and a few examples with spatha and inhumation (Kyndby) -

72 In Grydehøj remains of golden clothe were found (also found in Uppsala), and the cremation resulted in the same
high temperatures as in Uppsala. The grave is by C14 dated around 550-650 AD, and a fibula is found in the area
from the same time. None of the other mounds are excavated except the "Mound of Harald Hildetand" – from the
Stone Ages. This example shows us, that we can not rely on the old names of the mounds, which should be noticed
in Uppland too. The "stone ships" of Lejre are still dated to the Viking Ages because of graves from the iron ages
underneath.

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indicating cremation directly in the field as the new tradition here too. Where the soil was suited for
agriculture and where stones for building materials were sparse - as in Denmark - such graves were probably
spoiled later by agriculture if they were not protected by several stoneships like at Lindholm Hoeje. In Birka
a group of graves showed inhumation in chambers, but they are supposed to be Christians or foreign
merchants/craftsmen. Among the boat graves a similar number of chambergraves existed with the same kind
of burial as the boat graves.

Taking only the above mentioned archaeological observations in consideration the conclusion must be that
the people of the Mälar Valley continued their old – but earlier not consequent - cremation customs. The way
they were cremated was normally changed from 500 AD, when also the burials of the kings became clearly
separated from the people by raising very big mounds. After 2-3 generations the king/earl was buried
unburned with full equipment as the only person in the society. These heads of the society obviously existed
in at least 2-4 parallel places in the region being local kings or earls.

The royal mounds could indicate, that the change was initiated by a new dynasty accepting the general
traditions of the existing people but marking the importance of the king with a big mound. First they totally
accepted the old cremation traditions of the people though the burial concept was changed, but when a new
balance was established (obvious due to the wealth of the society) the chieftain/priest was buried as a person
going to a new life - probably in Odin's Valhalla (Birgit Arrhenius has suggested the theoretical alternatives
that this was a cult of Freja (Schoenbeck 1994) or a sacrifice, but the purpose of the burial ritual was well
described in Beowulf and the sagas. This difference continued for 400 years until Christianity and must
therefore have been due to a stabil status of the king and the religion. Except for the boats these royal graves
were similar to the earlier royal pagan Germanic weapon graves along the Roman border in Central Europe,
but there his different status is not so obvious to observe today as neither his people was cremated there. In
Scandinavia the difference indicates a special religious role of the dead chieftain - indicating that the
southern ancestor cult based on Wothan/Gaut was now established around Uppsala.

The change of burial practice has been used as an argument against the hypotheses of this article, but
inhumation and cremation has been existing side by side in Scandinavia all the time indicating that one
religion did not necessarily afford one single burial practice. Procopius description of the cremation
demonstrates, that the Heruls cannot be indentified in Sweden by their inhumation burial custom from
Moravia as they could use cremation too. Later they may have found it necessary to give the king/chieftain in
Sweden a separate status in death symbolizing an eternal life of a devine person - using their old habits from
Moravia and the symbolic Scandinavian boat. In the last 10 years boat graves are found at Sealand as the
Roman Iron Age boat graves at Slusegaard, Bornholm. What is found in the Uppsala region may be a
mixture of the old Herulian inhumation burials, the royal mounds used both in Central Europe and Uppsala,
and the Nordic cremation burials caused by the integration of two peoples different habits – not finding the
final balance in the first round. Also when the Goths were earlier gathered as a new group at Vistula a new
burial practice was established. This will be further discussed in Chapter 11.5 as Snorri may have explained
this problem. We shall not forget however, that this could also be a more consequent organisation of the old
mixed customs before the Uppsala Mounds – as archaeology leaves both possibilities open.

Danish archaeologists have mentioned similarities between the Alemannic ”reihengräber” and Bornholm,
where horses are found in the tombs like in Vendel/Valsgärde/Tuna, but also these tombs are from the later
Vendel-period. E-W-oriented "reihengräber" were under development in Moravia already in the 5th century,
but the graves at Bornholm could be connected with other people along the Roman and Frankish borders.

In general Scandinavian archaeologists have referred to similar royal Merovingian graves, but after
Childeric's burial in 482 AD the graves in France were church burials and of those only the grave of
Arnegunde in St Denis around 570 AD is known today - containing only personal jewellery as burial gifts.
The graves with precious gifts and weapons referred to as Merovingian are situated in Koeln and Morken at

In the last decades the big halls from around 550-950 AD have been excavated, but only small parts of Lejre have
been systematically excavated until now. Downstreams in Gevninge an eyebrow of a helmet being of the same kind
as the helmets in Vendel was found in 1999.

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the Rhine, Beckum in Westfalen and Niederstotzingen at the Upper Danube – all in the eastern border-areas
of the Frankish kingdom and with many artefacts of an Eastern European character. Merovingian shall in this
case refer to the period and not to the Christian Frankish people and their dynasty.

2.1.4.3 The answer

The connection between Heruls and boat graves will therefore be an indirectly consequence of the
earlier questions about Earls and Svear.

In the old settlements of the Uppsala-area (Vendel, Valsgärde and the ”-tuna”-villages) the boat graves and
Style II first appeared 25-75 years after the first Scandinavian change of civilisation in Uppsala. Probably
this demonstration of wealth was the result of a consolidation of the royal power and the “earl-structure”.
The new style points was as mentioned influenced by Eastgermanic style, but spread primarily in the
Lombardian, Alemannic, Bavarian and Anglo Saxon regions too. In the two last regions also the
Scandinavian runes were spread. This could simply be due to the change in Europe when the Eastgermanic
kinsmen of the Heruls disappeared from South Eastern Europe – some of them to Lombardia/Italia and the
Rhine. The Franks became dominating in the trade centers along the Rhine, where former allies of the Heruls
and the Western Heruls lived at the eastern bank of the river. A small part could in the theory be due to pagan
Alemannic refugees from the Frankish expansion following the Herulian king - maybe from Bornholm,
which name could indicate Burgundian refugees too.

The development in Scandinavia indicates that the Danes and the people at the islands in the Baltic Sea had
better craftsmen than the Heruls, who probably had another focus in the turbulent years. Besides an original
style of Herulic equipment and craft was washed out by the vagrant life together with other tribes as nomads,
mercenaries and thieves. It was only natural that the new mixed society used the impulses coming from the
successful Merovings and their later supporters, the Alemanni after the destruction of the Eastgermanic
people in 567.

There is especially an obvious connection regarding the symbolism of power between Uppsala and East
Anglia/Mercia until the beginning of the 7th century. Because of the character it was hardly due to trade, but
because of a common dynastic connection. This topic will be discussed separately as a whole in chapter 3.

2.1.5 Heruls and Eric – the god?

2.1.5.1 The god Eric

This question by Åke Hyenstrand referred to the biography of Ansgar by Rimbert who in the
second part of the 9th century visited Birca and mentioned the considerations about raising a dead
king Eric to a god. Hyenstrand referred to the royal names Eric, Alric and Rolf as Herulic, but no
Herul is known by the name Eric and all these royal names are formed by general Germanic words.
Therefore the name itself can not be used to identify any Heruls, but it is relevant to discuss the
more general connection between the ancestor gods and the pagan Germanic people like the
Heruls.

The Germanic ending ”-ric” is the same as the Latin ”rex” and indicated that the name was royal. Åke
Hyenstrand had noticed that according to Rimbert the gods of the Svear had announced through a man
listening to their meeting: ”We will agree to summon your former King Eric to join us so that he may
be one of the gods” [Rimbert /Robinson 1921, Chapter XXVI]. Hyenstrand compared with Jordanes
mentioning the names Erik and Alrik, which were also found in Ynglingatal. Jordanes, however did not
mention any Herulic king of that name (her referred to a Visigoth) and Ynglingatal referred to much older

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legends. The problem is not that we do not know a Herul of that name as they probably used it. The problem
is that it was a generally used Germanic name. Consequently the use of it in Sweden was not necessarily
caused by a Herulic presence there. Unfortunately Hyenstrand focussed on the name instead of the principle.
He should have asked: Heruls and ancestorgods?

2.1.5.2 Heruls and ancestor gods?

Procopius told about the Illyrian Heruls that these reckless barbarians worshipped a host of gods.
Jordanes on his side told that the migrating Goths earlier - before they were baptised as Arian
Christians - worshipped the heroes among their ancestors. He told that the Gothic word for
ancestor gods was "ansis", which appear to be the background for the rune name "ansuZ" (God)
and the divine group of "Ases". The first ancestor in "Getica" was Gapt. In the early royal
genealogies in England from the 7th century Geat and Wothen were placed in front - indicating a
similar connection between the gods and the royal ancestors there. Gapt and Geat were possibly
identical with the god named Gaut, who in the ON poem Grimnismal was mentioned as an earlier
name for Odin - the maingod of the Ases.

In spite of the mentioning of ancestor gods Jordanes also told that the wargod of the Goths was
earlier Mars, just as Procopius told that the maingod in Scandinavia was a wargod (Ares/Mars). A
wargod as maingod was probably Odin.

Earlier the gods in Scandinavia were Mercurius, Tyr, Nerthus and Ing according to Tacitus. The
two last gods may have been fertility gods of the old society of independent farmers - the Vanes.

When the warrior elite emerged73 the importance of the gods changed too. The maingod of the
Scandinavian warrior elite, Odin, probably first arrived as the Westgermanic god Woden/Wothan in
the 5th century. Maybe he had a parallel in a North- or East Scandinavian cousin Gaut. Some of his
shamanistic features could even together with the animal styles point back against the
Scythic/Sarmatic (or Samic) nomades. The Heruls may have brought with them some of these
elements of the maingod, but he existed in Scandinavia before their royal family arrived.

The mixed Pantheon is mainly known from the Norse literature and will be discussed in a later
chapter, as it cannot be used as arguments regarding the Heruls.

Jordanes wrote about the Goths: “And because of the great victory they had won in this region, they
thereafter called their leaders, by whose good fortune they seemed to have conquered, not mere men, but
demigods, that is Ansis. Their genealogy I shall run through briefly, telling the lineage of each
... Now the first of these heroes, as they themselves relate in their legends, was Gapt” [Jordanes/Mierow
1921; Chapter XIII/XIV]. Arne Søby Christensen has denied that Ansis was a Gothic tradition, but his
arguments do not lead to that conclusion – just that the king 400 years earlier was not historical, which is no
surprise (see chapter 1.3.1.4.). It is quite obvious that Jordanes referred to a usual ancestor religion as a
parallel to the maingods, where he mentioned that their wargod was Mars: “highly were the Getae praised
that Mars, whom the fables of poets call the god of war, was reputed to have been born among them....Now
Mars has always been worshipped by the Goths with cruel rites, and captives were slain as his victims”
[Jordanes/Mierow 1921, Chapter V]. When Jordanes wrote the Goths were Arian Christians, but he referred
to earlier customs at a time when the Heruls and Goths were closely related Eastgermanic people, whom we
should expect to have the same kind of religion. We have no details about the gods of the Heruls, but
Procopius wrote they were “worshipping a great host of gods, whom it seemed to them holy to appease even

73 Lotte Hedeager has described the theory about the elite of warriors in her doctoral thesis primarily based on the
circumstances in Jutland. The offerings of weapons in Jutland and Fyen indicate many wars, and based on the finds
in Illerup Ådal Jørgen Ilkjær has shown armies penetrating from Germany, Norway and Götaland 0-300. Later finds
are also located along the Scandinavian shores of the Baltic Sea.

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by human sacrifices.” [Procopius/Dewing 1921, Book VI, XIV]. About the religion in Scandinavia he further
wrote about their first captive in war: “for they sacrifice him to Ares whom they regard as the greatest god”
and he mentioned that they had gods for all elements [Procopius/Dewing 1921, Book VI, XV].

Maybe the two historians could not distinguish between the religions of these people, but the same kind of
religion appear to have been used by all the other Germanic people led by their warrior elite.

The Gothic expression “ansis” is of course related to the words for “ancestor”, but it is also very close to the
rune “ansuZ”, which meant “god” as a rune name. This linguistic connection indicates a Scandinavian
relation between gods and ancestors, which is is further supported by the divine name “Ases”, which is
regarded to derive from AnsuZ.

This is of course far from our way to regard a god, but it is in accordance with the Germanic way to regard
the royal family. When the Germanic people were baptized and got a written language one of their first tasks
regarding history was to set up a royal genealogy. Among the first kings in these lists were always found
some of their earlier maingods such as Gaut, Geat, Wothen, Odin, Ing and Thor. This was not in order to
throw suspicion on the old religion, as claimed by some scholars, but in order not to throw out the traditions
which placed the right to the throne on the royal family. All these royal lists must have been manipulated for
that purpose.

This was not possible in a religion worshipping as example the sun as a god. Here the king could be a
representative or a reinkarnation of the god74. This is maybe the original difference between the socalled
Vanes from the old societies of farmers and the Ases of the warrior elite.

In this way the same society could operate with more than one level of gods – as also Jordanes indicated
above. Gods, where some of them could be placed in the royal genealogies, and ancestors being rised as
gods.

It is obvious that the Heruls had such a family since Procopius told about “royal blood” and the Illyrian
Heruls searched for a king from the family 1000 km away.

Above we have one example of the royal lists where Gapt is normally being regarded as a misspelling of
Gaut [Wolfram], the Scandinavian god of the Götes, as Jordanes regarded the Goths to be Swedish Gautoi
(Göter). He was probably the same as Geat in the English lists, but more examples will be mentioned in a
later chapter.

Both Jordanes, Rimbert and the royal genealogies tell us that ancestor cults were a part of the Germanic
religions. That is not controversial at all, as they also were a part of the Roman religion before Christianity,
the cult around the Roman emperors being raised as god after their death – and the cult around the earlier
Scandinavian burial mounds.

In that way we should expect a kind of ancestor cult among the Svear independently of a Herulic settlement
in the Mälar Valley.

74 According to Tacitus already the old fertility cult of the Ingviones had sacral kings or kings, who were
reincarnations of gods. The name Suiones may indicate a worshipping of the sun, as the first part of the name derive
from Svi, and therefore the Svear possibly also had a fertility cult. Later these kings became descendants of the
divine ancestor Gaut, and the same is supposed to be the background of the Southern Germanic god Wothan, who
was probably "born" in the turbulent border areas between Germania and the Roman Empire. Both Gaut and Wothan
were primarily gods of the warriors and nomads. This change of religion may be caused by a change from
agriculture to cattle/nomadic life as the climate changed or as the farmers were attacked by enemies. The Heruls
lived side by side with Goths and Alans, whom they probably were influenced by. There are also obvious Scythian
remains in the Norse myths. Later on most of the Goths became Christians (Arians), when they met the Romans.

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2.1.5.3 The answer

Apparently the Germanic people regarded their royal families as descendents of the gods - at least
when the Ases were introduced. Obviously they used to raise heroes to gods as Jordanes and
Rimbert told, but they also manipulated the royal lists by putting existing main gods in front of
their royal genealogies - maybe a part of the change of religion.

Under all circumstances the development of the pagan religion with its mixture of ancestors, Ases
and Vanes appear to be Germanic in general and was hardly caused by the Heruls alone.

2.2 A possible scenario

Based on the most probable answer a possible scenario can be that the Eastern Heruls sailed from
the Varni to Blekinge and passed the Danes without suffering violence. At the arrival they settled in
Blekinge/Värend - maybe around Thorsjö/Odinsjö. As they were no farmers and the local farmers
were few they began their usual plundering and threat. Consequently the Nations of the Danes
made an alliance and threatened to do like the Lombards. The Heruls focussed instead on the
economical and strategical position of the Swedes - if this was not the final target from the very
start. Two possibilities will now lead to the same result. The king of the Svear may have called on
the Heruls as mercenaries against threatening neighbours and made the usual kind of alliance
where his son married the daughter of the Herulian king - and afterwards the Heruls took over as
Gilda and Bede told about Continental Barbarians in England. Alternatively the Heruls and their
allied from Högom simply attacked the Svear and took power.

They established a new structure of earls at the Tuna-centres and planned an efficient integration of
the two people, where burial customs, religion etc. were harmonized. A part of the model for such a
successful establishment of power they had learned from Theodoric 10 years earlier, and they
themselves had been used to change customs after the people they served or followed.

The difference between the fiasco in Illyria and a possible success in Scandinavia was probably the
monoteistic characther of the Christian religion. The arian Theodoric accepted the Catholics, but it
is obvious by reading Procopius that the Heruls in Illyria could not be accepted as true Christians.
Opposite Widukind told much later that the Scandinavians accepted foreign gods in their religion
side by side with their own gods. The gods of the warrior elite, the Ases, could in this way be
mixed up with the old fertility gods of the Svear, the Vanes - a development which had started
before the Heruls arrived. As in the other Germanic people Woden and Frej were placed in front of
the royal genealogy to secure the family's exclusive right to the throne - and at a later time the god
Woden/Odin found his way into fragments of their old legends about the migrations of the people.

Centuries later the dynasty spread their power to other kingdoms - or escaped that way - where the
rune stones in Sparlösa and Rök were raised 300 years later. In the same way Ynglingetal and
Ynglingesaga were later written.

It is possible to put more details into the scenario above by reading Ynglingasaga by Snorre and the
legends about Frode and Gylfe. This shall, however, be regarded as literature and not as historical
sources as described below.

Other possible scenarios can be set up leading to the same result.

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We know that the Heruls were living in Scandinavia – at least in the 6th century – but the historical sources
fail to describe the settlement in Scandinavia. Several scenarioes can be set up explaining what happened
based on the information and hypotheses above. In order to show how likely it is, a single one is chosen here
out of several possibilities.

2.2.1 The journey and the motives behind

As described in main chapter 1 a group of Heruls was already present in Scandinavia in the 5th century -
probably due to trade. Under all circumstances a trade route existed, as did a connection bringing the solidi
to the Scandinavian workshops and market places. Therefore the Heruls knew exactly what they were
heading against.

Procopius indicated that the Heruls were among the last Goths worshipping the old gods, and probably their
royal family based their power on an ancestor-cult worshipping the wargod – being Gaut, Wothan or another
name. The general political situation in 507-09 AD was that the alliances of Theodoric against the Franks
failed. The Visigoths were defeated, the Alemanni were pressed up against the Alps and the Heruls suffered a
disasterous defeat. Now the Christian Franks and Lombards began to dominate the Germanic people. As
Theodoric had taken the Heruls under protection and regarded Hrodolphus as his ”son in arms”, the Heruls
should be expected to go into exile in Italy at Theodoric, but only a small group went there according to the
scholars – probably because they were pagan and the Goths were Arian Christians. The homeless royal
family of the Heruls probably needed to settle in an area where their old religion and their own “divine”
position was still accepted. The legendary "homelands" of the Gauts at Scandia (accepted by Gothic
historians of that time) were of course an obvious possibility, and later Procopius even stressed that here “the
Gautoi were numerous”.

Of course they could find religious freedom elsewhere, but their natural choise would be to follow the trade
route which had given them a part of their income by taxation until now. This should also be possible further
north.

First they tried to follow the Vistula, but here the Slaws were expanding. Therefore they turned against north
west, but they did not settle in the empty areas west of the Slavs and they did not follow the Oder. Maybe
they instead visited some of the people who Theodoric/Cassiodorus had tried to gather against the
Merovingian kings – as they passed near to the regions where the Thuringians and the Varni (later a part of
the Saxons) lived. Maybe groups of these people even followed a charismatic king of the Heruls towards the
dream of a religious sanctuary. Maybe also pagans among the other people along the Frankish borders and
even among the Franks followed the Herulian king going north. In the second part of the 6th century
archaeology showed connections from Scandinavia to the very same areas.

The knowledge about Scandinavia from their partners up there may have caused the migration to follow a
plan after which they from an interim base at their allied, the Varni, negotiated with the Varni and Danes
about the right to pass the Danes on ships sailed by the Varni (as the Bosporanians sailed them earlier).
Therefore Procopius could tell that they “passed the Nations of the Danes without suffering violence”.

In that case they would go to shore somewhere at the eastern coasts of Scania or in Blekinge – with
Listerland is a likely possibility. Here and up along the river in Värend in a scarcely populated area they
could stay for a while waiting to be gathered and reconcilidated inside the reach of Scania and the trade
centres at Bornholm and Oeland. They were probably able to buy some cattle for their golden treasures, but
they had to take up their old way of living too.

They probably needed such a place of gathering. We shall be carefull by regarding this as a migration of one
single army. A group of the original Goths were under pressure at the mouth of the Vistula. Their destiny is
unknown, but some of them may also have migrated to Scandinavia when the Slavs penetrated the Eastern

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Europe75. Also small groups of Heruls and pagan Goths can be supposed to arrive from the Germanic defeats
in Southern Europe76, but there are no signs of Christian Goths in Scandinavia at that time.

