The pagan religion of the Germanic tribal confederation of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

has been traced from its roots in polytheistic

Germanic paganism Germanic paganism or Germanic religion refers to the traditional, culturally significant religion of the Germanic peoples. With a chronological range of at least one thousand years in an area covering Scandinavia, the British Isles, modern Germ ...

through to the incorporation of

Greco Greco may refer to: People * Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname * a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name * Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria Wine ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

components in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

. This religion flourished among the Franks until the conversion of the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

king Clovis I to

Nicene Christianity The original Nicene Creed (; grc-gre, Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας; la, Symbolum Nicaenum) was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is ...

(c. 500), though there were many Frankish Christians before that. After Clovis I, Frankish paganism was gradually replaced by the process of

Christianisation Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

, but there were still pagans in the late 7th century.

Pre-Christian traditions

The majority of pagan Frankish beliefs may share similarities with that of other Germanic peoples. If so, then it may be possible to reconstruct the basic elements of Frankish traditional religion.Fabbro, p. 5. The

migration era The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

religion of the

likely shared many of its characteristics with the other varieties of

, such as placing

altars An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganism ...

in forest glens, on hilltops, or beside lakes and rivers, and consecration of woods. Generally, Germanic gods were associated with local cult centres and their sacred character and power were associated with specific regions, outside of which they were neither worshipped nor feared.Schutz, 153. Other deities were known and feared and shared by cultures and tribes, although in different names and variations. Of the latter, the Franks may have had one omnipotent god ''Allfadir'' ("All Father"), thought to have lived in a sacred grove. Germanic peoples may have gathered where they believed him to live, and sacrificed a human life to him. Variants of the phrase ''All Father'' (like ''Allfadir'') usually refer to Wuodan (Woden, Óðinn/Odin), and the Franks probably believed in Wuodan as "chief" of blessings, whom the first historian

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

called "Mercurius", and his consort Freia, as well as Donar (

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

), god of thunder, and Zio ( Tyr), whom Tacitus called "Mars". According to

Herbert Schutz Herbert (Herb) Schutz (February 25, 1937 – January 1, 2018) was a German-born Canadian philologist who was Professor Emeritus and Chair of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies/Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Brock Univers ...

, most of their gods were "worldly", possessing form and having concrete relation to earthly objects, in contradistinction to the transcendent God of Christianity. Tacitus also mentioned a goddess

Nerthus In Germanic paganism, Nerthus is a goddess associated with a ceremonial wagon procession. Nerthus is attested by first century AD Roman historian Tacitus in his ethnographic work ''Germania''. In ''Germania'', Tacitus records that a group of Germ ...

being worshipped by the Germanic people, in whom Perry thinks the Franks may have shared a belief. With the Germanic groups along the North Sea the Franks shared a special dedication to the worship of

Yngvi Old Norse Yngvi , Old High German Ing/Ingwi and Old English Ingƿine are names that relate to a theonym which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr. Proto-Germanic *Ingwaz was the legendary ancestor of the Ingaevones, or more acc ...

, synonym to

Freyr Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden an ...

, whose cult can still be discerned in the time of Clovis. In contrast to many other Germanic tribes, no Merovingians claimed to be descended from Wodan. Some rich Frankish graves were surrounded by horse burials, such as Childeric's grave.

Symbolism of cattle

The bulls that pulled the cart were taken as special animals, and according to Salian law the theft of those animals would impose a high sanction. Eduardo Fabbro has speculated that the Germanic goddess

(who rode in a chariot drawn by cows) mentioned by Tacitus, was the origin of the Merovingian conception of

Merovech Merovech (french: Mérovée, Merowig; la, Meroveus; 411 – 458) was the King of the Salian Franks, which later became the dominant Franks, Frankish tribe, and the founder of the Merovingian dynasty. Several legends and myths surround his person ...

, after whom their dynasty would be named. The Merovingian kings riding through the country on an oxcart could then be an imaginative reenactment the blessing journey of their divine ancestor. In the grave of

Childeric I Childeric I (; french: Childéric; la, Childericus; reconstructed Frankish: ''*Hildirīk''; – 481 AD) was a Frankish leader in the northern part of imperial Roman Gaul and a member of the Merovingian dynasty, described as a king (Latin ''re ...

