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SACRAL KINGSHIP in EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE: the GERMANIC TRADITION DANIEL GEORGE RUSSO University of New Hampshire, Durham

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SACRAL KINGSHIP in EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE: the GERMANIC TRADITION DANIEL GEORGE RUSSO University of New Hampshire, Durham University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Master's Theses and Capstones Student Scholarship Winter 1978 SACRAL KINGSHIP IN EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE: THE GERMANIC TRADITION DANIEL GEORGE RUSSO University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis Recommended Citation RUSSO, DANIEL GEORGE, "SACRAL KINGSHIP IN EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE: THE GERMANIC TRADITION" (1978). Master's Theses and Capstones. 23. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/23 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Capstones by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St. John’s Road, Tyler’s Green High Wycombe, Bucks. England HP10 8HR 1312*111 RUSSO, DAM IE L GEORGE SACRAL KIMGSHIP IN EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE: THE GERMANIC TRADITION. UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, M .A., 1978 University Microfilms International joon ^ iebhoad.ann auboh.mmbiqg © 1978 DANIEL GEORGE RUSSO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED SACRAL KINGSHIP IN EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE: THE GERMANIC TRADITION BY DANIEL G. RUSSO B.A., Rhode Island College, 1972 A THESIS Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in His tory December 1578 This thesis has been examined and approved. i Q {2 ..... ..... Thesis Director, William R. Jones Professor of History Marc L. Schwarz, Associate Professor of History Donald J. Wilcox', Professor of History and Director of Graduate Study in History I 4 7 J C ' Date ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank Adelaide Lockhart, Director of Library Services, Dartmouth College (Baker Library) and Madeline Gross, Assistant Circulation Librarian, Brown University (Rockefeller Library) for permission to use their respective library holdings. Also, the many courtesies extended by our Interlibrary Loan staff have been greatly appreciated. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABBREVIATIONS .............................. v ABSTRACT ..................... vii INTRODUCTION: CONCEPT AND METHODS .... I I. THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF SACRAL KINGSHIP: 1890-1970 ................................... 14 II. GERMANIC KINGSHIP AND THE RELIGIOUS BASES: HISTORICAL EXPRESSIONS .................... 97 1. The Late Iron Age (c. 250-100 BC) . 98 2. The Pre-Migration Age (c. 50-100 AD) . 105 3. The Migrations (c. 200-500 AD) .... 140 4. The Early Middle Ages (c. 500-800 AD) . 172 III. GERMANIC SACRAL KINGSHIP IDEOLOGY: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.................... 249 APPENDICES ................................. 258 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................. 262 BIOGRAPHICAL D A T A .......................... 321 iv ABBREVIATIONS AGR J. de Vries. Altgermanische Reli- gionsgeschichte~l 3rd ed. , 2 voLs. Berlin: W\ De-Gruyter, 1970. ARW Archiv fur Religionswissenschaft. DPA W. Stammler, ed. Deutsche Philologie im Aufriss. 2nd ed., 4 vols, Berlin: EL Schmidt Verlag, 1957-1969. DV Deutsche Vierteljahrsschrift fur Literaturwissenschaft und Geistes- geschichte. ERE Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, ed.Ji Hastings. 13 vols. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924-1927. GRM Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift. HWDA Handworterbuch des deutschen Aber- glaubeni~j ed. fT Bachtold-Staubli. 10 vols. Berlin: W. De Gruyter, 1927-1942. HZ Historische Zeitschrift. MGH Monumenta Germaniae Historica, ed. (T! Pertz et al. Hannover, D126- . - AA Auctores Antiquissimi - EE Epistolae - LL Leges - SS Scriptores - SS Rer. Langob Scriptores Rerum Langobardicarum - SS RM Scriptores Rerum Merovingicarum PBB Paul und Braunes Beitrage zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur. v RE Realencyclopadie der classischen Altertumswi'ssenschaf t, eds. A. von Pauly, CT Wissowa, and W. Kroll. Stuttgart: A. Druckenmuller, 1893-. Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde~| ed. J~. Moons. 2nd ecT Berlin: W. De Gruyter, 1973-. TM J. Grimm. Teutonic Mythology. Trans lated by J. Stallybrass. 4th ed., 4 vols. London: George Bell & Sons, 1883-1888. ZDA Zeitschrift fur deutsches Altertum. Linguistic Abbreviations Celt. = Celtic (*) OE. = Old English Frank. = Frankish OHG. = Old High German Gmc. = Germanic (*) OIr. = Old Irish Goth. = Gothic ON. = Old Norse IE. = Indo-European (*) OS. = Old Saxon Lat. = Latin Skt. - Sanskrit reconstructed form Note: OE. y and have been transliterated "th'' and "dh," respectively. vi ABSTRACT SACRAL KINGSHIP IN EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE: THE GERMANIC TRADITION by Daniel G. Russo This thesis explores the religious or sacral dimen­ sion of pagan Germanic kingship. Although historians concede that medieval monarchy was a product not only of Romano- Christian but also ancient Germanic precedents, specific Germanic sacral kingship research has been quite limited in this country. European scholars have shown more concern for the subject, but their efforts have on the whole been in­ consistent and often diffuse. Many of these research problems can be resolved by recognizing that sacral kingship is fundamentally a religious-historical matter. The present work therefore examines Germanic sacral kingship in the primary context of early Germanic religious tradition. Attention is directed principally to expressions of royal sacrality among the continental Germanic peoples of early medieval Europe. Several key questions are posed. In the first instance, what was the position of kings within early Germanic social structure? How did Germanic royal authority relate to the religious sphere, and to what extent were religious beliefs and practices involved in Germanic kingdom-founding? The pertinent historical sources are examined chronologically from the Late Iron Age through the early middle ages. It is seen that non-literary evidence, e.g., archeology, iconography, and onomastics, can valuably supplement and at times clarify the written record. To provide a convenient frame of reference, a detailed review and critique is first made of sacral kingship historiography over the past century. Specialized research of Germanic royal sacrality is found to have emerged from general studies in such fields as social anthropology and comparative religion. Initial Germanic inquiries had an ideological orientation and gave considerable weight to mythology, heroic literature, and popular tradition. Sub­ sequent attempts t;o consider ritual expressions of Germanic royal sacrality led directly to specific studies of sacral kingship among individual Germanic peoples. Recent research has emphasized methodology and refinement of previous ideological questions. However, a dispute between advocates of a strictly historical and a comparative mythological ap­ proach has hindered progress in Germanic sacral kingship studies and points to the need for integrated religious- historical analysis. An examination of the historical evidence discloses that religious beliefs and practices were most actively involved in Germanic statecraft from the earliest times. Pre-Migration Germanic kings possessed significant religious and judicial authority but little coercive power. This religious dimension of Germanic tribal kingship appears essentially bounty-bringing in nature and distinct from the martial, victory-bringing sacrality of temporary warlords. Yet during the Migrations (and to some extent even earlier) non-royal warlords established new kingdoms by leading their retinues to conquest and settlement. This federate, retinue- based kingship
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