Maybe they even knew themselves that it was only a matter of time before the Danes had to stop them.
Procopius mentioned the Dani “nations” in plurais – maybe at least Scania, Sealand and Halland as separate
nations, but they more likely consisted of many local chieftains. Probably one of the Danish chieftains took
the lead at that time and formed an alliance as a king – a process which went on until the 10th century. That
was probably what also the Lombards did. The Heruls did not find the poor area worth to fight for – at least
does the scattered information indicate that the Danes just frightened or expelled the Heruls, which is even
reflected in the Norse legends (Chapter 3.4).

If they had not already done it before they arrived, they had now had the opportunity to search for and
analyze the possibilities. The Danes had become too strong, the Norwegean places were too small and
isolated – even more than Värend – the Götes at the plains had been used to keep out the intruders for
centuries. The Götes had earlier slain the horseriders, and the finds in Finnestorp may indicate that the Heruls
had tried again. It was still the fur trade route which was most interesting, but the islands on the route were
not what the Eastern Heruls were used of – they were horse riders. Their allies from Högom had possibly at
that time found a new livingplace in the Mälar Valley. This was open fertile land, in the nearby Bergslagen
they had found a lot of iron, and the trade route passed the area with Helgö in the mouth of the Mälar (at that
time a firth) as a rich trade center for centuries. The Mälar Valley was the obvious choise – a flourishing
economy was excactly what they needed.

2.2.2 The take over and the integration

They had two main possibilites. They could negotiate an alliance regarding military protection as
mercenaries or they could conquer the area.

The alliance is not unrealistic. The Svear were probably attacked all the time as Jordanes described the
situation for the people in the fertile areas. Bede told77 that the Angles, Saxons and Jutes 50 years earlier
were called to England to help the Britons against the Picts – a group probably containing Western Heruls
too. Later these protectors turned their weapons against the same Britons.

An alliance of that kind would probably imply marriage between members of the royal dynasties, which
could later lead to an integration of the dynasties. Political marriages were usual among the Germanic
dynasties.

Maybe the Heruls were experienced soldiers, but we have under all circumstances to regard them as a
minority. If it was a military take over together with the allied from Högom, they may have subdued some of
the local tribes one by one instead of expelling them. 10-20 years earlier the war-experienced Heruls subdued
their neighbours around the Danube – and lost the power again. They had probably learned by their mistakes
using now the same tactics as their ally Theodoric did in Italy 5-15 years before they left.

75 Some scholars find them identical with the Heathobeards – hereditary enemy of the Scyldings, but this is not correct.
The Heathobeards were a branch of the Scyldings - descendents of Frode (Troels Brandt, 2004: Danernes
Sagnhistorie).
76 Examples: Ermaneric 350-75, Attila 451, Odoaker 493, Visigoths 507, Heruls 494-512 and 548-566 or Ostrogoths
536 and 553.
77 Bede's “Historia Ecclesiastica” (c. 730) and the Celtic Gilda from around 550 AD. Gilda called them all Barbarians
or Saxons, and according to Gudmund Schytte Bede was not 250 years later able to distinguish the different people
and tribes. As Gilda mentioned, that these wild beasts were feared as they had been there before, and that they
defended their coasts against them, it is therefore more likely, that they first called for assistance in the nearby
Frisian area, where groups of Herulian mercenaries were supposed to live. Earlier the Britains called Roman
Legions for help, with the result that Western Herulian mercenaries in the 360’ies twice assisted at the Scottish
border (Ammianus).

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Theodoric had occupied Italy with a Gothic/Rugian army78 after the war against Odoaker, but he let the
civilian Roman society work without interference – to his own economic advantage. Already Odoaker had
followed such tactics by the use of Heruls. The people of Northern Italy were probably happy to pay 1/3 of
their harvest in tax as they for the first time in many years could live in peace. He was an Arian though
growing up in Konstantinopel, but he accepted the Catholics in Italy. Theodoric is even mentioned at the Rök
Stone and he is supposed to be a model for the Danish mythical king Frode Fredegod (the German Dietrich
of Bern) about whom is told, that he under his "Frode Peace" could place a golden ring at the road without
any one touching it - just like Theodoric under his "Gothic Peace". If Theodoric could end up in the Danish
legends as the great ideal – maybe through the narratives of the Heruls79 – he could also be a role model to
the people of his “son in arms”.

It is not so important if a member of the Herulian dynasty became king or they remained as earls as the
dynasties just may have melted together. The important is that the Herulic minority probably was integrated
with the Svear.

How it could be done we can only guess. They both spoke a Germanic language, being at that time closer to
each other than today. In that way the initial problem was easily solved. In general the Heruls were probably
eager to support the integration process in order to follow the ideas of Theodoric80.

They probably build up a structure of smaller units controlled and protected by an earl and his soldiers as
Theodoric did in Italy. The structure is indicated by the Tuna-settlements and the boat graves.

Scandinavia must have been severely hit by the “dark years” 536-38, where the sun disappeared in a cloud of
dust all over the world. It was a catastrophe being described by many historians as a great famine. The king
of a society of pagan farmers would normally be held responsible for that, but hardly the earls and their
soldiers who would profit on that situation. The warlike Heruls would without doubt strengthen their position
at that time.

The religion was obviously a great problem between Justinian and the Heruls as indicated by Procopius. The
reason here was the monoteistic character of the Christian religion. That is the reason why Angelika Lintner-
Potz could call her thesis “The Heruls – a failed etnogenesis”.

Among the pagan religions the problems did not need to be so heavy - especially if the religions had the
same character as described above. They probably had different gods, but it is no coincidence that the Roman
authors could translate them with their own names. The Saxon historian Widukind told much later that the
Danes could accept Christ as a god side by side with their own gods. In that case it was just a question about
merging the two Pantheons – and that was exactly what appear to have happened in Scandinavia. The final
result was the three main gods Odin, Thor and Frej side by side in Uppsala as told by Adam of Bremen.

The change of the religion was a process, which went on for centuries, but as mentioned a radical change
happened 450-55081. This was the introduction of Wothen/Odin in Scandinavia – and that was without doubt

78 Theodoric is supposed to have used 20.000 soldiers to defeat Odoaker and cover Rome and Italy.
79 In Danish history we find many kings under the name Frode, who might have Theodoric as their model. Some
scholars regard Frode as a general nickname “The wise”, others regard Frode as Frey, but in Old English “Freothu”
means “Peace”. Probably Frithu (peace in Gothic) is the link between Theodoric - famous for his Gothic peace - and
the name Frode, where the most famous Frode later on got the nickname Fredegod consisting of the elements
"peace" and "good/gode/Goth" in Danish. The description of the death and funeral of Frode Fredegod, where his
body was transported around in the whole country, has according Niels Lukman similarities to ancient Gothic habit
of royal funerals.
80 This may be the reason why the name of the Heruls could disappear imperceptibly. They wanted to be identified
with their new people as their ruling class.
81 Maybe the timing was perfect after the fifth century, as the cult of Wothan already had expanded from south
displacing the old fertility cult of the Ingviones in many regions – a.o. Jutland. Especially the bracteates of the 5th
century may indicate that expansion. The Danes at Sealand and Scania "were of the same stock as the Suiones"

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used by the Heruls too.

The Heruls had probably been used to many burial customs when travelling around and serving other people.
As semi nomads they had probably not felt it necessary to raise impressing monuments before Mähren. The
change of religion made it also possible to change the burial rites of Scandinavia. The result were the
anonymous cremations placed flatly in the field – unexpensive without difference between ordinary people.
Only the kings got monuments, but they were burned as the rest as also Procopius told. Later the earls
wanted to show their position in the society and religion, and found a combination of the European princely
graves with the Norse customs.

In order to tie the throne to the family they had to make the god a part of the family as described earlier, but
how this was done we can only guess. Maybe Odin became the head of the Herulic dynasty and Frej of the
dynasty of the Svear.

A consequence may have been that the high-priest-function (the "gode") was exercised by or controlled by
the king. Maybe the "gode"-function in Uppsala was the only official justification of the superior king -
except for the superiority inside the family. The superior royal courts (thing) may have been combined with
sacrifice, feast and market - maybe, if the kingdom covered wide areas, combined by an astronomical
calendar being used in every corner of the kingdom. Narratives and archaeology may indicate such a
combination, but this will never allow us to conclude the opposite way.

2.2.3 The consolidation

The new society and its official religion was probably formed over a period of at least 50 years – though
being continiously changed afterwards. Most of the small Scandinavian kingdoms probably continued, but
some of the neighbouring kingdoms were in the Vendel Period subdued and maybe sometimes ruled by the
"Earls" - and even the islands in the Baltic Sea showed around 600AD a uniform style.

In the middle of the 6th century the Heruls lost their old connections with the area of Dacia and Pannonia,
when the Awars replaced the Lombards, Gepides and Heruls. Therefore the connections with the Western
Germanic cultural centres became the most important, which inevitably affected the cultural development in
Scandinavia, when the dynasty had to manifest its power and wealth imitating their victorious former
enemies, the Franks and the Lombards.

The archaeological signs of a contemporary military and religious change all over Scandinavia to a
homogenious area with a new strong concentration of power around Uppsala – and with some less
significant centres in Gotland, Gudhjem, Lejre and Gudme – could indicate that the kings in Uppsala
expanded their power with Uppsala as the base of the superior king. This was probably only the case in the
Middle and Northern Sweden - and first at a later stage - as the trade connections between the centres appear
to be low most of the time (Karen Hoeilund Nielsen) and as the uniformity can be explained as above with
Heruls working as "earls" in the other kingdoms or just as their symbols and weapons may be copied.

Later the dynasty appear to have been spread to other places which the rune stones in Rök and Sparlösa
indicate around 800 AD. The same was even indicated in the Norwegean Ynglingatal in the 10th century. We
do not know if this was due to superiority or if the family were now refugees due to a new dynasty.

The Sparlösa-stone could indicate an Uppsala-superiority over Götaland around 800 (unless it referred earlier
events) - making these kings a part of an old dynasty from Uppsala. Such a rule shall not be regarded as an
Uppsala-empire, but a subjugation for a short period of time with payment of tribute. Maybe Uppsala had a
kind of a religious superiority with Heruls placed in some of the other kingdoms or married into the royal
families - just as in Southern Europe.

according to Jordanes - maybe just meaning original worshippers of the sun - which corresponds with Tacitus.

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2.3 Conclusions regarding the settlement

The questions by Åke Hyenstrand could not be answered without any doubt, but the main question
about Heruls and Svear lead to the most probable explanation, which also indirectly answered most
of the other questions. The answer based on a combination of history and archaeology without any
use of legends leads to the following conclusion about Scandinavia:

There is no doubt that the Herulian dynasty was operating in Scandinavia in the 6th century and
that there were connections between the Heruls and Scandinavia in the 5th century. The most
probable explanation is that the Moravian Heruls settled in the Uppsala region and that their
dynasty as kings or earls became a part of the dynasty of the Svear. The archaeology does show the
necessary tracks of that, but archaeology will probably never constitute a proof.

The usual attitude has been that Uppsala and Vendel is an internal development until the opposite is
proven – with an article by the professor in English, Alvar Ellegård, as the historical alibi. This
attitude is irresponsible as the risk is that the most likely explanation regarding the Heruls will be
left out of the archaeological research and examinations – just as it is hardly mentioned in the
literature.

2.3.1 Alternatives
Variations of the Hypothesis of the Heruls with the same conclusion can be described in this way:

● The Herulian people left in the 3rd century Scandinavia – maybe expelled by the Danes.
Most of the Heruls followed the Goths to the Black Sea and settled at the Dnepr. A group of
the Heruls however went over Jutland to Northern Frisia operating there as mercenaries and
vikings (The old explanation of the origin).
● A group of the Herulian pirates attacked Thessaloniki in 268, but surrendered to the Romans
and became mercenaries headed by Naulobates. They were transferred to the mouth of
Rhine, where they from 286 were mentioned as pirates and mercenaries.
● A group of forerunners settled in the 5th century in Scania, where they attacked their
neighbours and the finds at Finnestorp and Vennebo are due to such defeats. Therefore they
were expelled by the Danes from Scania as mentioned by Jordanes and settled maybe at
Bornholm, Oeland or Värend. When the royal family arrived 509-512 they settled for a
while at their kinsmen in Southern Sweden, who in the meantime had got ships and were
able to sail from Southern Sweden to Uppland.
● One of their Scandinavian kings, Roduulf, gave up and returned to the court of Theodoric.

Procopius and Jordanes can be interpreted in all four ways, and the alternatives will neither be in conflict
with the archaeology nor with the Hypothesis of the Heruls. The alternatives may be combined in several
ways.

2.3.2 Conclusion about history compared with archaeology

The very concrete information from Procopius that the Heruls settled at the Scandinavian Peninsula – first
time at or beside the Gauts - and that their dynasty still possessed power in Sweden 39 years later, should be
regarded as reliable as this was a contemporary information – obviously even passed to him by eyewitnesses.
He was not able to manipulate the description of the return of Datius from Scandinavia as this was already
wellknown by his relevant contemporary readers. He would only loose his credibility by manipulating that
information. Further a Herulic presense in Scandinavia after the defeat of the Huns should be regarded as

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confirmed by Jordanes and 300 years later probably also by the Rök Stone. It will even be demonstrated in
the next chapter that the earlier argument against the Heruls that they left no trace in the Norse legends is no
longer valid. Their arrival can not be neglected as already concluded in Chapter 1.

The combination of the indications in the wording by Procopius and Jordanes points at a short interim
settlement between Danes and Götes. This should be followed by a later integration with a Scandinavian
people further north, where their royal dynasty was still active, but that part of the historical conclusion is not
unequivocal as statements in the sources used for the purpose are very short and unclear. Though Jordanes in
this way may confirm Procopius this is too uncertain to be a historical proof of a settlement in Uppsala, but
we have a clear historical indication of a settlement so far north. Furthermore we should in the opposite case
find international archaeological traces from the 6th century in one of the former countries of the Götes
stronger than in Svealand – which is not the case.

The theoretical possibility that also the royal family disappeared is rejected by the Rök Stone. They were
maybe integrated by intermarriage, but they did not forget the origin of the family. This would also be totally
against their earlier behaviour, their military background, the determination bringing them all the way to
Sweden and especially the fact that they were worth sending for, when the Illyrian Heruls wanted a new king
39 years later.

The archaeological recognition in the Uppsala area of a new kind of royal manifestation with a touch of
Roman mercenary culture should be regarded as certain - and independent of Procopius. The area was since
then - and according to some legends also before - the residence of the kings of Svealand. The Eastgermanic
fibulas and the Scandinavian bracteates from the 5th century confirms that the Heruls in Moravia had heard
about the Scandinavian destination, but they do not specifically point at the Mälar-region. Neither does the
more general change in offerings and burial traditions in the first part of the 6th century. What does point
against the Mälar Region is the archaeology from the 6th century as summarized in Chapter 2.1.3.4.7, which
shall not be repeated here. As also concluded in that chapter the founders of the civilisation will never be
identified unequivocally by archaeology with the usual technology.

The conclusion that Uppsala is the most likely explanation is based on the combination of history and
archaeology, as we know their tracks shall be found. We can not exclude that Uppsala was a local
development, which would mean that two similar international societies of former mercenaries with
Eastgermanic connections grew up contemporarily near the Götes, but it is rather unlikely – especially as we
have no tracks of such a second society.

The last question in Chapter 1 was: “How could the leading dynasty of this strong and feared people of
warriors disappear in Scandinavia without a trace in archaeology or legends?” The answer to the
first part of the question is that we have such traces in Uppland matching this former allied with
Odoaker, Childeric and Theodoric, but it is not possible to identify them with certainty

2.3.3 Certainty and further possibilities

Wanting more certainty we do have to wait for further archaeological finds or investigations, including more
detailed analyzes of weapons, burial traditions and fibulas. DNA-analyses of human bones and maybe horses
in the graves comparing the countries along the Danube with the Scandinavian centers around 500AD will be
very important. In this connection DNA-analyses of the Norwegean queen in the Oseberg shipburial (being
regarded as a descendant of the Ynglinga-family by Norwegean scholars) show that she probably had an
ancestor in the Black Sea region - but this may have been centuries or milleniums back in time. A planned
escavation of the Eastern Mound in Uppsala could be a step in the right direction if the DNA-profiles are
compared also with DNA samples from the tombs around Blucina. However the archaeological
characteristics of the Heruls were blurred by 75 years of fellowship with Huns and Ostrogoths ending only
50 years before the migration, and by the role as mercenaries in armies of mixed Germanic nationality. As

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they were a relatively small part of the population in Scandinavia we shall never expect many such finds, but
something should be found.

Another group of sources is found among the Frankish historians and the Scandinavian and English
storytellers, where the single information does not have any historical value because of a late recording.
However the total impression might give us some headlines of the historical development in Scandinavia.
Snorri Sturlasson clearly tells us, that the kings of Uppsala originated from the area around Don – just like
the Heruls – without mentioning the Heruls at all. Actually this was the missing link, if we wanted to present
a convincing evidence of the Hypothesis of the Heruls using only history, but the source is not reliable for
this purpose. However if we regard this ”literature” from a higher perspective we will in a surprising way get
an explanation of the hypothesis described in the following chapter.

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3 The Norse myths and legends

In Northern Europe a rich literature is found about the past in Scandinavia, but it is common for
nearly all these works that they were written down 1000-1300 AD - long time after the events.
Accordingly they can never be regarded as historical sources as such, but they contain invaluable
information about the Viking Culture.

In Iceland Snorri Sturlasson wrote in the Edda a dialog between the Svea-king Gylfe and the god
Odin, but initially in the work he told the traditional story about the origin of the gods and the royal
family in Troy - a late Christian version. After travelling around in Scandinavia Snorri later told in
Ynglingesaga another legend about a king, Odin, and his "men from Asia", who came from the
surroundings of Tanais - just like the Eastern Heruls believed they did according to Jordanes.
Though the description of the route was based on the geography and travel routes of the Mediaval
Ages, and over the span of years probably melted together, it is possible to recognize the history of
the Heruls. This "Odin" first time settled at one of the several places called "Odinsey" - which
could as well be Odinsjö in Sweden as at the Danish Odense as Snorre believed. From here the
king negotiated with Gylfe and later he moved to Sigtuna and got a temple in the town of Gylfe -
Uppsala. A settlement in two stages like the Heruls' as described above - ending in Uppsala. He
told about the mixture of Ases and Vanes - the Wothan cult of the warriors and the old
Scandinavian fertility cult, where Tacitus' Nerthus and Ing were succeded by Njord and Frej. He
told how the king “Odin” was raised as a god - in accordance with Jordanes and Rimbert - a natural
proces in the history of religions. Then he told about a successful Scandinavian integration project,
including new burial customs with cremation (except Frej – the ancestor of the Ynglings).

We are not able to decide today how much of the work are reconstructions and how much are
fragments of old legends about the kings, where the gods in the traditional way were placed in the
front. Rabid scholars have accused Snorri for inventing it all as a Christian in the 13th century in
order to throw suspicion on the pagan religion as euhemeristic. The case is that he did not need to
invent that. The Germanic ancestor cult and the cult around the Roman emperors were by nature
euhemeristic. Quite opposite a lot of the material used by Snorri is known from earlier historians
and poems.

There is no doubt that the sources behind the sagas have been changed over the years – which the
Icelanders were not able to see through. The Pantheon of Snorri is as example a frozen picture
which only indirectly reflects the many differences locally and over time in a dynamic proces - but
most religious people regard their religion in that way too. Snorri told a.e. about the changes in
burial customs in the 6th century which the archaeologists reveal in our time - just as Beowulf (and
Snorri) described the boar helmets of the 6th century, which are now escavated. It is more likely
that he got this information from old poems than he invented such information. Neither could the
Scandinavians have invented the Eastgermanic touch in many of the legends.

Maybe do the manipulated and unreliable Scandinavian sagas and cronicles in this way contain
fragments of the history of this vagrant royal family - which can never be used as historical
evidence, but which can inspire to set up explaining scenarioes around events and connections in
the past.

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3.1 Sagas, chronicles and legends

The Nordic legends and myths were written down several hundred years after the events. They contain many
contradictions and obvious mistakes, and accordingly most scholars reject them as sources at all - just like
they have been neglected in the chapters and the conclusion above. Even the most ingenious philological
interpretation of these legends can be rejected by critique, and many of the legends are of course pure
fairytales or narratives combined from different places or times.