(died 481) was found the head of a bull, craftily made out of gold. This may have represented the symbol of a very old fertility ritual, that centred on the worship of the cow. According to Fabbro, the Frankish pantheon expressed a variation of the Germanic structure that was especially devoted to fertility gods. However, a more likely explanation is that the Merovingian ox-cart went back to the Late-Roman tradition of governors riding through the province to dispense justice in the company of ''angariae,'' or ox wagons belonging to the imperial post.Alexander Callander Murray, Post vocantur Merohingii'': Fredegar, Merovech, and "sacred kingship", in: idem ed., ''After Rome's Fall: Narrators and Sources of early medieval history. Essays presented to Walter Goffart'' (Toronto 1998) p.125 The bull in Childeric's grave was probably an insignificant object imported from elsewhere, and belongs to a wide artistic usage of bulls in pre-historic European art.

Foundation myth

The Frankish mythology that has survived in primary sources is comparable to that of the

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...

myth of in

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representa ...

, but altered to suit Germanic tastes. Like many Germanic peoples, the Franks told a

founding myth An origin myth is a myth that describes the origin of some feature of the natural or social world. One type of origin myth is the creation or cosmogonic myth, a story that describes the creation of the world. However, many cultures have sto ...

to explain their connection with peoples of classical history. In the case of the Franks, these people were the

Sicambri The Sicambri, also known as the Sugambri or Sicambrians, were a Germanic people who during Roman times lived on the east bank of the river Rhine, in what is now Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. They were first reported by Julius C ...

and the

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

. An anonymous work of 727 called ''

Liber Historiae Francorum ''Liber Historiae Francorum'' ( en, link=no, "The Book of the History of the Franks") is a chronicle written anonymously during the 8th century. The first sections served as a secondary source for early Franks in the time of Marcomer, giving a ...

'' states that following the fall of

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, 12,000 Trojans led by their kings Priam and

Antenor __NOTOC__ Antenor ( grc-gre, Ἀντήνωρ, ''Antḗnōr''; BC) was an Athenian sculptor. He is recorded as the creator of the joint statues of the tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton funded by the Athenians on the expulsion of Hipp ...

moved through the Sea of Azov and up the

Tanais Tanais ( el, Τάναϊς ''Tánaïs''; russian: Танаис) was an ancient Greek city in the Don river delta, called the Maeotian marshes in classical antiquity. It was a bishopric as Tana and remains a Latin Catholic titular see as Tana ...

(Don) river and settled in Pannonia, where they founded a city called "Sicambria". After altercations with the

Alans The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the A ...

and Emperor Valentinian (late 4th century AD), who renamed them Franks, they moved to the Rhine. These stories have obvious difficulties if taken as fact. Historians, including eyewitnesses like Caesar, have given us accounts that places the Sicambri firmly at the delta of the Rhine and archaeologists have confirmed ongoing settlement of peoples. The Franks also appear close to the Rhine earlier than the 4th century. Frankish historian

Fredegar The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begin ...

, who also has the Franks originate in Troy but, under an eponymous king named Francio, lets them move straight to the Rhine without mentioning the Sicambri. For these reasons, current scholars think that this myth was not prevalent, certainly not historical: for example, J. M. Wallace-Hadrill states that "this legend is quite without historical substance". Ian Wood says that "these tales are obviously no more than legend" and "in fact there is no reason to believe that the Franks were involved in any long-distance migration".Wood, p. 33-54. In Roman and

times, panegyrics played an important role in the transmission of culture. A common panegyrical device was the use of archaic names for contemporary things. Romans were often called "Trojans" and Franks were called "Sicambri". A notable example related by the sixth-century historian Gregory of Tours states that the Merovingian Frankish leader Clovis I, on the occasion of his baptism into the

Catholic faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, was referred to as a Sicamber by Remigius, the officiating

bishop of Rheims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ar ...

. At the crucial moment of Clovis' baptism, Remigius declared, "Bend your head, Sicamber. Honour what you have burnt. Burn what you have honoured." It is likely that in this way a link between the Sicambri and the Franks was being invoked. Further examples of Salians being called Sicambri can be found in the ''

Panegyrici Latini ' or ''Twelve Latin Panegyrics'' is the conventional title of a collection of twelve ancient Roman and late antique prose panegyric orations written in Latin. The authors of most of the speeches in the collection are anonymous, but appear to hav ...

