Germanic Myth refers to an idealized or valorized view of

German tribes A stem duchy (, from '' Stamm'', meaning "tribe", in reference to the Franks, Saxons, Bavarians and Swabians) was a constituent duchy of the Kingdom of Germany at the time of the extinction of the Carolingian dynasty (death of Louis the Child in ...

living to the North of Rome in the first century CE. It takes inspiration from ''Germania'', a 1st-century account of Germanic tribes by

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. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

. One of the earliest idealization of the Germanic peoples including their myth is attributed to Tacitus himself. In his criticism of the Romans of his time, who he viewed were decadent, he wrote about the Germanic tribes and their culture, highlighting their positive traits in his attempt to shame his people into behaving better. Later the scholars who promoted the Germanic myth include

Heinrich von Treitschke Heinrich Gotthard von Treitschke (; 15 September 1834 – 28 April 1896) was a German historian, political writer and National Liberal member of the Reichstag during the time of the German Empire. He was an extreme nationalist, who favored Ger ...

, who idealized the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

, describing them as a combination of fierce warriors, severe rulers, pious monks, and statesmen. The scholar promoted such myth as ideal, describing them as a grand example of German manner (''Gesittung''). It is explained that mythology and reality were never completely separated in the German mind as demonstrated in recurring motif called ''volk'' or volkish essence in stories about the Teutonic peoples. This pertains to the power or inner quality possessed by the German people that allow them to be triumphant despite being constantly engaged in conflict.

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