Among scholars it is popular in a thesis to demonstrate knowledge about historical source criticism by
showing parallels between these mediaval works and the classical works. Scholars like Curt Weibull, Niels
Lukmann, Karsten Friis-Jensen, Inge Skovgaard-Petersen, Heinz Klingenberg, Claus Krag, Arne Søby
Christensen have demonstrated that single stylistic elements, names or general story lines may have been
copied from classical works. There is no doubt that a writer like Saxo used his classical knowledge when he
manipulated the legends. However several scholars exaggerate the consequences of these observations - but
not necessarily the above mentioned scholars themselves.

Karsten Friis-Jensen has as example observed that Saxo must have used a work by Valerius Maximus owned
by Absalon, which he quoted 1862 times, but Karsten Friis-Jensen has explained that Saxo used these
sentences to make his language more sophisticated in the classical style. He did not use the content – except
the use of Vergil in parts of Bjarkemaal.

Obvious precense of classical stylistic elements in a poem implicates that the poem was created, changed or
written down by a writer educated in romanesque style, but that does not tell anything about the content -
except that such a Nordic source must be a secondary telling if the events took place earlier than the 11th
century.

Similarities between names from the Migration Ages and names from the Norse Sagas and Myths do not
prove, that such stories are late transferred legends, as the Eastgermanic names from the Migration Ages
were common at the Nordic runestones already in the 9th century and earlier. The same is the case regarding
similar events. It is normally possible somewhere to find a general line of history appearing similar with the
one being analyzed, but only elements of a classical story indentified with certainty by several details and
names may prove, that the Nordic source is unreliable. Even in such cases the work may still have a
substantial Nordic content, as the problem may be a mixup caused by the compiling by later authors.

Even though stylistic elements, names and elements of action in the story in this way can be proven to
originate from a classical work, this will not prove that the total work is made up or has a classical
background.

The Norse poems and legends can not in general be brushed aside by the above mentioned kind of
arguments, but on the other hand they can never be claimed as reliable and convincing. Basically they are
literature, but literature is a mirror of the knowledge at the time it was written - including the existing earlier
sources at that time. We will never get any knowledge of the events and the way of thinking in the Nordic
Iron and Viking Ages if we do not carefully try to find the headlines in the superior structures and courses of
events in those sources – if possible combined with archaeological or external historical information.

Especially the basic religious myths with their headlines and laws are supposed to be better preserved until
Christian times than the normal legends - if political considerations did not contradict

3.1.1 Beowulf and Widsith

Initially the Old English poems, Beowulf and Widsith, shall be discussed as they may illustrate the problems
with the identification of the various Germanic people.

Beowulf is known in only one version from the 10th century, but it is by many scholars supposed to origin

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from a Christian English court in the 8th century. It was based on old pagan legends (many of them usually
regarded as Danish as they tell about Danes and Swedes) put into a fairytale about the dragonkiller, Beowulf
- just like the use of historical persons in poems a.e. Nibelungenlied.

3.1.1.1 Geat and the Geats

Maybe we should notice that Beowulf was a Geat - a name which is known as a personal name from the
royal genealogies and the poem Deor, but unknown as the name of a people. The English bishop Asser told
around 887 AD in "The life of King Alfred" that Alfred's ancestor Geat was worshipped as a pagan god for a
long time. To support that he referred to the Irish/Roman poet Sedilius, who in 455 AD mentioned the
"ridiculoque Geta" - obviously the ancestorgod of the pagans82. At that time "Getae" was according to both
Procopius (553 AD) and Dudo (1020 AD) a common name for the "Gothic people" - Goths, Gepides,
Vandals, Alans, Sarmatians a.o. - and probably also the Heruls, who were often regarded as a Gothic people.
Since the 5th century this name had been generally used, though it was mixed up with an old non Germanic
people of Thracia83 - neighbours of these new “Dacians”. Of course Asser could be mistaken, but as he
combined the English Geat with the Latin Geta84 he and his contemporaries probably regarded the Geats as
the Getae. Jordanes called his own work about the Goths "Getica", where he referred the claim of
Cassiodorus that the Goths were originally Gauts from Sweden. Consequently the Gauts/Götes of Sweden
would to an Englishman knowing Jordanes be a part of the Geats – if they regarded the etnical manipulation
by Cassiodorus as the Gothic origin. That may explain why English poets combined Götic (the fights against
the Swedes) and the Gothic legends in Beowulf as that of Ermaneric. The attempts by the Church to identify
the Goths/Getae with Gog and Magog of the Bible (Isodor de Seville, I) can not be used to question the
reasoning above. A background for the confusion may have been that Gaut, Gapt (misspelling by Jordanes),
Geta, Geat and Geot were all names in different languages covering the same Germanic ancestorgod of old
times, who in Scandinavia according to Grimnismal was later substituted by Odin. It could be a part of that
substitution, when Origo Gentis Langobardorum and Paulus Diaconus used Godan for Woden, and when
Frau Gauden in the folklore of Mecklenburg was known as a female Woden in the "wild hunt". Ingemar
Nordgren's suggestion about a common cultic league worshipping Gaut around the Baltic Sea (Nordgren
2004) may be one of the ways to explain that, but less will do regarding the explanation of Beowulf.

The confusion will explain why the Gothic king Ermaneric had a role to play in Beowulf, and from where
the death of the Geatic king Higelac (the uncle of Beowulf) was copied. The latter was called king Hyglaco
of the Getorum in Liber Monstrorum from the 6th century. The death of this king was by Gregory of Tours
described as the death of a Danish king Chochillaicus - killed in Southern Frisia 515-530 by the Franks85.
Why he 50 years later was called a Dane by Gregory is unknown, but at that time also Venantius used
"Saxones et Dani" as the names of the pirates. He was rather the king of a group of Getae - a.e. Gothic
refugees or remaining Western Herulian pirates from Northern Frisia (later Denmark), who at that time
disappeared from the sources.

82 Link to “The life of King Alfred”. Sedilius or Sedulius was probably of Irish birth and studied pagan religions before
he settled as a poet in Italy and Greece, where he wrote this verse in Carmen Paschale. He shall not be confused with
the later Irish monk of the same name. The OE name "Geot" (which was used as a parallel to "Geat") may according
to Ben Slade (Slade 2003, Deor-notes) be derived from "yeotan", which meant "to pour". Similarily Ingemar
Nordgren (Nordgren 2004, page 173-178) has referred to the scholars discussing "Gaut" being derived from an old
ON version of this verb "to pour" (Da: "gyde", Sw: "gjuta", OSw: "giuta", OWN: "gjota")(ao. Th. Andersson 1998,
page 5). Several connections from the water being connected with the god of birth from old over the spread of sperm
by the phallos-dominated idols to the meaning "man" have been proposed.
83 Both Claudian, Marcellinus Comes, Jordanes, Procopius, Isodor of Seville and Orosius made that mistake.
84 As did Nennius in spelling, while the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle used the combined people name "Geata" and the
Anglian royal lists of Lindisfarna used Geat/Eat with the son Godwulf.
85 The event in the description by Gregory is normally dated to 516, but at that time Theodoberth, the killer of
Chochillaicus, was very young. Therefore Chochillaicus may have died some years later. Venantius described a
similar event in the middle of the 6th century where Saxons joined the Danes as pirates. Liber Monstrorum
mentioned "Hyglaco" as king of "Getorum".

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3.1.1.2 Beowulf and the “Dane” Chocillaicus

In connection with the mentioning of Dani in France we shall notice that the Ravenna Cosmography around
700 AD told that next to the Serdifinni (Scridfenni/Sami) was situated "a country called Dania. In this
country people derived, according to the learned Goths, Aithanarius, Eldevaldus and Marcomirus, being
faster than all other people [as the Heruls were earlier described]. This Dania is now called the country of the
Nordomans (Normans)." [Ravenna Cosmography, IV, 12]. As known the name Normanni was later used to
cover all the people from Scandinavia, which may indicate that the name Dani, which first appeared around
550 AD, was used by the early Franks as a general name of all Germanic people coming from Scandinavia.

Among Danish historians, however, it could be accepted as a consequence of Gregory of Tours and Beowulf
that a friend of Beowulf, king Rolf (Hrodwulf) in Lejre, could be dated to the time around 500 AD. However
the dating does neither correspond with the archaeology of Lejre nor with the range of the Scandinavian
warships in the beginning of the 6th century86. Rather should the founder of Lejre live in the middle of the
6th century. The death of Hugleik is mentioned 3-4 times in Beowulf poem without motivation and
sometimes in a wrong place in the chronology - probably a result of a Christian break up of the original
pagan environment87.

The only link between the Danish Roar (Hrodgar) and the death of Hyglaco in Frisia was limited to the
mythical figure, Beowulf, in a poem several hundred years later - unknown from all other sources and with
the only role to fight against supernatural dragons. It is difficult to regard the claimed link as convincing.
Years after the first publishing of that statement of mine the Danish historian, Arne Søby Christensen, did in
Historisk Tidsskrift 2005-1 claim that Chocillaicus was not a Dane - after I had asked him some questions.
However, he also wrote that the Chocillaicus of Gregor of Tours could not be Higelac of Beowulf due to
differences in spelling. Unfortunately that conclusion is typical for the scholarly methodes used regarding the
poem. Higelac could easily be “Hyglaco” of Liber Monstrorum, who without doubt was the same as the later
Chocillaicus of Gregory of Tours as they described the same event.

No Goths nor Geats were mentioned by Bede, but when he listed up the pagan Germanic people around
Britain (Frisians, Danes, Rugians, Old Saxons and Bruchters (Bede V,ix) he also included the Huns - a name
which may must have included their Germanic followers a.e. Ostrogoths and Eastern Heruls. The Western
Heruls were forgotten at that time. The Hugleik-story of Beowulf has probably an origin among these
Eastgermanic (Getic) groups without any connection with the history of Roar and his Danes.

What is interesting, however, is that the kings known from the Danish legends, a.o. Roar and Rolf, were key
figures in Beowulf. As were the Swedish kings of Uppsala being mentioned in Ynglingatal – Ongentheow,
Onela and Adils - the last name also mentioned at the Sparlösa-stone from around 800 AD.

Roar, Rolf and Ongentheow – but not Hugleik and Beowulf - are also mentioned in the English poem
Widsith, but that poem mixed up heroes from 300-600 AD88.

86 Rolf was the second generation in Lejre, and he probably lived around 600 AD (This is explained in "Danernes
Sagnhistorie" by Troels Brandt).
87 Opposite the style of the poem, the first episode describes a future event and as an explanation of the importance of
the necklace Brisingemen it has without doubt contained the pagan story of Freja and Brisingemen. The episode
about Beowulf swimming home looks like a repetition of the earlier Breka swimming, and it indicates that his home
was England or Frisia. The two other episodes are a part of the historical framework like in Widsith and
Nibelungenlied, where the framework was a mixture of events from different times and places.
88 The poem, which 3 separate parts probably origined from the time around 700 AD, had obviously the same sources
as Beowulf. Of the kings from the later Denmark Widsith "met" Roar and Rolf, the Seadane Siger, the mighty
Danish king Ahlewi (who lived at the same time as the Anglian king Uffe (5th century)), the Hoching (the Halfdane
Hnaef's father in Beowulf was Hoch) Hnaef, the Eute (Jute) Gefwulf and some small Danish kingdoms. Also tribes
with the names Herefarer (King Hringwald) and Herelingas are mentioned. Notice the similarity between
Herelingas, Herilunge-(veld – earlier note) and ErilaR. However Herelingas is normally connected to the Harlungen
Twins, who according to Malone are again connected to "The wild Hunt" and Wothan (Harjan) - but by Wolfram
mentioned as possible Heruls.

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3.1.1.3 England, Scandinavian archaeology and Beowulf

The names in the Beowulf poem and the fact that it was found in England indicate a link between Lejre and
Mercia/East Anglia. In the poem also the boar crested helmets are mentioned, though they disappeared in the
graves around 700 AD. These helmets are found in graves in England and on helmet plates in Sweden
indicating that these old Celtic symbols were used again as signs of social rank in both the Scandinavian
countries and the kingdoms of Mercia/East Anglia – even though the new kind of boar helmets first appear
after the Angles had left Jutland. In the Anglian countries the kings all claimed to descend from Odin/Woden
- here the members of the dynasties had later the same title, eorl/jarl - and here in both areas the ring button
swords were found (earlier a Frankish symbol). The Style II found in Vendel is also found in the Sutton Hoo
grave in East Anglia from about 625 AD among artefacts of Roman or Byzantine origin89. Also the runes
were used in England, but as England had been Roman with a written language they were not used in the
same way. The connections between the dynasties of Scandinavia and England were apparently lost, when
the kings of East Anglia and Mercia were baptised in the beginning of the 7th century.

There are too many common signs between Est Anglia and Scandinavia and they are too closely connected
with legends and the symbols of royal power to be caused by the trade connection, which also existed. The
Danish myths in England were probably caused by family connections between the Danes and the socalled
Wuffingas in East Anglia – also indicated by the Norse myths about the English youth of Roar and his
English wife.

Already in the 5th century we know big Jutish squareheaded fibulas and bracteates in Kent confirming that a
people from the pininsula of Jutland were involved in the migrations as Bede told. It is more difficult to
observe migrations between England and Vendel. The Vendel Era was later than the migration to England
and the kings of Uppsala have nearly always concentrated their actions in Sweden, the Baltic Area and
Russia. Accordingly a jump to a country 1400 kilometres south-west of Uppsala sounds unrealistic in the
period before the Viking ships got sails. In the beginning of the 6th century there were signs of retreat among
the invaders of England, but the refugees joined the Francs - none are mentioned going north, and if so they
would probably have settled in the "empty" Angel90. Also the Vendel dynasty might theoretically come from
Southern Jutland (Angel), but we have no archaeological indications of the same culture there (except maybe
in Finnestorp), neither do we have any historical indications of a connection to Vendel and in this case we
would not be able to explain the connections to the Southeastern Europe.

If we focus on a connection due to a migration to England from Denmark, Frisia and Saxony we should
maybe notice the mythical Hengist, who was both the leader of the first group of invadors arriving to Thanet
and later the leader of immigrants fighting against the Brittons. Gildas told in 542 AD (Gildas II,23) that the
"fierce and impious" Saxon mercenaries were invited by the Britton Gurthrigern (Vortigern) - probably
covering all the ethnicities of the immigrants. Snorre called much later Hengest a Saxon, while he was called
a Dane joining the battle of Finsbourg in Beowulf91. The English sources like Bede and Nennius emphasized

89 It is possibly the grave of king Readwald of East Anglia. He was the third generation of Wuffingas (After Wuffa
(Uffe) and Tytilus (the Gothic name Totila?). He wavered between Christianity and paganism (Bede II,XV). The
Helmings of Beowulf may be a branch of these Wuffingas where also a Wilhelm is found as ancestor.

There are many similarities between weapons and equipment in Uppland and Sutton Hoo, and the two Iranian
inspired dancing warriors with horns from the Sutton Hoo helmet are also found at the helmet in Valsgärde 7 and as
a fragment in the eastern mound of Uppsala. Coins and bracteates in Sutton Hoo are also found at Gotland, but the
presence of these artefacts at Gotland might easily be caused by a trade connection.
90 The sources for the people returning to the Continent around 530 are Nennius (they went for assistance in
Germania), Procopius (every year many left England to join the Francs) and Adam of Bremen (many Saxons left
England going to the Francs to fight against the Thuringians). Bede mentioned Angel as an area which became
empty, but it is more likely if he had heard about the moors and marches of the western region of Schlesvig than the
modern peninsula Angel.
91 The Finsbourg Battle was mentioned in two different poems, where it in Beowulf was used as a legend from the
Danish past. Hengest, who in some translations was called a “Half Dane”, might be identical with the first king in
the Anglo Saxon migration (Bede I,XV). Bede described him as the leader of an attack, which appear as identical
with the "fierce and impious" Saxon mercenaries invited by the Briton Gurthrigern (Vortigern) (Gilda (545 AD)

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that Hengist arrived early. First later he got help from an increasing group of Anglians and Saxons when he
defeated the Brittons ruled by Vortigern and Vortimer. Bede mentioned that the gravestone of the brother
Horsa still existed at his time with the name on it - but many scholars have rejected Hengest and Horsa as
phantasy names. Hengist's nationality is described as confusing as the invadors of England mentioned in an
earlier chapter. Bede, Nennius and the royal genealogies did all place his descendents in Kent, which should
have been invaded by people from Jutland according to the archaeology and the English historians.
According to Nennius and the genealogies Hengist descended from the godlike Geat/Geta - indicating that
the Geates of Beowulf were the ancestors of the dynasty of Kent. A fast conclusion could be that the Geats
were the Jutes, but the Anglian genealogies compared with Nennius show that Geat was an ancestor to
Woden from whom all the Germanic kings descended. Asser emphasized a connection with Sedilius' pagan
god, Geta, which indicated that they regarded themselves as descendents of the Getae of Jordanes/Procopius
as well. As the Western Heruls (Bede's Huns and Procopius' Frisians?) could be regarded as Getae and they
possibly lived in Northern Frisia at the peninsula of Jutland, they could be the Geates of Hengest and
Beowulf.

Of course these relations can not be regarded as history. They are mythical tracks. The old Frisian language
was very close to the OE-language, fibulas of the Scandinavian/Anglo-Saxon type were found in the coastal
region of Frisia, and Procopius mentioned Frisians as an important member of the invasion of England. Did
Geatic Western Heruls (some of Bede's Huns?) from Frisia join the Anglo-Saxon migrations to England?
Were western members of the Herulian royal family the first link between Vendel and Sutton Hoo? Was this
link creating the connection East Anglia – Lejre, which was later used by Roar as a refugee? The king
erecting the first hall in Lejre (Roar according to the legends) was probably cremated in Grydehøj in a new
style - close to the style of the Uppsala mounds.

There may also be a connection between the symbolic Skjold in the prologue of the Beowulf-poem and the
tellings of the legendary Danish king, Frode Fredegod - a king who expelled an unknown people from the
country of the Danes (described even by Saxo calling them Huns). A part of the "historical frame" in
Beowulf is the legend about the feud of the Scyldings described by the family of Roar - or rather the family
of his English wife. When analysing the legends it is obvious that the Heathobeards of Beowulf were not an
independent people but the nickname of the descendants of the legendary Frode Fredegod - a part of the
Danish royal dynasty, the Scyldings. The story about the Scylding (Skjold, Frode or Roar) establishing a
strong Danish kingdom may be legendary fragments of the Danish king expelling the Heruls according to
Jordanes (Troels Brandt, 2004).

It is likely that some Western Heruls joined their surrounding neighbours, the Angles, Saxons, Frisians and
Jutes in the migration to England – and the membership of a single one of the new royal families in England
is sufficient to explain the above mentioned rather confusing tracks. As earlier explained it is even possible
that they were known as the Myrgings - the people of Widsith. Gudmund Schytte simply assumed that Bede
had mixed up Jutes and Western Heruls.

It has to be stressed that the English / West Herulian link is uncertain and without influence on the
Hypothesis of the Heruls.

3.1.2 Hervararsaga and the Hreidgoths

Hervararsaga, which was based on an older poem from where fragments are known, appear to be legends of
Swedish origin, but the text possibly reflects fragmentary memories from the Migration Ages. In the saga the
legend was told about the Hreidgothic king Heidrik fighting the Huns victoriously. An early version of the
legend may be connected with the first riddle of the Rök Stone.

II,23). Just like in Scandinavia the English kings at the time of Bede (710 AD) were originating from an old ancestor
Woden, who must have been Odin or Wothan. Later (Nennius around 800 AD) also Geat/Geta was used as an
ancestor to Woden.

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Earlier scholars were interested in the names met in this saga - especially Otto von Friesen, [Friesen 1920],
who made the following observations regarding personal and geographical names. First of all it is very
interesting that Heidrik with his "wife" Sifka and sons Angantyr and Hloed from Hervararsaga are met just
after Theodric in the OE Widsith too (115): "Seccan sohte ic ond Beccan, Seafolan ond Theodric, Heathoric
ond Sifeca, Incgentheow ond Hlithe." Widsith also told that the "Hraeda" often with their swords had to
defend their old homes against Attila in the forests of Vistula (Wistlawudu), where Widsith visited Wulfhere
and Wyrmhere.

According to Hervararsaga "Hunaland" was situated east of the Hreidgothic royal seat "Arheimar" at
"Danparstadum", but also the forest "Myrkvith" separated the Huns from the Goths living at the plains of
"Dunheidi". The battle between the Hreidgoths and the Huns took place at "Dunheidi" below the
"Iassarfiallum" and the Gothic king Heidrik died at "Harfada Fiall".