'', the ''Life of King Sigismund'', the ''Life of King Dagobert'', and other sources.

Sacral kingship

Before Clovis converted to Catholic Christianity, pagan Frankish rulers probably maintained their elevated positions by their "

charisma Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...

"; their legitimacy and "right to rule" may have been based on their supposed divine descent as well as their financial and military successes. The concept of "charisma" has been controversial. Fredegar tells a story of the Frankish king

Chlodio Chlodio (probably died after 450), also Clodio, Clodius, Clodion, Cloio or Chlogio, was a Frankish king who attacked and then apparently ruled Roman-inhabited lands around Cambrai and Tournai, near the modern border of Belgium and France. He is ...

taking a summer bath with his wife when she was attacked by some sort of sea beast, which Fredegar described as ''bestea Neptuni Quinotauri similis'', ("the beast of Neptune that looks like a Quinotaur"). Because of the attack, it was unknown if

, the legendary founder of the

Merovingian dynasty The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

was conceived of Chlodio or the sea beast.Pseudo-Fredegar, III.9. In later centuries, divine kingship myths would flourish in the legends of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

(768–814) as a divinely-appointed Christian king. He was the central character in the Frankish mythology of the epics known as the '' Matter of France.'' The ''Charlemagne Cycle'' epics, particularly the first, known as Geste du Roi ("Songs of the King"), concern a King's role as champion of Christianity. From the Matter of France, sprang some mythological stories and characters adapted through Europe, such as the knights Lancelot and

Gawain Gawain (), also known in many other forms and spellings, is a character in Arthurian legend, in which he is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table. The prototype of Gawain is mentioned under the name Gwalchmei in the earliest ...

Notes

References

Primary

* Pseudo-Fredegar. ''Historia'', in '' Monumenta Germaniae Historica'', Scriptores Rerum Merovingicarum, Tomus II. Hannover: 1888. * Gregory of Tours. ''The History of the Franks''. Lewis Thorpe, trans. Penguin Group. . *

Publius Cornelius Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

. '' Germania''.

Secondary

*Daly, William M. "Clovis: How Barbaric, How Pagan?" '' Speculum'', vol. 69, no. 3 (July 1994), pp. 619–664. *Fabbro, Eduardo
"Germanic Paganism among the Early Salian Franks."
'' The Journal of Germanic Mythology and Folklore''. Volume 1, Issue 4, August 2006. *Murray, Archibald Callander, and Goffart, Walter A. ''After Rome's Fall: Narrators and Sources of Early Medieval History''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. *Nelson, Janet L. "Royal Saints and Early Medieval Kingship." '' Studies in Church History'', 10 (1973), pp. 39–44. Reprinted in ''Politics and Ritual in Early Medieval Europe''. Janet L. Nelson, ed. London: Hambledon Press, 1986. pp. 69–74. . * Perry, Walter Copland.
The Franks, from Their First Appearance in History to the Death of King Pepin
'. Longman, Brown, Green: 1857. *Prummel, W., and van der Sanden, W. A. B. "Runderhoorns uit de Drentse venen." ''Nieuwe Drentse Volksalmanak'', 112. 1995. pp. 84–131. *Prummel, W., and van der Sanden, W. A. B. "Een oeroshoren uit het Drostendiep bij Dalen." ''Nieuwe Drentse Volksalmanak'', 119. 2002. pp. 217–221. *Raemakers, Daan
''De Spiegel van Swifterbant''.
Groningen: 2006. * Schutz, Herbert. ''The Germanic Realms in Pre-Carolingian Central Europe, 400–750''. American University Studies, Series IX: History, Vol. 196. New York: Peter Lang, 2000. *Tessier, Georges. ''Le Baptême de Clovis''. Paris: Gallimard, 1964. * Wallace-Hadrill, J. M. ''The Long-Haired Kings''. London: Butler & Tanner Ltd, 1962. *Wood, Ian. ''The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450-751 AD.'' 1994. {{DEFAULTSORT:Frankish Mythology Germanic mythology

Mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

French mythology