Bards (ethnic group)

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The bards were a Germanic tribe .

history

The bards were located south of the Elbe , in the area of Bardowick and Lüneburg . Their origin and identity cannot be determined with absolute certainty; Traditionally, however, they are considered to be descendants of a Lombard sub-group that did not migrate south in the 2nd century like the majority of their tribe. Both the names of the town of Bardowick and the surrounding Bardengau are usually traced back to the bards residing here, even if this interpretation is not entirely undisputed.

Explicit mentions of the bards are only sparse and only available relatively later. For example, Helmold von Bosau used the tribe name repeatedly for the Saxons residing in Lüneburg in his Slavic Chronicle , written in the 12th century . This suggests that the bards had become a Saxon sub-tribe through assimilation over the centuries.

Nothing is known about their society and culture. After the 12th century they are no longer mentioned, so that it can be assumed that they were no longer perceptible as a specific group.

literature