Some of these places are probably identified. "Danparstadum" were "the beaches of Dniepr". "Iassarfiallum"
were the "Eastern Carpathes" (meaning the mountains with ash-trees as they are called in Slavic). "Harfada
Fiall" were the "Western Carpathes" (The mountains of the Chorvates) against Mähren, where the wells of
the Vistula were situated at the northern slopes close to the wells of river March. "Myrkvith" is normally
interpreted as the dark Germanic forests (Hercynia silva) north of the Carpathes (Aristoteles: Arcunia ore)
and east of the Rhine, but according to Plinius and Julius Ceasar these forests covered the northern banks of
the Danube from Helvetia to Dacia - including the forests of the Carpathes and Transylvania too. "Dunheidi"
could be the region where the "Lougioi Dounoi" of Ptolemeus stayed (von Friesen), but it could also be the
"Marchfeld" or other plains at the Danube - or the Russian plains between the rivers Dnepr and Don. The rest
of the names are nearly all Scandinavian.

It is today aggreed that a part of the Goths originated from the mouth of Vistula. The Dnepr-region
(Danparstadum with Arheimer) probably became a center of the Greuthungi Goths (Cherniakow culture)
with the Huns east of River Don (Tanais), when the Gothic kingdom according to Jordanes reached the
Baltic Sea at the time of Ermaneric. At that time the Tervingi Goths lived in Transylvania surrounded by the
Carpathes (Sintana de Mures culture), while the Huns lived east of the river Don (Tanais). Ermaneric was
defeated by the Huns and a century later the Hunnic Attila and his Gothic followers had their headquarters in
Hungary, south of the Western Carpathes and Myrkwith. Attila and his followers were defeated by Romans,
Francs and Visigoths in France and two years later his sons were defeated by the followers (Gepides, Heruls
etc.) - but the Ostrogoths living now west of Hungary did not join any of these victorers.

Otto von Friesen claimed that Widsith placed the Hreidgoths at the mouth of the Vistula (Wistlawudu), but
the forests of Vistula would rather be the big forest, Myrkwith, at the wells of the Vistula - if a poem of that
character could be used for geographical purposes at all. The Huns may have fought at the Vistula against a
group of "Hraed" headed by Wulfhere and Wyrmhere of Widsith (Ormar in the Hervararsaga and Saxo?). If
these Goths were Tervingi Goths from the group around the Carpathes, Mazur-Germanen in the Vielbark area
or another group is historically unknown.

Hermann Reichert has proposed "Hreid" being connected with the Adriatic Sea as Ravenna was the Gothic
capital in the 6th century. Other scholars claim that the "Hreidgoths" were the "Fameous" Goths (OE "Hraed"
/ ON "HródR") or the "Nest" Goths (ON "HreidR") living at the Vistula as indicated by Widsith. However
the name was only used in Norse writing and in a Norse mind of the nineth century the kingdom or the "nest"
of their hero, Theodoric, was probably what they believed to be the kingdom of the legendary Ermaneric (if
not Götaland). This continental kingdom was surrounded by the Mediteranian-, Black- and Baltic Sea - and
all these oceans could be "Hreidmar" as the geography of earlier times was mixed totally up in the 9th
century. At that time even Jutland was in Alfred's version of Orosius called "Gotland" - a misunderstanding
later met in Iceland, where Jutland was called "Hreidgotland" - opposite "Eygotaland" being the Danish
islands and the Scandinavian Peninsula.

It is charateristic for the names above that they are all connected with places where the Eastgermanic
followers of Huns operated - but at different times - and outside the range of the later Vikings except the

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Dnepr. Possibly Hervararsaga reflects legends from different stages of the history of the Eastgermanic
people, at a time when the Goths were more or less joined by the Heruls - making both people possible
sources for the names though the legends are totally mixed up.

3.1.3 The Eastgermanic legends

The similarities between the legends in various countries were observed a.o. by Curt Weibull and Niels
Lukman. Latest in 1995 Lars Hemmingsen92 showed that the background for a part of the Danish legends
may be found among Heruls, Huns, Lombards and Ostrogoths in Dacia/Pannonia – just like the Battle of
Tanais by Snorri. Already Lukman concluded by similar reasons that our legends are foreign narratives and
therefore without any historical value. But it is just as legitimate93 to conclude that some of these legends
were brought to Scandinavia by immigrants moving around in Europe with name traditions and legends of
the earlier people of their family as a part of their identity and history.

Actually Niels Lukman regarded the Heruls of Procopius as mercenary officers of the Scandinavian kings
bringing these legends to Scandinavia. Lukman was later supported by the Icelandic scholar Bardi
Gudmundsson, who in 1959 accepted the possibility that the Heruls were a leading dynasty - the Earls. He
suggested that some of their descendants brought their scaldic traditions to Iceland from East Scandinavia.
The Rök Stone confirmed that there may be a truth behind that, but we have to remember that the Heruls
were a small minority in Scandinavia, who were probably fully integrated when Iceland was colonised 400
years after their arrival. The Icelandic versions are more a question of a scaldic tradition than an ethnical and
dynastical question.

It should be noticed that most of these foreign legends follow a geographical belt from Huns, Ostrogoths and
Heruls over Thuringians and Saxons to the Scandinavian nations and maybe England. The Heruls followed
that belt and later both the Dacians and Odin were in the sagas claimed to follow the same belt.

The confusion of names along this belt was already mentioned above in relation to the Hervararsaga, but the
confusion is also found in a group of Icelandic Edda-poems about Sigurd Fafnersbane and the Völsungs. In
these poems about the fall of the Burgundian kingdom at the Rhine in 437 AD Huns and Goths were clearly
mixed up in different ways in different versions - even with the death of Attila and the much earlier revench
of the Rosomoni on Ermaneric. As followers of the Huns the Heruls had probably been involved here too,
but the name of the Heruls was not mentioned at all - maybe because they were regarded as a part of these

92 Lars Hemmingsen “By word of mouth”, unpublished PhD dissertation from University of Copenhagen 1995.
93 The weakness in the arguments of Lukman and Weibull can be illustrated by regarding Rolf Krake as an example.
Also Lars Hemmingsen has analyzed this example, which was relevant in note 2.2.9 too.

Lukman maintained the battle and death of Rolf Krake to be an adaption of the battle between Rodolphus and the
Lombards. The argumentation was a comparing of structural elements in the tellings, but these elements have a very
elementary character - just like good stories often have. We have to notice that our source Paulus Diaconus also told
another legend about the same Rodolphus using exactly the same unique point as used in a later legend about the
Danish king Gorm and the death of his son Knud. Nobody will deny that Gorm was a Dane and that Diaconus wrote
two centuries before Gorm was born. Consequently the same chain of reasoning used on Rolf Krake will lead to a
wrong conclusion used on Gorm. The use of stolen elements or fairytales from Southern Europe in the legends of a
Danish king do not prove that he was not a historical Danish person. They do only indicate a certain influence or a
mixture of legends - the later narrators of the legends of Rolf Krake and Gorm knew the legends of Rodolphus, but
they were not able to indentify him and mixed therefore the legends up.

Lars Hemmingsen even tried to support theories about a late introduction in Denmark explaining that these legends
might have been brought to Denmark by the Danish Hvide-family in the 13th century. He later admitted that this
explanation made it impossible to explain how the English poems like Widsith could mention these kings as Danes
in the 10th century or earlier. In Beowulf Roar and Rolf were related to boar crested helmets (note 3.11.2). These
helmets are now found by modern archaeologists in Mercia and as pictures on helmets in Vendel from the 6-7th
century. This indicates that Roar and Rolf were Scandinavian kings as told in the Nordic legends although Saxo or
earlier authors may have used elements of the Pannonian Rodolphus too.

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groups. It is here quite obvious that fragments of real history (being already known from Jordanes and other
authors) were mixed up in the Icelandic poems and the later sagas. No of these fragments appear to be of
younger origin than the time when the Heruls disappeared from Southern Europe. The same happened with
exactly the same story around 1200 AD in the German Nibelungenlied where the Heruls/Goths as the
original allies of Attila became Danes/Saxons94. In that connection we shall notice that the names used in
Iceland were historically more correct.

Earlier the Old-English poems Beowulf and Widsith also had – as mentioned - the Gothic king Ermaneric in
an important role, though operating in the area of the Black Sea centuries before. We may wonder why this
in the long run unsuccessful hero is mentioned so many times in connection with the past of the
Scandinavian kings, if the Scandinavian kings had no dynastic connections with the Goths and Heruls at the
Black Sea. If such legends were changed into Nordic surroundings they were possibly borrowed, but these
obviously distant kings and locations were handled as a natural part of the Scandinavian history indicating
that the Scandinavians knew about such far connections in the past.

Consequently it is natural to explain some of the foreign legends by regarding them as a confirmation of the
theory that a part of the history of the Northeuropean dynasties has to be searched for among the East
Germanic nomads95. Maybe the descendants of the Heruls regarded their ancestors as Gothic "Earls" serving
the famous Theodoric, who was the hero of Charlemagne and the Scandinavian vikings.

Of course this does not change the fact that other legends may have been transferred due to a general spread
of legends, but the coincidences pointed out by Lukman, Weibull and Hemmingsen together with the
coincidences above do not indicate a general spread but a certain pattern - an early connection with the
Eastgermanic tribes causing a Scandinavian mix of Herulian and local legends. In spite of the problems with
the exact identifications the connections between the names in Southeastern Europe, the sagas, the ON
poems and the archaeology may confirm Lukman's theory about an early origin of the legends behind the
Norse poems (though extremely exaggerated) - and just opposite the conclusions by Weibull and
Hemmingsen.

3.1.4 The Dacian kings - Dudo

When the French historians Dudo and Guillaume de Jumieges mentioned the Danes they claimed them to be
Goths originating from Dacia at Danube, and 880-1240 AD Dania was in general often mixed up with Dacia
- even in official Danish documents.

Dudo wrote around 1000AD: "The Dacians now call themselves Danais or Dani and boast that they are
descended from Anthenor, he who once raided the lands around Troy and escaped the Achaians and later
reached the Illyrian borders with his people. These Dacians who, according to traditional tale, had been
expelled from their homes ..". Although Anthenor was a prince of Troy and the last sentence refer to a later
94 German scholars regard the Herul Rodolphus as identical with Rydeger von Bechlarn, where Bechlarn is the town
Pöchlarn (with the earlier mentioned Herilungoburg) at the Danube in Nibelungengau west of Vienna. Rydeger has
an important role in Nibelungenlied written down around 1200 (Web-version). He was also mentioned in the Norse
Tiedrich-saga as a count under Attila with the name Rodolf of Bekelar. The same role in Niebelungenlied has
Dietrich of Bern, who is supposed to be identical with Theodoric. These two kings were together with Iring von
Denemark and Irnfried von Thuringia described as sub-kings under Attila. Only Dietrich survived the final battle of
Ragnarok. It has to be noticed, that the allies of Attila against the Burgundians were called Danes and Saxons – the
original allies beside the Thuringians were the Heruls and the Ostrogoths (the people of Rodolphus and Theodoric)
and they were not mentioned in this later written version at all. Historically Attila died when Rodolphus and
Theodoric were babies, so the legend about dragons and hidden treasures seem to be framed by historically well
known persons in very unhistorical connections.
95 This may be the reason for the many stories about Huns in the legends and in Gesta Danorum (Saxo). The royal
names of the Heruls and their rulers from Southern Europe – including the superior Hunnic kings – can therefore be
found all over Scandinavia. To day we will often use names of popular persons from other countries for our children.
If similarity in names between two people is totally missing it is a strong indication of two separated people, but
similarity in names will not prove they are the same people.

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event, the explanation obviously contains elements of the Herulian history – and we do not even need to
erase the eternal myth of Troy, as the Heruls actually had harried the areas around Troy. Like Procopius and
Adam of Bremen also Dudo mentioned Dacian sacrifices of human beings - but to the god Thur.

In Flandern Lambert in 1125 wrote a short Danish history96 with a list of kings containing Gothic kings
followed by Odoaker (somewhere called Rex Herulorum) and Danish/Norman earls.

The legends about this connection are much older as "Gesta Regum Francorum" already in 720 mentioned
people from Troy building the city Sicambria near the mouth of Tanais River. Maybe the Heruls from Tanais
of this reason regarded the people of Troy as a part of their past. However the author and Fredegar probably
mixed up a lot of names as Gregory placed the origin of the Salian Franks in Pannonia, where Sicambria was
a name for Budapest.

It was usual for the historians of the monasteries in northern Europe to describe the origin of their people –
most of them used pagan gods, but some of them combined them with classical legends. In 965 AD
Widukind in this way mentioned the former Macedonian army of Alexander as the ancestors of the Saxons,
but he also mentioned the Goths and Jordanes. Bede mentioned in 710 AD Wothen as an ancestor to several
of the Germanic kings invading England and later also the name Geat - probably referring to the Goths - was
mentioned.

The similarities between the names Danais, Tanais (Don), Danubis, Dani and Daci are coincidences without
any doubt, but we do have to notice: When the French historians wrote about the Danish history before the
first official Danish historians, it was from unknown sources obvious to them, that the Danes, who claimed
to be relatives to the earls of Normandy, had a background connected with the Danubian surroundings, with
the Goths and with Odoaker – just like the Heruls!! This is rather confusing as the Danes expelled the
Heruls, but according to Saxo the Danish king Sigfried was a descendent of the Ynglinga-family.

Dudo is often regarded as an unreliable historian, and several Germanic tribes told about Roman or Greek
ancestors. The legends about Troy are false – and actually they were also rejected by Dudo himself, although
he is normally regarded as an idealisation maker. However the monasteries of northern Europe form the only
link between the antique history and the local, written medieval history of Scandinavia, and they are all
consequently mentioning a relation to the countries around the Danube and the Black Sea. This will never
make a proof but the general relation is worth to notice. They assumed in their version of the history a rough
parallel to the migration described by Procopius, but none of them mentioned the Heruls - they wrote about
Danes, Goths, Macedonians and the people of Troy.

3.1.5 Saxo and his manipulations

The work of Saxo “Gesta Danorum” finished around 1220 had without doubt the political purpose to support
the rule of Valdemar the Great and his family. Some of the sagas might have the purpose to legitimate the
priority as kings to belong to the ”divine” family of Odin. In this way the old Germanic system of elections97
was overruled. This overruling is obviously continued in the traditions of the royal elections at the 3-5
Danish “landsthing”. The paradox is, that in spite of the Danish kings until only 300 years ago were told to
be elected, they always came from the same family98. In the old Danish law of inheritance the eldest son had

96 Dudo wrote his history of the Dukes of Normandy around 1000 AD, de Jumieges wrote in 1060 and Lambert wrote
about the Danes in 1125 in Liber Floridus. Lambert was supposed to have a connection to Carl the Dane of Flandern
(son of the Danish king St. Knud)
97 According to the manipulated interpretation of Tacitus the Germanic people elected their chieftains in a
“democratic” way, but he also mentioned, that the Goths at Vistula had a stronger kingship than the other Germans.
This may be due to the old Gaut-religion, which might have been the most important reason for the dominating
position of the Goths in the Migration Ages. He also mentioned the Suiones, who are normally interpreted as Svear,
but as he told, that their weapons were normally not available for them – which corresponds with the Gothic male
burials without weapons – he may have mixed up Scandinavian Gauts and Svear.
98 The only exception in historical times was “Magnus the Good”, but as Yngve was among his ancestors, he would

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no first priority. A consequence may have been that they had to elect one out of several candidates from the
family.

The negative consequences were frequent fights between brothers and cousins99 and the risk, when
Christianity took over, that other families would claim the power of kingship. It is probably from that point
of view we shall regard some of the manipulations of Saxo, when he combined the old legends. As late as
1170, when Valdemar the Great by a coup had his son Knud anointed by the archbishop, the dilemma was the
choice between the elected monarchy and the religiously based hereditary monarchy100. Maybe a purpose
when Absalon financed the work of Saxo was to convert the “divine right of Odin” to the juridical term
“custom from ancient times” in a united Danish kingdom. In this way the archbishop could explain why the
church should make great efforts to secure the power of the royal family.

Under all circumstances his royal genealogy had a main purpose, which is now generally accepted by Danish
scholars. He wanted to to demonstrate a historical Danish independence from the Roman Empire, as this was
now succeded by the German Emperor. This was the reason why Saxo – maybe with earlier genealogies as
sources – mentioned royal legends and names in a number reaching back to the time before Augustus101.

Probably Tjodolf of Hvini, the supposed author of Ynglingesaga, had the same purpose when he earlier
”invented” the first group of kings in Ynglingatal supporting Harald Haarfager as a king with rights older
than the Danes, who since the 8th century usually claimed superiority over Southern Norway and Western
Sweden.

A past of some of the Nordic royal families as Herulian mercenaries serving the emperor would be a
catastrophe for the politics of the Nordic countries in the 12th and the 13th centuries.

It is surprising that Snorri did not follow that line. Snorri's Scandinavian kings left according to himself
Tanais when the Roman emperors arrived. With this story in Ynglingasaga Snorri simply shot down the
arguments of Saxo ordered by the Danish church and royal family. We do not know any political motive
behind that - maybe he just wrote what he knew to be the the truth.

Unfortunately the cover stories of the church and royal families with efficiency have hidden the
manipulations and the real history for us all in Scandinavia. Actually the historian Sven Aggesen indicated
that Absalon and Saxo were manipulating the history as he referred that Absalon had ordered him to leave
certain periods of the history only to be covered by Saxo. He also mentioned that lyers had written false
royal lists. Neither were they nor their predecessors, however, able to change the old French tradition, so
already in line 2 the sly fox Saxo dissociated himself from Dudo by denying a connection with the “Danais”
without mentioning at all the Dacian connection, which was the real problem for the Danish kings. How
much Saxo really knew will probably never be revealed.

have been accepted in pagan ages.

99 Examples: The descendants of Roar, the battle of Braavalla, the descendants of Godfred and the cousins Sven,
Knud and Valdemar.
100Valdemar the Great was the last king to be elected at a “landsthing” (because of the civil war only at the thing of
Jutland). He got his son Knud anointed already as a child by the archbishop Eskil, but archbishop Absalon later on
send Knud at the traditional tour to the “landsthings”, where the function now was to acclaim and taking oath.
Reading Saxo it is tempting to conclude, that Saxo personally had the opinion, that the Danish king should be
elected at the “landsthings” by the whole people.
101In his manipulations Saxo always made the following king son of his predecessor. He also told about “the false god
Odin”, but in accordance to his purpose he did not combine Odin with the royal family as Ynglingesaga did. Saxo
was maybe aware of the problems he caused later on as he did not call his books “The history of Denmark”. He
attached importance to independent episodes – Gesta Danorum - the exploits of the Danes. His own sophisticated
composition of the work is described by Inge Skovgaard-Petersen and later on by Karsten Friis-Jensen, who also
like Axel Olrik mentioned his purpose letting the royal family reach back before Augustus, in order to make the
kingdom historically independent of the German(/Roman) emperor.

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3.1.6 Snorri Sturlusson

The narrator Snorri Sturlusson wrote his version of the Icelandic sagas c. 1220-1230 AD based on old poems
and tellings. His description of the old religion102 and Scandinavian history was written with a more neutral
curiosity than the manipulated version by Saxo, but still the content was of course old legends given a touch
of Christian moral. We have to notice that he was a political leader in Iceland, that he was in exile at the
Norwegian royal court between writing Edda and Heimskringla, and that he later on was killed by supporters
of the Norwegean king. He was not an unpolitical person, and he was a Christian writing about a pagan
religion he should not be expected to defend.

Snorri's background does not support that he did not tell the myths about the religion and the Swedish kings
correctly as he knew them - it should just warn us to be carefull about his explanations. If the myths do not
give us a coherent impression of the former kingdom and religion another reason could be that royal and
devine myths were mixed up earlier.

Scholars often use his description of Odin as a human Asian king in order to prove, that his descriptions are
false, as the church often used this kind of description to tell about pagan religions. Even if he had such
motives, this can never be used the other way round as a proof of his unreliability. His king Odin could have
been a human being.

In Ynglingesaga Snorri based his genealogy on the old poem Ynglingatal, which he quoted and kept to later
times in this way. His genealogy, however, began with the three gods, Odin, Njord and Frey, but in these
three cases he did not quote Ynglingatal. The genealogy is treated below.

3.2 The Norse religions

3.2.1 Dumezil and the Indoeuropean theories
Dumezil has founded a school of the religious history describing a general development based on an
Indoeuropean structure. He used the religion described by the Indian RgVeda and other poems, where an
earlier fertility cult originally based on a "Mother Earth" changed into a religion of functional gods, where
several details and structural elements looked like the Norse religion. It was therefore obvious to compare the
Indian and the Norse religions - especially as also the languages were related.

The early societies were totally dependent of the conditions given by nature and environment and the
religion should always be expected to reflect that. Nearly all societies have followed a development from
hunters via "independent" farmers to societies of complicated functions coordinated by an elite supported by
soldiers. Chieftains leading soldiers and armies were known since the Bronze Ages, but during the first
millenium AD the Nordic villages were changed and also influenced indirectly by the Romans. They became
a part of stronger societies - the socalled warrior societies. This evidently had to result in warlike conditions
and the change of religion indicated by the archaeology.

If Dumezil's theories are used without breaking this general rule his observations may be useful, but his
theory was that the gods and the myths were the same in India and in Europe - a theory which is still
accepted by many scholars. RgVeda was written down around 1200 AD (as Snorri's work) but the functional
gods should exist when the warrior-like Aryans arrived around 1700 BC in India. Some of the names of their
gods were confirmed around 1300 BC by the Hettites. Dumezil believed that the religion was spread together
with the Indoeuropean languages in the Bronze Ages, but today it is eagerly discussed if the IE languages

102The beginning of Ynglingesaga in Heimskringla (1230). In the preface of Edda (1220) he also mixed King Priamos
of Troy into the story, while “Upphaf allra frasagna” from the 14th century, which is supposed to be an abstract from
“Skjoldungesaga”, mentioned Turks and people from Asia. As later mentioned his first versions are similar to the
myths of the French historians using the general Germanic myth of origin connected to Troy opposite the later
Heimskringla.

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were spread much earlier together with agriculture - long time before warrior societies like the Aryans.
Under all circumstances the societies compared by Dumezil in India, Southern Europe and Northern Europe
did not follow each other in their development of society at the same time. Therefore they should not at the
same time follow each other in the development of religion either - making it rather difficult to learn the
convenient stage from a society which had left the stage centuries or milleniums ago. It is not possible to
copy such a dynamic process over a time space of several centuries without copying the "environment" too.
Of course they used elements from each other - supported by the similarity in languages - but as the religions
existed at different stages the development would never be identical due to mutual influence. The religion
had primarily to follow the stage and development of the society - and the natural development may as
described above have taken place in identical order.

Most of Dumezil's observations are probably corrrect. His three-levelled mythology was a result of the
functional society being divided into priests/kings, warriors and farmers as described in RgVeda - though we
have to add a fourth class of slaves. The classes were differently described in Rigsthula, where the third class
were the slaves, but nevertheless his basical way to divide society and religion in the same way was probably
fitting the situation well in both places. Also the counterparts of the nature sun/moon, day/night,
summer/winter, life/dead, man/woman and goodness/evilness may demand these pairs of opposite gods
everywhere - which he observed. The basical elements of nature are in classical philosophy water, earth, air
(sky) and fire. The gods representing the sky he often divided into sky, sun and weather. These gods he
placed at the first level as the original masters of the pantheon. Later the god of the warriors at the second
level took over as the king of the gods - as the king became stronger in a warrior society. The fertility gods at
the third level were on their side often a pair of twins - sometimes followed by one of their parents
representing the former fertility cult - originally connected with the above mentioned three elements. Also
the mythical war between the old and the new gods is a description, which could always be expected where a
warrior elite seized power in a society of agriculturists. The similarities are often unclear, but Dumezil was
an expert in finding an explanation. Consequently some of his parallels are not convincing. However
Dumezil was probably right that some fragments of the myths and some gods were borrowed from the same
basical religion as the Indian religions - spreading slowly like rings in the water. He just forgot that the
names of similar gods did not need to spread together with the IE-languages, but could easily spread because
of the already existing common IE-languages or simply be constructed from the same words.

The first two regions where our civilisation was developed to a specialised society were Egypt and Sumer
(Iraq) - but this took place long time after agriculture spread from the same region to Europe. The
Indoeuropean and Semitic cultures and religions probably spread from Sumer. If we observe the
development in the Near East from Sumer to Anatolia (Turkey) via the Hurries and Hettites to the Urartu and
Luwian people, we can find the same similarities with the Norse religion as Dumezil described with the
RgWeda - some of the names are even more likely. In this line of development - parallel with the Vedic
religion - we can find the god of weather and thunder, Tarchunt / Taru / Tesheba and his partner, the god of
sun and light, Tiwaz / Siwini. The third main god among the Urartu in Turkey was (C)haldi - the ruler and
god of heaven. In the other societies the weathergod was the ruler. Earlier in this structure the weathergod
was called Ishkur (Hettites and Sumer), who was described like the Norse Thor. His wife was normally a
sun-goddess like Arinna and Shala - similar with Thor's Sif with the golden hair. It is tempting to recognise
Thor, Sif and Tir in this pantheon instead of the Vedic pantheon - and actually Snorri told that Thor arrived
from these regions.

3.2.2 The Norse religions

Many poems have described the old Norse religion with its different worlds, the old gods and the tree of life.

The Scandinavian religions of the Bronze Ages - after the spread of the Indoeuropean languages and
contemporary with the Aryans - appear from their rock carvings to be a nature religion of a people of
agriculturists based on the sun and fertility. The axe is the only sign of a warrior cult, but these axes always
appearing in pairs in the finds must have been used for sacrificing. We are not in these rock carvings able to
identify the warrior gods of the Migration Period, and this kind of carvings are not known from any other

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regions of the IE-people. Later in the early Iron Ages wooden idols appeared in the bogs - a sign of
personified gods as a continuation of the few figures with male attributes and maybe the marks of hands and
footsteps in the rock carvings.

In 99 AD Tacitus told about the maingods Nerthus (Earth), Tuisto and Ingui worshipped in different areas
around the Western Baltic Sea. The religions in Asia Minor and in India had a father being god of the
Heavens and a mother being goddess of the Earth. They were probably gods from the old fertility cults of the
agricultural society, who should still explain the mysteries about creation and birth. Statues of this mother are
known elsewhere 25.000 years back in time. These gods may represent the earlier stage of the personified
gods - marking the continuity from the Bronze Ages to Yngve-Frey, who was probably the last "merged"
stage of that branch before Christianity. Also the Romans spoke of a great mother, where the father became
Jupiter.

The role of Tiustu (Dyias in RgVeda / Zeus in Greek) in Scandinavia at that time is uncertain. The story of
Thor in Snorri's Edda and his role as a Norse Jupiter may indicate that he was Tuistu, but normally Tyr/Tir is
regarded to be Tuistu. According to Tacitus the Ingaviones were the descendents of Tuistu in Northern
Europe. There is no doubt that Ingui and Yngve is the same name. Ingui was also known as an ancestor of
the Anglian kings in England and in Historia Norwegie103 Yngve as an ancestor of the kings of Svealand –
later Snorri called him Yngve-Frej. He even had a rune and according to the OE runepoem he first appeared
among the Eastdanes. In Beowulf the Scyldings were called Ingwina. According to many scholars there is
also an obvious connection between Tacitus' Nerthus and Njord – the father of Yngve-Frej according to
Snorri.

That means that the mediaval genealogies of both the Anglian, Danish, Swedish and Norwegean kings can be
traced back to the two gods Tacitus claimed to be worshipped in the Nordic countries in the first century AD.
Both gods were fertility gods - at least at the late stage. We do not know if a part of this is a result of later
writer knowing Tacitus.

Tyr has a very resignated role in the Norse Myths. Actually he is primarily known for his weekday and for
his loss of a hand to the Fenris Wolf - the latter already known from a bracteat around 500 AD. This may
indicate that he was pushed aside by Thor and Odin and left as a disabled god of justice before or during the
general change of religion around 500 AD.

Tacitus wrote that Tuistu was earthborn and we shall remember that Thor at the late stage was son of the
norse goddess Jord (Earth), who was probably identical with Nerthus. It is uncertain when a god like Thor
arrived to Scandinavia, but he probably spread among the Celts, where we know a similar god under the
name Taranis - the later Germanic Donar. As mentioned he had parallels in Asia Minor too.

Also Balder was killed at the bracteates around 500 AD - but he did not need to be a son of Odin at that time.
Some scholars suspect him to be Baal.

In Southern Europe Mercury and Hercules were mentioned by Tacitus as the gods of the warlike Germanics,
when the migrations in Eastern Europe began and the wars were starting at the Roman borders. At that time
the warrior-society in India must have been 1800 years old - making it impossible to copy a dynamic
development. In these more complicated societies the specialized functional gods became a necessity. In the
vagrant or fighting groups the leader got a central importance so strong that the religion had to be combined
with his power and functions. In an uncomplicated agricultural society the king could be a descendent of a
fertility god or a reincernation of the Sun, which for them represented the fundamental divine power. For
warriors and nomads like the Goths, however, the most important ideal to be worshipped was strong kings
and heroes being succesfull in battles. This was confirmed by Jordanes' talk about the Gothic ancestorgods,
"Ansis" - the Norse "AnsuZ" or "Asir". For these people (or their leaders) an ancestor cult with a divine
ancestor as the wargod and a religious reward to the warriors fallen at the battlefield must have been the most

103Historia Norwegie is written by a Norwegean monk in the 12th century (before Snorri) and probably based on Ari's
Isländingabok.

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important element of the religion.

Already when reading place names it is obvious that the gods were not worshipped in the same way in
different regions of Scandinavia, just as the religion changed over time. The Scandinavians probably knew
several gods and chose some of them as their personal and tribal protectors. In that way even Christ could be
a god to them as being described by Widukind [Widukind III,LXV]

The Norse religion of the warrior society was described as a whole by Snorri in Heimskringla and especially
in the Prose Edda. Fragments however can be read in the earlier poems, which probably were a part of his
sources too. This should be a picture of the religion as it was, when Christianity took over, and Snorri was
probably one of the best to tell - if he wanted to tell the truth. The hierarchy of these gods, as he described it,
was without doubt a reconstruction influenced by knowledge of the classical religions.

As already mentioned the odd construction of the Northern mythology splitted up between Ases and Vanes
must be a mixed religion of a warrior society and a people of agriculturists. Both the old fertility gods and
the cult around the warriorgod Wothan/Odin could be found in the reconstructed pantheons - and Snorri even
told about the reconciliation of the old Vanes and the Asir coming from the Black Sea. Adam of Bremen told
that Frey and Odin around 1000 AD were standing in Uppsala with Thor as Jupiter in the middle - even if the
temple did not exist at the time of Adam himself this was the official picture.

3.2.3 The god Odin

The confusion among the Christian authors in the 11-13th centuries may have been caused by a dynamic
process which could still be traced in the myths when Christianity took over. A problem was that Odin's final
role as father of the gods and leader was not reflected in all the myths. Also Thor appeared as the highest of
all gods and Njord and his son Frey as the ancestors of the kings of Uppsala.

Tacitus told - as mentioned - that Mercurius was the most important god in Germania. He also mentioned
Hercules. This was probably based on the closest tribes east and north of Limes. Mercurius was primarily the
god of merchants and travellors, but also of death. In Scandinavia Odin was later the god of battle and death,
but one of his shapes was the old wandering god with the broadbrimmed hat and the black clothes - a shape
deriving from an old Celtic god. He was not described as a traditional wargod – Thor was the warrior
fighting against the Giants. Later Snorri told us that Odin was able to change his shape being a man, an
animal and a god. He was described as a superior king, a shaman-like “gode” (priest), the god of
“skjaldskab” and runes and the god of the dead warriors104 In England and Germany he was called Wothen
or Wothan. There is no doubt that he became the Norse Odin, though this Odin may have received elements
from other kinds of deities too. Linguistically the names are identical - even according to Snorri.

In 99 AD Tacitus regarded the people of Northern Europe as worshippers of Nerthus and the ancestorgod
Ingui – a parallel to the earlier mentioned Gaut. This was the time when the warrior elite took over in the
continental Jutland – registrated both in the structure of the villages and in the war booties. The Hjortespring
boat and the Cimbrian migration caused by flood and bad agricultural conditions was probably some of the
first indications. By that reason a wargod must have existed in Jutland in the first half of the millenium, but
he could be Tyr, Thor, Tuisto, Ull or another god. The development spread successively to the rest of
Scandinavia, but first in the 5th and 6th centuries the general change to a new religion took place as earlier
told. The introduction of Wothan in Scandinavia was according to several archaeologists represented by the
riding head at the C-bracteates in the 5th century [Jørgen Jensen, 2004] Also the symbolic animals must have
104Odin is difficult to identify as a god. He was the god of battle, but also of death and poetry. He was described as the
clever wanderer, but also the king of the warriors from Valhalla. Odin lied in periods dormant (was he secretly
abroad?), and scholars calls him shaman-like. He was handsome to his friends but the sight of him scared his
enemies. The shaman-like Odin is i.e. described by Lotte Hedeager in "Skygger fra en anden virkelighed". ccording
to Wolfram the name Odin was first met after 550. Odin is because of the linguistic similarity normally regarded as a
Nordic version of the continental Wothan (English: Wothen). Gaut is told to be much older – maybe from the first
migrations of Goths – but he is only known from a few Nordic fragments and maybe as Gapt of Jordanes.

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been a part of the pagan religion from that time, and it has to be considered that such symbols were often
combined with shamanism - just as Odin was in the myths.

Jordanes mentioned Mars and Gapt/Gaut (Geat/Geta – se Chapter 3.1.1.1) as Gothic gods – Gaut in a few
later sources also a Götic god. The contemporary Procopius mentioned Ares, the wargod, as the greatest god
in Scandinavia around 550 AD, but that does not need to cover all Scandinavia. Maybe he just referred to the
Heruls there and their god does not need to be Odin – at least not in the role of a father. In runes Odin was
first attested in the 7th century at the South German Nordendorpher fibula and at a Danish scull in Ribe. In
782 AD a poem of Paulus Diaconis mentioned "Waten" and "Thur" protecting king Siegfried of Denmark. In
the 8th century Wothen was attested by Bede in English genealogies too, and Origo Gentis Longobardorum
and Paulus mentioned a battle where Guoden and Frea in the past were gods of the Lombards, who back in
the time of Tacitus worshipped Nerthus.

Some scholars claim that the one-eyed god was found much earlier as a few wooden statues and ceramics in
Jutland. If these “blind” eyes are not just a question of bad quality this feature may have belonged to a local
god before it was used when the Norse Odin was shaped. It can not be excluded that these idols represented
the predecessor of Odin, Gaut.

It is rather obvious that Odin in some of the Norse societies was advancing and passing Thor and Ingui-Frej
in importance. This was not an unusual process regarding the gods of warlike kings as the Viking kings -
especially if they regarded the god as their ancestor. Actually Dumezil [Dumezil 1962] told about the wargod
Indra advancing among Vedic gods in nearly the same way, when the warriors took over - though he believed
Thor was Indra!!

At the time of Snorri Odin was known as the superior god of ancient times and in some tellings also as the
ancestor to the kings, but apparently he had only been the most important god to the kings, earls and
warriors. The placenames show that the farmers worshipped Frej, who was called one of the Vanes from the
old fertility cult, and Snorre even told that Frej was identical with Yngve, who was ancestor to the the
Ynglings. Popular among the people was also Thor105, who at the late stage was mentioned as one of the Asir
and a son of Odin. The name Odin is found in remarkably few placenames.

The Poetic Edda and Gylfaginnung told that Odin at their time was the ruler and father of the pantheon.
Earlier Dudo and Adam of Bremen told that Thur was the maingod. Skjoldungesaga and the introduction to
Gylfaginnung told that Thor was the father of Odin. Saxo and Aelfried wondered why the names of the
weekdays indicated that Thor was Jupiter, who was the father of Mercury being regarded as Odin.

Did the son of Thor (Jupiter), Odin (Mercurius), originally marry the daughter of Njord, Freya? This would
make sense as Odin's wife Frigga is only connected with a couple of stories, and as Freya's husbond in the
late myths was called Od and had disappeared. Frea is often regarded as the background of "frau", which was
the role of Frigga, and in the old Origo Gentis Longobardorum Frea was the wife of Wodan..

105Adam of Bremen regarded Thor as a Jupiter from his attributes and his position in the temple of Uppsala between
Odin and Yngve-Frey. So did Saxo later by comparing with the names of the weekdays. This is further discussed in
chapter 9.1.

The last stanza of the Rök Stone could be interpreted as "Thor, husbond of Sif (Sibi at the stone), protector of the
temples, was born a child by a ninety year old" – an event identical with that of Abraham and Sara giving birth to
Isac - the first ancestor of the Jews. Maybe a Christian myth was used when introducing Wothan in the Scandinavian
pantheon. Later he was regarded as the first ancestor of the kings.

There is a general agreement about the runes and the words of the stone, but there is no official interpretation of the
text. I found the missing statements indicated by the stanza-numbers and a system explaining the stanzas except the
last one mentioned above. In the end of 2003 I wrote an article with my personal explanation of nearly all the text of
the stone, its purpose and the historical background. Details were discusssed with some of the specialists studying
these topics and the article was afterwards circulated among a few scholars and editors. The article was presented in
"Danernes Sagnhistorie" in 2004 and at a separate website in 2005.

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The Rök Stone indicated around 815 AD a stage where Odin was a late son of Thor and Sif, which would be
the most natural way to let him join the divine genealogy. He may have been introduced by using a myth
borrowed from the Christians - the myth of Abraham, Sara and Isaac. He may have taken over roles from Tyr
and Ull - even pushing Ull out to be an illigitime son of Sif.

As a part of the following process the old introduction myth as a son of Thor and Sif had to be left. Also the
taboo around his name, Odin, and the use of many other names (including Gaut and Skilfing according to
Grimnismal) may have been a cover of that process.

Maybe the myths about the arrival of the gods can tell about that problem too. It is important to notice that
Snorri told two different stories about the origin of the gods separated by around 10 years.

In the first version, Edda (1220), the god Thor left Troy in Tyrkland (Turkey) in accordance with the
traditional stories of the origin of the Germanic people and went to Thrakia106. As Dudo laughed of that story
200 years earlier, Snorri can not be blamed for the story. He probably referred it correctly, but we have to be
aware that Troy was belived to have a position at the mouth of River Don (Tanais) at that time. Neither was
the real Troy placed in the Tyrkland of Snorri as the Turks had not reached the Western Turkey at that time.

In the last version in Heimskringla (1230) he told about the “Ases” (Men from Asia), who came from Asia
and at the river Tanais (Don) and met the old “Vanes”. According to Jordanes the Heruls lived there near the
old greek colony Tanais at the mouth of river Don107 between the Goths and the Iranian Alans108, and here
they were later subjugated by the Huns. Snorri told that Ases and Vanes fought and reconciled109. Later on
Odin as their leader led them from Tanais (Don) through Gardarike (Russia) to "Saxland" – according to
Snorri in order to avoid the Romans. All the 12 chieftain-priests followed Odin, while his two brothers stayed
behind with a part of the people.

A common feature in his two old legends is that Odin went from the countries around the Black Sea to
Saxony, where 3 of his chieftains settled. Passing north he settled for a while at Odinsey (by Snorre regarded
as Odense) before the journey ended in Old Sigtuna in Uppland - the region of Lake Mälar.

106Ludwig Schmidt belived the Illyrian Heruls lived in Dacia Ripenses (a part of the old Thrakia) before Justinian gave
them Singidunum, and Datius lived at the Gepides in Dacia after his escape from Singidunum. Some of the Heruls
could be regarded as Dacians. Thor himself may be identified in the Celtic Taranthus and in the Hurrian Taru being
identical with the Hettittian Ishkur - making him much older than the Norse Odin and the Ases. It is difficult to see if
any of these elements were known or used by later writers.
107Snorri describes the border between Europe and Asia as Tanaqvisl (Don) – the river at the Greek colony Tanais were
the Heruls according to Jordanes settled in the swamps. Note 2.1.10.
108Maybe the Heruls first became worshippers of Wothan or Gaut at the Black Sea, but here they also met the Iranian
influenced Alan/As-people (Chapter 2.1). Theoretically there may have been fights and a following religious
influence between Heruls and Alans. Iranian influence is traced both in the Norse religion and in the military
equipment in Vendel, but there might be other reasons. The name of the Asi could easily evoke associations to the
Ases - and the tribe could have inspired to the Ases, but the name Ases probably derive from “ansu” (ancestral god).
Also the Huns may have had such an influence on the Heruls.

The recent theory developed by Thor Heyerdahl (Jagten paa Odin, 2001) could have the same background. Thor
Heyerdahl had in escavations at Asov and the surroundings found traces of a connection between the people living
there in the 2nd century BC and the Scandinavian Vikings. He assumed Asov to be Asgaard, the old castle of Odin.
He also assumed this was a direct connection before Christ, but this is contradicted by the strong archaeological
indications of a change of religion coming to Scandinavia from south in the 6th century AD – unless the Asov-
connection was carried through later by the Alans and Heruls. Heyerdal was primarly attacked by scholars because
of the long span of years making archaeology useless, and because he had used the names too far. Gro Steinsland
has probably correctly argued that Ases derive from the word Ansu (God/Ancestral god) existing much later than the
time when Odin should have left with the Asi according to Heyerdahl.
109The beginning of Heimskringla.

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The king of Suithiod, Gylfi, reconciled with Odin and offered him a part of his kingdom around Uppsala110,
where the central "temple" of Odin was established111. The sons or chieftains of Odin were placed as sub-
kings in the Nordic countries112 – e.g. Skjold113 in Lejre at Sealand, Yngve in Uppsala and Säming in
Norway. While Odin stayed in Odinsey Skjold became the first king of Lejre, as his wife Gefion ploughed
Sealand out of the soil of Svealand after a deal with Gylfi leaving a big hole – the Lake Mälar.

In his reconstruction Snorri used a story about Odin and his Ases at a place in the genealogies, which
according to earlier myths like Historia Northwegie belonged to Ingui/Yngve. Ari even mentioned an
"Yngve of Troy". The story is unknown elsewhere though the divine Troy-connection was a part of the late
tradition. The story about the king Odin is a separate story which may be a fragment of a legend about a
human king as Snorri claimed himself.

An odd character of a god is connected with Odin. Odin was characterized by periods of absence. This is also
the case with the “later” king Aun/Audun in Ynglingatal, when other rulers took over. Earlier also Saxo114
wrote about a “false god Odin” still often travelled between Uppsala and Byzans, where Odin according to
Snorri had substantial possessions. Later the king Svegder in Ynglingasaga left for Great Svitjod/Tyrkland to
find Odin, but he returned after 5 years. All this sounds more like a human king with several points of
interest than a god.

In general the historical sagas and chronologies were reconstructions by the Christian authors who had only
fragmentary information in poems and tellings at their disposal. They were not aware that the religion
changed both geographically and successively over the years - and sometimes their job was to manipulate the
past. We have to regard the tellings as consisting of fragments about gods or kings put together in different
ways – based on the old religion with its different worlds and the tree of life.

Snorri was a serious politician. When he wrote Heimskringla ordered by the Norwegean kings he had already
described the general Troy-story 10 years before, which probably was a well known final stage of the
religion at his time – already told by Dudo. He did not want to use that origin of a living royal dynasty and
chose instead a human legend. He could not just invent a new story but had to use another legend which he
could defend – just like Saxo combined existing legends suiting his purpose in the old genealogies. The story
of king Odin existed as indicated in Skjoldungesaga as an alternative story of origin with strong parallels to
the classical story of the Christian clercs. Probably the story in Heimskringla was an older version – maybe
consisting of fragments from a real royal legend of the past. We will never know how much was
reconstructed by Snorri and his predecessors.

3.3 Odin and the king of the Heruls

3.3.1 The men of Asia and the Heruls
The similarities between the migrations of the Heruls (described in the earlier scenario) and the story of King
Odin and his men are rather obvious.

The area of Tanais (Don) in Ynglingesaga is close to the Swamps of Hele at the Sea of Asov into which the
Don is flowing. From there the Heruls joined the raid of the Huns – The men of Asia. The route is not the
same, which will be examined in the next chapter, but they met again in Northern Germany where the Varni,
whom the Heruls visited, were a part of the Saxons, when Snorri wrote.

110Gylfi is mentioned in Edda.

111Adam of Bremen. Snorri also mentioned Sigtuna, which was the big city of his time near Uppsala.
112The beginning of Heimskringla.
113He is mentioned as a son – not only a chieftain – in Edda. Also in the late Christian version of Beowulf the arrival of
Skjold has a supernatural character.
114The chapter of Hadding, Odin and Midodin in Book 1.

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King Odin and his 12 chieftain-priests left back two of his brothers with a part of the people – a parallel to
the separation of the Heruls.

The Heruls came probably sailed directly first to Blekinge/Värend with an Odinsjö, but Snorre wrote
Odinsey (Odense) at Fyen. From here Odin sent his daughter Gefion til Gylfe in Uppsala. In her negotiations
her father got at part of the kingdom of Gylfe and she herself became queen of Denmark – inspirering to the
explanation about a deal á la Hengist in the scenario in Chapter 2.2.2. Odin settled in Sigtuna and got his
temple in Uppsala, where the mounds with the East European traces are found.

Snorre told that the Ases and the Vanes fought at the Tanais and were reconciled, but the reconcilation
between the war- and fertility-gods found its more prosaic place and reason in Uppsala.

Snorri told that Odin changed the burial customs of both people to cremation by law. Later Frej, the ancestor
of the Ynglings, was buried without cremation to honour his divine character – and he was placed in a
mound. It is correct that the burial customs changed to cremation in general, when the Heruls arrived – this is
described by archaeology and even indirectly by Procopius regarding the Heruls. The first kings in the
mounds were cremated too, but then most of the earls in the boat graves were buried afterwards. Snorri failed
regarding the mounds, but how did he get the idea about the complicated change between burial and
cremation?

The invading Herulian king may in the sagas be identical with Audun/Aun115 – a name which according to
Snorri was identical with the Wothan-like name Odin. The same Aun from Ynglingesaga connects the Odin
cult in Uppsala with a calendar related to Rome and the year 476 AD when Odoaker took over. In the theory
Audun could be the name of the king as similar names are found among the Germanic people in the South.
An Audoin with a mother from Thuringia and an unknown father became king of the Lombards in 545, when
he as former guardian followed the young Waltari (ON Valdar) at the throne. Waltari was dying young as a
son of Silinga (Wacho's third wife) being the daughter of the a Herulian king - possibly Hrodolphus116.
Moreover an Ostrogothic noble Odoin was executed in the year 500 AD. Such a coincidence could explain
why the myth of the king was mixed up with the religious myths - or maybe misused in the past.

We shall probably disregard an original connection between the king and the god making other names
possible. The first Herulian king mentioned around 350 AD was called Alaric, and Jordanes told about
another king Alaric in 468 AD, who could have been the father or grandfather of the Herulian king
Rodolphus. One of Rodolphus’ sons or brothers was probably leading the migration to Scandinavia around
512 AD. We do not know the name of this king, but if we read Ynglingatal a horseriding king Alrik without
any history was father to king Yngve – also the name of the founder of the new dynasty in Svealand. If we
assume that the invading king used the usual royal name of the Heruls, Alaric (=Alrik meaning king of all),
the new god Odin (=a Norse version of Wothan) probably later absorbed his “history” and was put in front of
Ynglingatal.

Snorri told in Edda, that Odin and his men on their way from Asia to Uppsala were celebrated as gods, but
his explanation in the beginning of Ynglingesaga was that Odin's devine dignity was caused by the warriors,
who began to call upon the famous warriorking before a battle. That explanation is probably more likely –
but that could happen as an “ansis” long time after his death.

115“King Auns Calendar”, which according to Göran Henriksson (TOR 27) is connected to the sight lines at the
mounds of Uppsala, seems to begin in the year 476 AD (the year where the Heruls assisted Odoaker to put an end to
the Roman Empire) with a cycle of 304 years. The calendar might be established in Southern Europe as its structure
is Roman/Julian, and Aun may have brought it to Scandinavia. The calendar was connected to the new 8 (9) years
cycle at the Disething in Uppsala – known from Adam of Bremen and local reports from the 18th century (read also
about Aun in note 8.3.13). The Icelandic scholar Einar Palsson presented more complicated theories about the use of
geometric figures and numbers in the landscape, but this shall not be used as an argument here. Einar Birgisson has
in his new book "Egyptian influence and sacred geometry in ancient and medieval Scandinavia" [Link] shown how
these theories can be used around Uppsala using some interesting examples.
116Origo Gentis Longobardorum and Paulus Diaconus.

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Saxo maybe even indirectly explained how “the men of Odin” could become superior in Scandinavia, when
he described the battle formation “Svinefylkingen” as a divine idea of Odin. The Romans and their
mercenaries like the Heruls used this battle formation called “Porcinum Capet” or the “Swine Head” to split
a primitive row formation117. At least it is an example how experienced soldiers like the Heruls could win
though being a minority. It could of course be brought to Scandinavia by other reasons - but if so, why was it
combined with Odin?

Snorri told in Ynglingesaga that Odin knew were to go and settle, when they felt threathened. Snorri wrote
about a Roman threat, but a similar claim in ”Chronicon Lethrenses” about Augustus will probably show up
to be later events caused by the Frankish Kings around 700 AD, when comparing with archaeology [Troels
Brandt, 2004: Danernes Sagnhistorie]. The threat against Odin could as well be Huns or Christian Lombards
or East Romans as Snorri did not mention any details. Therefore there is no reason to place the departure of
Odin in the Roman period.

If we continue with the example above mentioning the names Alrik and the shaman-like Aun, Alrik may be
the man at the divine throne in shape of a Germanic Wothan figure using the Norse version of the name
Odin/Audun/Aun – four versions of the same name. Alternatively the royal priests of Uppsala later placed
the former warriorkings Alrik (Aun), Yngve and maybe Jorund118 under the godlike names Odin/Wothan,
Frej and Njord in the new world of gods mixed by Ases and Vanes, where the shapes changed and took new
positions during the years - just like Grimnismal told. We will probably never be able to tell what happened,
but under all circumstances some historical myths of Scandinavia became the myth of the divine family of
Odin and the Ases – the Ynglings, Skjoldungs etc. The descendents were therefore able to use the relation to
Ases to ligitimate a family-right to the throne – a right met in many societies, including as mentioned the
Heruls.

117Saxo (VII,10) made a detailed description of this triple wedge formation, which “an old man called Odin” learned
the Danish hero, king Harald Hildetand. Saxo did not give it a name, but the sagas mentioned the name
“Svinefylkingen” (Swine group) for a formation more simple than the complicated Saxo-formation. The Romans
had a similar wedge (Cupeus) - by the soldiers called Swine Wedge (Porcinum Capet) (Paddy Griffith: “The Viking
art of war”). The first soldiers of the formation may be expected to be regular berserks.
118These names were based on the poem Ynglingatal from the nineth and tenth century, which was used by Historia
Northwegiae and later by Snorri. The dating of Ynglingatal was provokingly critisized by Claus Krag in 1991 as
described at page 107, but he has later been opposed.

The kings Agne (In Danish pronounced Aune) – Alrik (Overlord/King of all) – Ingjald (Yngve-Frey/Ongentheow) –
Jorund (Njord?) – Aun (Audun/Odin) are placed in different order in Historia Northwegia and Ynglingatal, and they
may be regarded as a mixture of doubles in different stages of the process from king to god, when the family of
Odin was put into the sequence of the old Inglinge-dynasty. Odin became a god in front of the list as the new
ancestor together with Njord and his son Yngve-Frey (Heimskringla) – maybe instead of Ing and his reincarnations.

In this part of the list we also find Alaric - a name of Herulian and Gothic kings. The Nordic form Alrik is – just like
his brother Erik – the name of a Visigothic king at the same time. The name might be the title “Overlord”=Odin. In
Ynglingatal he and his brother seem like empty shells. Like Attila Agne died in the bed at his wedding night.
Probably some of the kings were a result of “foreign legends”.

The author has in "Danernes Sagnhistorie" proposed the line of kings Alrik/Aun - Yngve/Ongentheow - Ottar -
Onela/Hunding - Adils.

The names from Ynglingatal - Adils, Alrik and Erik - were found at the runestone from 750-850 in Sparlösa near the
later center of the church in Vestergötland, Skara (just as some of the names were mentioned in Beowulf and
Widsith). We may expect this similarity in royal names to be a coincidence due to the difference in time. However
the stone is interesting due to the mentioning of magic runes and Uppsala, where Aiuls is mentioned as king while
his son Alrik probably was king in Götaland. The pictures show a hall, a ship with sails and a mounted warrior with
sword and a boar(?)crested helmet - probably the symbols of power in the Vendel Dynasty. Was this a demonstration
of the power of Uppsala in Götaland?

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The remains of this process from man to god does not exist only in Jordanes' and Rimberts works, but also in
the Norse legends. Saxo mentioned both an Odin and a Midodin – the last just like Snorri’s Odin being a man
calling himself a god. As mentioned also Ynglingesaga described these stages between man and god - i.e.
Aun.

The Northgermanics kept their pagan belief 400 years longer than their southern kinsmen. Maybe the
ancestor-cult preserved the power of the royal dynasties and vice versa until the pressure from Christianity
undermined its functions - but probably this way of stabilising the political regimes in Scandinavia was able
to function more or less 1000 years more.

A part of the religion was in that way a result of politics – manipulated as the royal genealogies. That does
not mean that the general rules of Dumezil shall be totally neglected when analyzing the Norse religions. The
explanation will not be perfect according to religious philosophy and in relation to the normal Indo European
structures as described by Dumezil, but neither is the merged Norse pantheon - marked as it is by a
compromise with a background in political power. Actually this was precisely what Snorri described in 1230
- only he did not link them to any historically known people - he did not mention the Heruls of Procopius or
the Dacians of Dudo.

3.3.2 The route of Odin

On a superficial view the three parts of migration history mentioned in the chapters above look very
separated from each other. Snorri had even two versions of the route to Saxony - one along the Danube and
one along the Russian Rivers and the Baltic Sea. First we have to look at these discrepancies.

The first unclear description from the Edda of Snorri was very similar to Dudo’s description of an origin
from Troy and a later route from “Tyrkland” against northwest, but at the time of Snorri Tyrkland was not the
Turkey we know today, and the lost Troy was at a contemporary map placed near Tanais. Actually Snorri's
purpose to present the old myths correctly is confirmed by this use of a story which was presented 200 years
earlier by Dudo - Snorri did not invent or manipulate that story as claimed. Therefore there should be a
reason why Snorri rejected the Troy-legend choosing instead the more distinct description with a fictive
“Asgaard” behind Don/Tanais. Today we still know the city of Asov at that position. This may be caused by
knowledge unknown to us and by lost Nordic legends, when he rejected the old clerical historians and the
general glamorious Troy-myth and preferred the barbarian neighbourhood of an unknown easterly colony of
Greece. On the other hand it is easy to imagine how and why a Tanais-story could be changed to a classical
Troy-legend in the official Christian history already used among the early French historians.

Snorri may have found a new source, but the explanation appear to be reconstructed by Snorri or his source -
maybe because he only knew fragments. Angrimur Jonsson indicated that parts of it already existed in the
later disappeared Skjoldungesaga, which was written before Snorri. In the new version Odin went from
Tanais against west to Gardarige (Russia), which appear a little too similar to the much later route of the
Vikings between the Eastern Baltic Sea and Byzans – except for the information about the direction. From
there he went to Saxony, Fyen and Uppsala. It seems, however, unlogical to follow a route from the Black
Sea via nowadays Latvia to Saxony before going back to Uppsala – the detour is absurd. Snorri was caught
up in the same trap as his contemporaries when he tried to make up the puzzle – he was not able to make the
legends fit as his picture of the world was wrong119.

119Snorri told in his second version of the legend in Heimskringla, that Odin after going westward from Tanais to
Gardarike (Russia) went south to the Saxons. The consequence of that explanation is that he went north along River
Don and against west to the Baltic Sea turning southwest against Saxony. From there he went back northeast again.
Gardarike is only mentioned as an area he passed from Don, but in both versions Odin subdued Saxland. In Edda
they origined from Troy, but the geographer al-Idrisi placed at a map in 1154 Troy at River Don - a map Snorri may
have known as al-Idrisi served a Normannic duke Roger of Sicily. In Edda he went north from Tyrkland to Saxland,
and out of 12 sons, who followed Odin, 3 (Vegdeg, Beldeg (Balder) and Seggi) already settled in Germany (Austr-
Saxlandi, Vestfal (where the grave in Beckum was found) and Frakland). If Snorri had not involved Gardarige and
the trip against south (Great Svitjod or Dacia/Pannonia would have fit), the initial western direction can be regarded

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The fixed points in the legends of Odin have to be the places where he settled according to both versions,
namely Saxony – Odinsey – Old Sigtuna (close to Uppsala). Gardarige is only mentioned once by Snorri as
an area they just passed, and he never said they went north along Don before turning west. If we combine
that with the general movement from the Byzantine Empire - common for all descriptions - the "Men from
Asia" arrived from southeast to Saxony. It is natural to combine the stories of Dudo and Snorri, as both
Snorri’s men from Asia and the Dacian kings of Dudo became kings of Scandinavian countries and as they
were both said to origin from Troy. The Men from Asia/Tanais travelled via Saxony to Scandinavia - just as
the Dacian kings of Dudo must have passed Saxony. After Odinsey the Men from Asia ended up in the
Mälar-region. The combined result will look like this: From Tanais the ancestors of the Nordic kings had
followed the Danube/Elb-route over Dacia and Saxony (in northeast earlier called Varni) to the Danes,
Gautoi and Svear.

An objection should be that the Heruls probably never lived at Tanais, but that does not change anything in
the argumentation as they believed so, when Ablasius and Jordanes wrote. Probably they later mixed up
Tanais (Don) with Dnepr (ON Danpr), which in the 3rd century was the border between the Germanic tribes
and the Sarmatian Alans (Ases). If Alans were integrated they may even have brought legends from Tanais
and Asov with them into the Herulian group.

Snorri even mentioned that Odin’s people splitted up before he left, and that all the 12 chieftains/priests
followed Odin – just like Procopius’ description of the Herulian split after the defeat by the Lombards, where
the royal family primarily was found in the northern group.

This very natural combination of the migrating kings of Snorri and Dudo, who both wrote in Northwestern
Europe, will be identical with a combination of the South-European Procopius and Jordanes describing the
route and livingplaces of the Heruls.

A combination seen from this point of view will indicate that the myths of origin of Odin and the legends of
some of the royal dynasties in Scandinavia could be the missing Nordic history of the Heruls. Unfortunately
events from the 300 years of migration are totally mixed up – but this should be expected as Dudo wrote 500
years later and Snorri wrote 700 years later.

Making a kind of summary we can ask the question: How did Snorri get that idea? We have 3 possibilities:
1. He invented a route himself - and hit by a coincidense the 4.ooo km long route of the Heruls.
2. He found fragments of one or more Nordic legends or poems describing a route of some nameless Heruls.
3. He knew the route of Procopius.

Reading only these answers the last possibility appears most realistic while the first is nearly impossible.
However, if he knew Procopius there was no reason to follow the Viking route through Russia letting them
go from Latvia to Saxony and back to Uppsala. This is also a strong argument against the first possibility.
Furthermore it is as earlier mentioned difficult to explain why he did not refer to Procopius if he knew him -
in order to support the Christian purpose that Odin was a human being. This leads us back to one or more
Norse myths containing fragments of the Herulian history as the background of his final reconstruction. As
we do not expect to find Procopius-readers in the early pagan Scandinavia, the Heruls themselves appear to

as a connection to all the other descriptions following the Danube/Elb-route. The possible combinations are
Oder/Weischel (never mentioned in this connection), west - northwest (Danube - Elb) or north - west - southwest
(Baltic Sea). None of the descriptions told in northern Europe sounds reliable except for the last part from Saxony to
Scandinavia – just opposite Procopius, who was not able to describe the last part in a way to be trusted. The lacking
ability to reflect the round shape of the Earth in the maps and the Christian church’s unwillingness to accept it
caused a confusing impression of the world - unless Pytheas and scientists like Pythagoras very early had recognised
the round shape. If a man as an example went 1400 km eastwards from Vestfold in Norway and then 1400 km
southwards (along the Russian rivers) he reached Tanais, but if he went from Vestfold 1400 km southwards and then
1400 km eastwards (along the Danube) he reached Dacia. Therefore Christian writers, who regarded the Earth to be
a disc as described by Snorri, had serious problems with directions and location of the countries at a flat map or the
cylindric map used by some scientists.

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be the most probable source for such Norse myths. However this alone can never constitute a convincing
proof.

3.3.3 The later kings of Ynglingesaga

Both in Heimskringla and Historia Norwegie the description of the gods was instantly followed by the
genealogy of the kings descending from Yngve-Frey - known from the much earlier poem Ynglingetal. They
are normally divided into four groups.

The kings in the first group covering Dag and his “ancestors” have obviously no connection with the rest.
They appear to be fantasy figures or maybe mythical kings from the earlier kingdom. Probably the purpose
was to prolong the list of kings and connect them with the gods.

The next group from Agne to the shaman-like Aun120 were mentioned in different order in the two versions
of Ynglingatal and seem to contain doubles. Some of them appear with elements of gods or of Hunnic and
Visigothic kings. Maybe they were used as a fill up to make the family older than the Danish kings – being
elements of other kings or gods. It can not be excluded that the story of Aun and the human Odin were
elements of the same legendary king.

The kings of third group are known as the "Skilfings" from Beowulf too - the name may be derived from
skjalf (Highseat). Skilfing was in Grimnismaal told to be an earlier name of Odin as Geat. These kings are
normally regarded as more reliable figures.

The fourth and last group became Norwegian kings as the family had to escape, when Ivar Vidfadme of
Scania was said to conquer most of Sweden around 700 AD.

The similar saga of the kings from the Danish Lejre – Skjoldungesaga – is unfortunately only known from
small fragments. Maybe Ivar Vidfadme was identical with the symbolic figure Dan known from the Cronical
of Lejre and from Saxo. Snorri knew and used Skjoldungesaga, when he wrote Ynglingesaga.

The names of the kings in Ynglingasaga were based on the poem Ynglingatal from the nineth or tenth
century, which was used by Snorri and probably also earlier by Historia Northwegiae. The dating of
Ynglingatal was provokingly critisized by Claus Krag in 1991, but though he has later been opposed in a
convincing way in doctoral thesis by Gro Steinsland, Svante Norr and especially Olof Sundqvist many
scholars prefer to refer to his critical comments supporting their general view. In note121 is described that his

120According to Ynglingesaga Aun/Audun ruled over several periods through 200 years indicating a superior king
between gods and human beings – an Odin-shape. The superior king possibly corresponds with Jarl from the poem
Rigsthula explaining the background for the classes of the society – slaves, free farmers and earls. The god Heimdal
here points out the descendants to Jarl – son of Heimdal and Mother – to become kings and “Godes” with the title
“Rig” (=king). He taught him the magic language of the runes. Jarl was followed by his son Kon (konung=king).
The last part of the work is missing, but Kon was told, that Dan and Danp were better Vikings. Danp is elsewhere
presented as a brother to Yngve (Skjold?). (Danp was also the Norse name of Dnepr, where the Heruls earlier lived.)
The Viking-rumour indicates that the survived version is connected to the take over by the later Danish king Dan (as
in the Lethre (Lejre) Chronicle) even though it explains the earlier formation of the supreme kingdom.
121Claus Krag stated that the information in the genealogy of Are and Historia Northwegia was one version of the past
and Ynglingatal and Snorri's Ynglingesaga another version due to different spelling of personal names,
chronological order and the kingdoms ruled by the Norwegean kings. As Ynglingasaga was the youngest he
concluded that Ynglingatal was younger than Historia Northwegia!! He forgot the most likely possibility that
Ynglingatal as Snorri told was the oldest version existing together with one or more other lost poems or sagas with a
different content - just as HN and Ynglingasaga were different. Accordingly the authors had to pick up what they
personally believed, which could cause the discrepances he observed. He emphasized that both Ynglingatal and
Snorri had Agne - Alrik in the opposite order than Historia Northwegia, which made him conclude that Are and the
author of Historia Northwegia did not know Ynglingatal. But he forgot that the only version of Ynglingatal is known
from Ynglingasaga, where Snorri may have changed the order of these kings due to other sources. Furthermore he
claimed that the author of Ynglingatal knew the "four elements". That may be correct, but that will not prove that the

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conclusions do not follow simple logics as he has ruled out the most likely explanations.

Counting generations from the death of Harald Blaatand back to Harald Hildetand and via his grandfather
Ivar Vidfadme to the members of Ynglingatal Aun should be expected to die in 510 AD using the average
length of generations from the historical part of the Danish royal family through 1000 years. Nearly the same
result is reached by using the Swedish list from Erik Sejersäl. The uncertainty around the length of
generations and the lists of kings will make this dating useless, but at least the following theories are not
destroyed by such a calculation.

Odin became one of their Ansis - an Ansuz - and so the name of the Asir was formed. In Götaland Wothan as
Odin possibly replaced their version of Gaut as the oldest ancestor of the royal family, while the Ynglings in
Uppland were combined with the Skilfings (Herulian/Swedish dynasty with Odin as an ancestor) by the
kings in Ynglingatal's group 2 - and therefore Grimnismal told that Gaut and Skilfing were earlier names of
Odin.

We shall, however, notice that (opposite in Edda) Odin was not an ancestor of the Ynglings in Ynglingesaga.
The ancestor to Yngve (Frej) and Aun was the Vane Njord. Did Snorri know that the “men of Asia” became
earls without conquering the throne or was it due to another myth letting the original royal line of the Svear
continue in order to legalize the dynasty?

Snorri wrote about Ases, Vanes, Earls, Danes, Swedes and people from Troy and Tanais, but he never
mentioned the Heruls.

3.3.4 Independent sources?

The similarities above will immediately bring up the question: Did Snorri and Dudo use the works of
Jordanes and Procopius?

Procopius was mentioned in connection with the the Apostle of Germany, Bonifatius around 700 AD, but
Procopius is not traced in the later sources from northern Europe. Jordanes, however, was mentioned by
Widukind – confirming that he was known in the northern monasteries around 1000 AD. Dudo seems to have
read Jordanes, but he did not mention the part of the Herulian history reminding about the history told by
Snorri. Using Priamos of Troy shows that Snorri knew the Danish tradition of a background in antique
history already mentioned by Dudo 200 years earlier, when the first people from Iceland were studying in
Paris.

It is obvious that Snorri may have known the same source as Roger Bacon, who in 1250 AD mentioned the
As-people in the area of Asov, and this could have been Snorri's inspiration to Asgaard – especially as Troy
appear to have been placed in this area at a map from 1154 AD. However the only connection between the
people around Asov and Scandinavia were the Heruls, but Snorri never mentioned the Heruls.

Close to the Azes in Azerbadjan Thor Heyerdahl also claimed to find a Van-people at the other side of Ararat
in Eastern Turkey. The existence of this people was confirmed by local scholars, and we can find the town
and the lake Van at modern maps. He also found an Udin-people (pronounced Odin) in Azerbadjan. The
methode by comparing names used by Heyerdahl may lead to totally wrong conclusions because of

author was a Christian as the pagan philosophy was influenced by Christian thinking as mentioned by Claus Kragh
himself in another connection. In this connection he referred to FornjotR, but he ignored that FornjotR's three sons
did only cover three elements. His best argument could be that the Norwegean Ynglinga kings in Historia
Northwegia were kings of "Opplandene" while they in Ynglingatal and Ynglingasaga were kings of Vestfold too.
Historia Northwegia does not tell that they did not rule Vestfold too, and the only remark about Vestfold in
Ynglingatal was that Harald Hvitbeine was buried in Sciringssal. His argument about euhumerism was the usual that
euhumerism was used by the Christians as an argument and accordingly gods with a human past must have been
invented by the Christians - a common mistake among scholars forgetting that ancestor religion was common in the
past – even described by the pagan Romans. The argument simply does not work both ways.

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coincidenses, but there are several other possibilities. Snorri may have been inspired by legends from
Caucasus, or he may have reconstructed certain elements because of similarities in names he knew. Some of
Heyerdahl's observations may be right, but the Udin-connection is contradicted by the connection between
the Norse Odin and the earlier German Wothen even mentioned by Snorri. Also the more likely As-
connection is contradicted by the generally accepted linguistical development from "Ansi" and ”Ansu” to
”Ases”. As ”Ansu” meant ”God” or ”Ancestral god” this chain of development seems very logical, but this
may be a coincidence as well or the development may have happened the opposite way. This is not written to
defend Heyerdahl’s theories, but Snorri may have made some of the same mistakes, including the
combination of the name Ases and Men from Asia. However such a mistake does not mean that the basical
theory, which Snorri believed his Asia-mistake would strengten, is wrong. This kind of arguments are often
misused.

Snorri's Tanais-legend using a route through Gardarige could never be a result of Snorri reading Procopius,
and Snorri also used other names - he mentioned Tanais and Saxony but not Procopius' Ister (Danube) and
the Varni. Without a combination with Procopius or without Nordic legends about the Heruls the few
remarks of Jordanes covering the Heruls should never bring associations to a reader leading to the migration
of Odin. Dudo probably used elements of Jordanes, but Snorri used remarkably few elements of Dudo,
Jordanes and Procopius in his tellings - if any. Probably Snorri reconstructed a part of the geographical
description using routes from the Black Sea and place names he knew from the Vikings, but if he was
deliberately manipulating the whole geographical story based on Procopius, this was extremely clever done
and his motives are not even obvious.

If Snorri knew Procopius and in any way connected his history with "The men from Asia", we should expect
the Christian historian to uncover and use a connection between the pagan gods and the Heruls in his
warning against paganism in Skaldskapermal - unless he was forced to suppress the connection between
Heruls and gods. But this suppression should only be expected to take place, if the Hypothesis of the Heruls
were true. Alternatively he did not combine Odin and the Heruls or he did not know Procopius. In the first
case he had no reason to use the story, but if he nevertheless was inspired by Procopius he had no reason to
reconstruct a (wrong) route and he had no motive to invent a brand new myth about Nordic gods behind
Tanais centuries after Odin was given up as a god - as he did not use it for any purpose. Consequently his
telling about the "Men from Asia" appear in both cases independent of Procopius.

Finally the basical myths of the religion are supposed to be developped in a much older pagan environment,
where no one would be expected to read antique historians and combine them in that way. The picture-stones
at Gotland indicate that antique legends were known early, but not necessarily from books. Dudo confirmed
only 40 years after Denmark was officially baptised,that the Danes boasted of Greek ancestors, so already at
that time the Dacian tradition was well established without any connection with Procopius and his Heruls.
Thus Snorri did not invent the southeastern connection. On the contrary his explanations and different
versions show doubt in his mind about the Troy-legend, but not about men from the region of Tanais
becoming kings of Scandinavia. If the "Men from Asia" had not already used the Greek Troy-legend as
Snorri maintained, the Danish boasting was probably caused by the first Christians converting a pagan
Tanais-legend of the royal family to "civilised" antique "history".

The outstanding similarities regarding Tanais and the routes - looking at a modern map - indicate in spite of
the uncertainty, that the Norse myths are independent descriptions of the same events, which were never
combined later because of different names, dating and approach. As one version is a migration history
surviving in separate parts from a Byzantine and a Gothic historian, while the other version survived as a
central Nordic religious myth and as some parallel legends of kings in an antique shape, this will only
strengthen the assumption of totally different sources.

3.3.5 A possible source

Maybe Procopius description of the migration is in this way confirmed by one or two apparently
independent descriptions, but unfortunately they are not known as contemporary descriptions.

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The three stories do not only contain similarities making it possible to combine them, but after the
combination they will supply each other in a way explaining many historical, archaeological and religious
matters in the Iron and Viking Ages.

We may wonder why Snorri told two versions of the south eastern connection. Looking at works like the
Hervarar-saga primarily operating in the areas around Danube and the Black Sea, it does not seem unlikely
that Snorri in his investigation looking for an explanation behind the Troy-legend found a legend pointing at
the Greek Tanais. One possibility is that he found an old legend of a war between As- and Van-people in
Caucasus (mentioned by Heyerdahl) inspiring to the names, as we know Roger Bacon some years later knew
the As-people, but such a past of the Van-people is unknown today. The etymology behind the "Ases" might
be a reconstruction by Snorri reading the above mentioned source about the As-people and maybe the town
Asov. However these Heyerdahl-theories do not appear to be likely.

A more likely possibility may be, that the source of Snorri was a Nordic legend about a battle at Danpr –
namely the battle he described as the battle between Ases and Vanes though this “divine war” took place later
in Scandinavia. We may suspect this to be an Attila-legend, but Attila first became leader when they reached
Dacia/Pannonia and a story about the Huns should have lead Snorri to the Danube-route. Apparently Snorri
never realized that his distant battle probably was a battle between the Heruls and Ermaneric or the Huns –
both parties often mentioned in Nordic legends. The defeat forced the Heruls to follow the victorious leaders
– Attila was the last of them – against west to Moravia, from where the head of their own royal family
brought some of them to Sweden. Snorri never realized, that the narrators may have repressed a complicated
and humiliating history of 150 years. Maybe Snorri when he found these Tanais-legends in good faith mixed
them up and chose the best route he and his contemporaries knew – the Viking route from Don to
Scandinavia and not the Gothic route from Dnepr. Maybe the Tanais-legend was later converted into a Troy-
legend. Snorri did under no circumstances invent the story himself as the headlines were mentioned in the
earlier Skjoldungesaga (Fragmenta rerum Danicarum).

The long travels of Odin and his possessions in Byzans, mentioned by Snorri and Saxo, may be due to a
religious dynastic superiority over the Herulian kings - including even over some of the Heruls in Illyria,
although they were a part of the Byzantine rule. As Datius was sent from Sweden he must have been a pagan
– as was probably the group asking him to come. Later on Datius had to escape with the men loyal to the
royal family to a new kingdom in Dacia under the Gothic Gepides. Snorri/Saxo in combination with
Procopius indicate a continous connection between Scandinavia and these Heruls, who even may have
returned from Dacia to Scandinavia after the defeats of the Gepides. This explains why they had to send for
Datius in Scandinavia, why Justinian opposed these pagan kings by using Suartuas, why Procopius criticized
the character of the Heruls, why the royal party of the Heruls let this conflict be the end of the advantageous
collaboration with Justinian, and why the Danes could regard some of the members of the Nordic dynasties
or at least some of the earls as Gothic Dacians.

3.4 Norse parallels to Jordanes' expulsion

Snorri is not the only Norse or Northern European sources where traces of the arriving Heruls can be found.
Both Beowulf, Widsith and Gesta Danorum of Saxo contain such elements.

In Widsith we can read that the Danish kings, Roar and Rolf, drove off the tribe of the Vikings (Wicinga
cynn). This is exactly the same information as written by Jordanes. If the Wicingas were the Heruls both
Jordanes' and Widsith's wording indicates that the Heruls were not defeated but rather driven off.

The name Wicinga is often combined with the Heathobeards later in the sentence, but the two parts of the
sentence appear to describe different events. We have to leave out the possibility that the Heruls were the
Heathobards as this name did not cover a people but a branch of the legendary Danish dynasty - the
Scyldings. Normally a line in Widsith is translated "Hrothwulf and Hrothgar, nephew and uncle, held peace

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together for many years after they had driven off the Heathobard tribe", but in the original OE text the name
was "Wicingas". This line and the two next lines about the Heathobeards are describing two different events.
This first mentioning of the wicingas may correspond with the expulsion of the Heruls mentioned by
Jordanes. The next line about the Heathobeards shall probably be regarded in relation to the events in
Beowulf between Roar and the Heathobeards, Frode and Ingeld - the latter being defeated at Heorot (the Hall
of Lejre) in Widsith. The English sources supporting king Roar and an English queen were written before the
Danish legends were manipulated by Saxo and the other clerical authors. The Danish legends apparently
preferred the line of Frode122 being placed as the ancestors to the later Skjoldunger (Scyldings) after the
confusion caused by the killing of Rolf Krake123. Though Skjold in some works is called a son of Odin there
is no reason to regard the real Danish dynasty as a part of the Heruls, but they may have been influenced by
marriage and mercenary officers (earls).

We do not know any tribe called Wicinga and the word Viking is not known so early from other sources -
long time before the Viking Ages. To the editor of Widsith in the 10th century a combination "Eorla cynn"
would not make any sense in this line of names. Maybe he instead used "Wicinga" as a general word for
Nordic warriors. If "wicinga" really was the original wording, this was probably a tribe giving name to the
later Vikings, and as the Heruls were regarded as pirates in the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea they are
probably in both cases the best candidates to the names "Wicingas" and "Lidwicingas" ("Lid" must be the old
word for a private army used by the Vikings). Widsith also used the Herul-like "Herelingas" - probably
covering at that position in Widsith a personal name and therefore unchanged by the authors of Widsith. The
personal name is normally regarded to cover the Harlungen Twins, who may have been Heruls too (Wolfram
1988).

This interpretation of Widsith may be confirmed by line 6 in Beowulf where "Scyld ... egsode eorl" maybe
should be interpreted as "Scyld (or rather the Scyldings) ... terrified the Heruli", which was suggested by
Wrenn though later denied by Chambers, as Chambers and Klaeber believed in the old dating of Jordanes'
expulsion and regarded this sentence early in the Prelude too general to mention a single people. However no
scholars appear to have considered the parallel in Widsith mentioned above. As Scyld had seized many
mead-benches (= halls = kingdoms) there was no reason to add a sentence about earls, but as Jordanes told
about the expulsion of the Heruls by the Danes as one of the only events worth mentioning in Scandinavia, it
appears likely that Beowulf mentioned this event when presenting the Danes. Therefore Wrenn is probably
right, and his view is today regarded as plausible in the PhD thesis of Carl Edlund Anderson (note 36) and
the Beowulf translation by Benjamin Slade.

Among the many tellings of Saxo we also find some information, which could reflect the arrival of the
Heruls. In his chapter about Frode Fredegod Saxo has 3 descriptions of the Huns, who were probably never
in contact with the Danes as a major group. The Scandinavians may have mixed up the Huns with their
followers, the Heruls, which is confirmed by the Dietrich-saga where the ancestor of the family in Rök, the
Herulian king Hrodolphus, is called Rodolf of Bekelar as an earl of the Hunnic Attila. The "Huns" arrived in
the neighbourhood together with a Russian fleet lead by Olimar, but the Russians did not exist at that time.
The fleet may have belonged to the Varini as suggested earlier based on Procopius. According to Saxo Frode
married a Hunnic princess, but after 3 years they were separated. At last a battle took place between Frode
and the Huns and the Huns disappeared from the stories of Saxo. It is obvious that this story of Saxo may be
the combined story we have heard from Procopius, Jordanes, Beowulf and Widsith. Frode was the Scylding
who in the Danish legends tried to get a peacefull relationship with the arriving Heruls, but had to expell
them afterwards - which made him the strong and fameous king of the Danes (Troels Brandt, 2004).

The methode of the Heruls was in this way an occupation by initial plunderings, fightings or thread followed
by an integration. But we still have to be aware, that neither Widsith, Beowulf nor Saxo can be regarded as
historical sources regarding the 6th century.

122The kings of the Heathobeards were in Beowulf called Frode and Ingjald. The manipulation of the legends is not the
topic of this website and is explained in "Danernes Sagnhistorie" by Troels Brandt, 2004.
123The “foreigner” Fredlejf being in other sources called a son of a Frode was in “Lethre Chronicle” a Danish king
married with a daughter of Hrodwulf (Rolf Krake).

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3.5 The Scandinavian names

Above is indicated that the names/words Erila, Eorl, Jarl, Hun, Märing and maybe even Viking were all
originally referring to the people, who in the latinised form were called Heruli. How could they get so many
nams? Probably because the arriving Heruls got different nicknames in the different countries.

Dudo mentioned that the Getaes were also known as Goths, Alans, Sarmatians etc. – in other words also the
As-people - but neither Snorri, Saxo, Lambert nor Dudo ever mentioned the name of the Heruls although
they used different elements of the Herulian history. The Eastern Heruls were probably never called Heruls
in Scandinavia because of the Western Heruls – the ErilaR. Around 550 AD the Dani were mentioned for the
first time among the historians in the South being in the next centuries a common name for Scandinavians as
pirates together with the Saxons.

It is also possible to understand the confusion “Dani” - “Heruls” - “Daci” – “Ases”, if the Heruls from
Danube were a part of the Geats, who became Earls (~Eruli/jarler) of the Swedes and some of these were
later related to the Danish dynasty. Therefore the Earls from Moravia, Dacia Ripensis and Dacia Inferior
were now identified with the people they ruled, and the old name sank into oblivion (maybe hidden behind
their lies about kings from Asia or Troy) - or the name became a title. The ancestors of the Earls were at the
same time raised to divine Ases using myths inspired from religions earlier met by or worshipped by the
Heruls. This simple explanation is in harmony with the personal comments or conclusions from Dudo, Saxo
and Snorri, and with the divine appointment of the Earls in Rigsthula. We may brush aside their comments as
religious propaganda, but after all they are our best sources, who tried to explain events, looking peculiar
also to themselves - and it is important to realize, that they must have known sources now lost.

3.6 Burial customs – Snorri, Procopius and archaeology

Procopius description of the death of an old sick Herul was mentioned earlier – killed by a dagger and
burned at a pile of wood as he should not be a burden to his family. His wife should hang herself. Snorri told
in Ynglingesaga that an old king should not die sick in his bed, and he told that the king Odin was wounded
by a spear and burned at a pile of wood, when he wanted to die – in another story he hanged himself. These
may be two versions of the same theme confirming that Procopius had this story from the pagan
Scandinavian Heruls, but Snorri explained much further. He described the reconciliation between the religion
of the Svear of Gylfi and the religion of the migrating ”Asian” warriors of Odin. He told about the
”Cremation Ages” and the ”Mound Ages”, and in Ynglingesaga he told, that Odin and Njord were burned,
while Yngve was the first to be buried in a big mound in Uppsala. He told, that all dead men should be
burned with their belongings, and their ashes should be buried or cast into the sea. The higher the smoke
arose the higher he was raised in the next life (which affords a high temperature of the fire as observed in
Uppsala and Lejre). For men of consequence a mound should be raised in his memory. In this way there is
nearly total correspondance between the tellings of Snorri and Procopius and the development told by the
archaeologists in the Uppsala-district – especially the content of the three Uppsala mounds, which he had no
chance to interprete from an archaeological point of view in 1230 AD.

However as mentioned the cremations and especially the 3 Uppsala-mounds constitutes a problem if the
leaders in Uppsala were Heruls. Also Snorri’s descriptions are incorrect if he just described the Svear. Here
the reconciliation between religions or people mentioned by Snorri is an important explanation - especially
as Odin according to Snorri also made a new law demanding his own people to be cremated as mentioned
above. We shall not forget that the laws probably were the best remembered texts and that law was Snorri's
official job. Neither shall we forget that some people in the Scandinavian societies were able to write and
that the runes were made for carving in wood - which probably caused the Swedish juridical term "balk".
Even if Snorri knew the content of the royal mounds, which he hardly did, he or his sources could not have
reconstructed this well fitting explanation about the old law, as the real archaeological combinations in the

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Swedish and Moravian graves are too complicated. A majority of the people in Sweden and nearly all along
Fyrisåen except the rich families in chamber graves were already cremated, so it made only sense to make
such a law if the purpose was to change the customs of an integrated people who were not cremated until
now – namely the Heruls. The invading Herulian king must according to European archaeology combined
with Procopius have forced his own people to follow the customs of their new people. This is by Snorri
explained as a part of the above mentioned reconciliation, where he even ordered them to cremate himself.
Later, when the kings and earls consolidated their position with a demonstration of power known as the
Vendel Culture, the Heruls used their own and the local leaders former traditions in order to make the king
immortal and the family divine – maybe also inspired by experiences from the society in Högom. Snorri's
telling about the consequent Odin is logically connected with the short period of royal cremation customs in
Uppland as demonstrated by archaeology just before the Vendel Ages. Snorri told exactly what would
happen, if King Odin really had arrived from Moravia, and what was hidden in the earth in Sweden and
Moravia 700 years before himself and first escavated 700 years after his death. Modern scholars focus on the
long span of years and the general use of classical elements, which does not prove anything, and they forget
that the Scandinvian kings had a written language and a tradition of law, which make Snorri's and Procopius'
tellings about the burial practice likely.

3.7 Conclusions - Norse literature

Due to the uncertainty of the legends most scholars prefer to avoid these as historical sources - calling them
literature. Though they basically are so and though some of them were even manipulated, they may provide
us with a valuable picture of society, kingship and religion filling up some of the holes in the historical
pattern. In his PhD-dissertation at the University of Uppsala Svante Norr described indications of the
establishing of a superior level of kingship in Scandinavia - based primarily on Norse legends and English
poems and chronicles, which he had to defend to a certain degree. He described the kingship as appearing
similar with the structures of power and kingship among the Anglo-Saxon and Eastgermanic people -
especially the Goths - in which structures the Heruls earlier tried to reach a higher level.

The many examples leading to a general similarity between the headlines of the Nordic legends, the history
of the Heruls and archaeology are striking and can not be a coincidence. Many of the elements in the history
of Procopius can be recognised as fragments in the sagas, and furthermore the legends simply fill out holes
and explain the background behind the Hypothesis of the Heruls as it was described in chapter 2. That does
not imply that the story about Odin’s men from Asia in Ynglingesaga was the accepted myth of that time as
Snorri in that case would have mentioned it earlier. The story as it was told in Ynglingesaga must have been
a late reconstruction by Snorri based on fragments in old Norse poems and sagas and maybe even fragments
of ancient classical knowledge. Already in the missing Skjoldungesaga a part of that story was known
according to Arngrimur Jonsson.

We shall never expect to find surviving sources telling about a ruling Norse dynasty with a past as
mercenaries serving the Romans. That would be totally against the politics of the Nordic kings and bishops
of the time, when these tellings and poems were written down. The only author moving against those limits
was Snorri - and he was in fact murdered, though that could be a coincidence as he did not cross the limits.

Apparently independent of Procopius and archaeology these legends have located the center of this kingship
and the religion to the Uppsala area - which was later historically confirmed by Adam of Bremen, when he
tried to describe the religious center (even though his description of the temple itself probably was a
rumour). To a certain extend this was also confirmed by Ansgar/Rimbert in Birka mentioning another thing,
where people listening to the gods were heard. As earlier mentioned these legends point at kings from the
countries in the Southeast as founders of a superior kingship in Uppsala. In that way the legends provide us
with the missing link in the accumulating historical evidence in chapter 2 above - without being scholarly
acceptable because of the general unreliability of the sources. It is important to notice that no legends tell
about people settling among the Götes. The location in Uppland and the described burial practices
corresponds with the archaeological conclusions, which with a few decades uncertainty date the establishing

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of the later expanding center to the arrival of the Heruls. The legends indicate this new religion or culture of
Uppsala to arrive from south covering most of Scandinavia - just like the archaeology and the history.

In spite of the unreliability of these legends the probability of the Hypothesis of the Heruls is strengthened by
the clear connections between history, archaeology and myths.

The probability is also strengthened as the later Viking societies appear to have certain religious and cultural
characteristics in common with the Heruls.

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4 Scandinavian perspectives
Under all circumstances the Heruls arrived to Scandinavia where they must have been an important catalyst
in the development proces leading to the the greater kingdoms of the Vendel Culture and the later Viking
Culture. They are even the most likely explanation of the earls of Uppland. But the looting and tributing of
the Heruls was not the only element in the expansion proces of the vikings - it was a general backside of the
culture around the warrior elite until a new combination of kingship and church changed this way of life in
the Mediaval Ages.

These hypotheses cover an area where it is normally impossible to prove anything according to usual
scholarly criterias - except if new techniques as DNA-analyzes can help us. Unfortunately the historians
have not (like other scholarly areas) found a methode of reporting uncertainty - though all historical reports
and analyzes contain uncertainty. The Scandinavian historians therefore avoid the Iron Ages. The purpose of
this article by an outsider is to combine the fragmentary historical and archaeological information in a more
probable and coherent way - in the hope one day to inspire a scholar to find a convincing way out of the
dead ends.

The Hypothesis of the Heruls explains, why the basis of kingship in Scandinavia was the
distribution of loot and tribute characteristic for the kings of warriors and migration people (Widsith
called this "eorlscipe" in the 8th century). Distribution of precious rings as salary and reward was
according to the English poems essential to the reputation of the king - and in this way also for the
warrior's incentive and respect for his leader. As the basic farming-, trading- and tax-income of a
superior warrior king in Scandinavia was normally limited, most of the distributed treasures had to
come from plundering, tribute, custom, market fee and offerings. The need of extravagant reward to
housecarls and navy may have tempted chieftains and kings to carry out the large Viking raids - an
occupation for the Heruls since the 3rd century. Maybe that is the reason why many of the
Scandinavians became Vikings. The Viking Culture around the Odin Cult must have been initiated
by a nomadic culture or migration people - it is not likely to be initiated by agriculturists.

The expansion of the Franks and a trading route from Frisia/England crossing Southern Jutland to
the Baltic Sea (later following the rivers of Russia to Byzans) moved around 700 AD the military
power center of Scandinavia towards the “border region of the Danes” (=Denmark in Germanic
language). That was the time of the king with the symbolic name Dan establishing a royal
superiority in an area, which became the Danish "lande". Therefore the traditions from the past are
most obvious in early history of Denmark, from where also a part of the scaldic tradition of Iceland
came according to the Icelandic scholar Bardi Gudmundsson. When Christianity prevented the
Danes from plundering their neighbours - a plunder which at last could not be covered behind
crusades and "defensive" raids against the Slavic robbers - this became an important reason for the
change in power structure and for the total economic collapse of the Danish kings in the later
Medieval Ages.

This work was as mentioned initiated years ago by the search for the origin of the Danish Kingdom
and the election procedure. The above mentioned thread from the pagan and vagrant warrior king to
the Christian medieval king forms together with the earlier mentioned election and inheritance
traditions manipulated by Saxo the sixth main track of indices supporting the Hypothesis of the
Heruls. It corresponds with the other five: Procopius/Jordanes, Snorri, Dudo, the East Germanic
legends and the archaeology. As the rows of indices are mostly independent, the Hypothesis of the
Heruls will not fall, if one or more of the indices are false. In this connection it has to be noticed,

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that the most important of all the indices is the combination of archaeology and Procopius'
description of a royal Herulian settlement in Scandinavia - a settlement which has never been
contradicted by historians although their number and the place of settlement has been discussed.

There is no reason to expect finding historical sources from the Scandinavian Iron Ages meeting the
historical assessment criteria of our time, but this hypothesis may give us an explanation of the
mystery of the Heruls, which is far more probable than a trackless disappearance. The hypotheses is
worth a consideration, as it may give an explanation of the archaeology, the Viking culture and the
structure and evolution of Scandinavian kingship.

5 Literature

Forfatter /Oversætter Årstal Titel

Adam von Bremen 1968 De Hamburgske ærkebispers historie (C.Henrichsen) L
Albrechtsen, Erling 1984 Dudo, Normandiets Historie L
Andersson, Thorsten. 1998 "Göter, Goter, Guter" in Namn och Bygd 1-1998
Anke, Bodo 1998 Studien zur Reiternomadischen kultur 4./5. jahrh.
Arrhenius, Birgit 1985 Merovingian Garnet Jewellery
Arrhenius, Birgit 2000 “Tuna och Husby i Vendel” in En bok om Husbyar
Arrhenius, Birgit 2001 “Prev. & rec. research on Svear” in Kingdoms and Regional.
Arwidsson, Greta 1954 Valsgärde 7,8
Axboe, Morten 2007 Brakteatstudier
Bang, G. 1897 Paulus Diaconus, Longobardernes Historie L
Bately, JM. 1980 Paulus Orosius. The old English Orosius
Beda (J.E. King) 1930 Historia Ecclesiastica L
Bellinger, Gerhard J. 1993 Gyldendals Mytologisk Leksikon
Birgisson, Einar G. 2004 Egypt. infl. & sacred geometry in .. Scandinavia
Blockley, R.C. 1981 Eunapius, Priscus - History after Dexippus
Boer, R.C. 1910 Die Sage von Ermaneric und Dietrich von Bern L
Bondesen, Erling 1982 Havspejlsvingninger
Brandt, Troels 2004 Danernes Sagnhistorie
Brøndsted, J. 1960 Danmarks Oldtid
Burenholt, Göran 1999 Nordisk Arkeologi
Cameron, Averil 1985 Procopius and the sixth century
Chambers, R.W. 1921 Beowulf: Introduction to the Study of the Poem
Chambers, R.W. 1912 Widsith

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Forfatter /Oversætter Årstal Titel

Christensen, A.E. 1977 Danmarks Historie (Gyldendal)
Christensen, A. Soeby 2002 Cassiodorus / Jordanes
Christensen, Tom 1991 Lejre - syn og sagn
Crossley-Holland, K 1980 Norse Myths
Davidson, H.E. 1979 Saxo Grammaticus
Dalton, O 1915 The letters of Sidonius Appollonaris L
Duczko, Wladys. 1996 Arkeologi i Gamla Uppsala II
Dudo (Liefshitz) 1911 Gesta Normannorum L
Dumezil, Georges 1962 De nordiska gudarna
Ellegaard, Alvar 1987 Who were the Eruli?
Eugippius (Noll) 1963 Viti sanctus Severini L
Evans, Angela Care 1994 The Sutton Hoo ship burial
Fabech, Charlotte 1991 Soesdala, Fulltofta og Vennebo
Fagerlie, Joan 1967 Late Roman and Byzantine solidi
Faulkes, A. 1987 Snorri Sturluson Edda L
Fett, Per 1938 Arms in Norway - Bergen Museums Aarbok
Friesen, Otto von 1917 Herulernas bosaetning i Scandinavien
Friesen, Otto von 1920 Rökstenen
Friesinger, W. / Daim 1990 Typen der Ethnogenese ... der Bayern
Friis-Jensen,C / A. Lund 1982 Skjoldungesagaen
Flavius Jospeh/ Harsberg 1997 Den jødiske Krig
Gaimster, Marit 1998 Vendel period brachteats on Gotland
Galbraith, V.H. 1969 Bede’s Ecclesiastical History
Gannholm, Tore 1996 The Origin of Svear
Gelting, Michael 1979 Roskilde Krøniken
Gertz, M.C. 1916 Sven Aggesoens historiske Skrifter
Gjellerup, Karl 1895 Rigsthula og Hyndloljod
Goffart, Walther 1988 The narrators of barbarian history
Gregor af Tour 1917 Gregors Frankerkrønike L
Guðmundsson, Barði 1967 The origin of the Icelanders
Götiska Minnen 1992 Tidiga Nordiska Östkontakter
Haarder, Andreas 1986 Beowulf
Haggmann, Bertil 1999 Eruli influence in South Scandinavia (Zagreb U.)
Hald, Kristian 1965 Vore stednavne

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Forfatter /Oversætter Årstal Titel

Hansen, Ulla Lund 1995 Himlingøje - Seeland - Europa
Haseloff, Gynther 1981 Die germanische Tierornamentik
Hedeager, Lotte et.al. 1991 Det europæiske Hus
Hedeager, Lotte 1988 Gyldendal/Politiken - Danmarks Historie 2
Hedeager, Lotte 1989 Skygger af en anden virkelighed
Hedeager, Lotte 1997 Mellem stamme og stat
Helgason, Jon 1924 Hervarar og Heidriks Saga L
Hemmingsen, Lars 1996 By word of mouth
Henriksson, Göran 1995 Rigsbloten og Uppsala högar (TOR 27)
Hermodson, Lars 1995 Herulerna - Vildfarna vildar? (Popul. Hist.)
Herschend, Frands 1997 Livet i hallen
Herschend, Frands 1998 The Idea of the Good
Herschend, Frands 1998 Guldet i Vittene og Timboholm
Heyerdahl/Lilliestroem 2001 Jakten paa Odin
Hall, Clarck 1980 Beowulf
Hines, John 1997 Anglo-Saxon great square-headed Brooches
Hodgkin 1886 The letters of Cassiodorus L
Horn, Winkel 1876 Hervarar saga ok Heidreks
Houts, E.M.C 1992 The Gesta Normannorum ducum of W. de Jumieges
Hyenstrand, Aake 1996 Lejonet, draken och korset
Ilkjær, Jørgen 2000 Illerup Ådal
Jahnkuhn, H. 1957 Die Frühgeshichte
Jensen, Jørgen 2004 Danmarks Oldtid
Jesch, Judith 2003 Scandinavians from Vendel period to 10th century
Jørgensen, A. Nørgaard 1996 Kriger og hird i germ. jernalder (Nat.mus.Arb.)
Jørgensen, A. Nørgaard 1997 Military aspects of Scandinavian Society
Jørgensen, A. Nørgaard 1999 Waffen und Graeber
Jørgensen, Lars m.fl. 1992 Cronological Studies, England-Lombardy-Vendel
Jørgensen, Lars m.fl. 1998 Guld, magt og tro - danske skattefund
Jørgensen, Lars. 1990 Baekkegaard and Glasergaard
Jørgensen, Lars m.fl. 1997 Noerre Sandegaard Vest
Jørgensen, Lars m.fl. 2003 Sejrens Triumf
Jordanes (Mierow) 1915 The Gothic History
Kiss, Attila et al. 1984 Interaktion der mitteleuropäischen Slawen

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 The Heruls

Forfatter /Oversætter Årstal Titel

Kleemann, Otto 1956 Masurgermanisher fibeln (Dokumente Archaeologica)
Koch, Alexander 1998 Bügelfibeln im Westlichen Frankenreich
Kroman, Erik 1976 Det danske rige i den aeldre vikingetid
Kuhn, Herbert 1973 Die Germanishen Bügelfibeln
Lamm, J.P. 1986 Vendel Period Studies
Larsson, Lars et.al. 1998 Centrala Platser, Centrala Frågor
Leake, J.A. 1967 The Geats of Beowulf
Lefolii 1901 Tacitus
Lintner-Potz, Angelika 2006 Die Eruler (Unpubl. diploma thesis)
Ljungkvist, John 2005 Uppsala Högars datering (Fornvännen 100)
Lukman, Niels 1943 Skjoldunge und Skilfinge
Lukman, Niels 1981 Frode Fredegod - Den gotiske Fravita
Luchi 1768 Venantius, Honorius ”Fortunatus”
Lund, Niels 1983 Ottar and Wulfstan
Lund, Niels 1996 Lid, leding og landeværn
Magomedov, Boris 2001 Cerniachovskaja Cultura
Menghin, Wilfried 1983 Das Schwert im fruehen Mittelalter
Menghin, Wilfried et.al. 1987 Germanen, Hunnen und Awaren
Menghin, Wilfried et al. 1990 Fruehgeschichte Bayerns
Moltke, Erik 1976 Runerne i Danmark og deres oprindelse
Mommsen, Th.(edit.) 1894 Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Auctores Antiquis
Maenchen-Helfen, J.O. 1973 The World of the Huns
Malone, Kemp 1962 Widsith
Michaelsen, Karsten K 1996 Jernalder i Gudme
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Musset, Lucien 1971 Les Invasion
Nordgren, Ingemar 2004 The wellspring of the Goths
Nordqvist, Bengt 2007 Offerpladsen Finnestorp
Norr, Svante / Sundquist 1995 Valsgärde Revisited (TOR 27)
Norr, Svante 1998 To rede or to rown
Olausen, M et al. 2000 En bok om husbyar
Olrik, Jørgen 1900 Chronicon Lethrense / Lejrekrøniken
Olrik, Joergen 1931 Saxonis Gesta Danorum L
Paulus Diaconus (Foulke) 1907 History of the Lombards

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 The Heruls

Forfatter /Oversætter Årstal Titel

Poulik, Josef 1995 Slovenska Archaeologia - Zuran
Price, Neil S. 2002 The viking way - AUN 31
Procopius (Dewing) 1914 Gotic Wars L
Ramqvist, Per 1992 Hoegom I
Rimbert /Robinson, Char. 1921 Vita Ansgari L
Roesdahl, Else 1987 Vikingernes Verden
Rolfe, J.C. 1964 Ammianius Marcellinus 1-3
Sandwall, Ann et al. 1980 Vendeltid (Statens Historiska Museum)
Saxo (Seeberg/Olrik) 2000 Gesta Danorum
Schjoedt, Jens Peter 1999 Det førkristne Norden
Schmidt, Ludvig 1934 Die Ostgermanen
Schneider, H. 1934 Germanishe Heldensage
Schnetz 1951 Ravenna Geographer
Schwarcz, Andreas 1992 Die Gotischen Seezuege des 3. Jahrhunderts
Schwarcz, Andreas 2005 Die Heruler an der Donau (Festschrift f. G. Lipold)
Sjoevold, Thorleif 1993 The Scandinavian Relief Brooches
Skard, Vemund 1973 Norsk Spraakhistorie
Skautrup, Peter 1944 Det danske sprogs Historie
Skovgaard-Petersen, I 1987 Da Tidernes Herre var naer
Slade, Ben 2003 Beowulf (Web: Heorot.dk)
Snorri Sturlasson Edda
Snorri Sturl.(Holts m.) Heimskringla
Spurkland, Terje 2001 I begynnelsen var Futhark
Stoklund et.al 2006 Runes and their secrets
Storgaard, Birger 1997 Forbindelser m. Sydskandinavien og Sydoesteuropa
Strebitskie C 1982 Die Cronic des Thietmar von Merseburg
Strubbe 1968 Liber Floridus (Lambert of St. Omer)
Stummann, Steffen 1997 Farums Arkæologi
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Tejral, Jaroslav 2007 Barbaren im Wandel
Toldberg, H. 1958 Den danske Rimkrønike
Ulriksen, Jens 1997 Anløbspladser

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Ulriksen, Jens 1998 Træk af Gl. Lejres historie

Waller, Jutta 1996 Dräktnålar och -skik i Østra Mälardalen
Weibull, Curt 1964 Källkritik och historie
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Wolfram, Herwig 1990 Das Reich und die Germanen

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