Herminons

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The Herminones (lat. Herminones ) were a group of Germanic tribes . The name is only passed down by three ancient authors of the 1st century AD, Tacitus , Pliny and Pomponius Mela .

Historical reports

Tacitus reports on the mythical descent of the Germanic peoples:

"Manno tris filios assignant, e quorum nominibus proximi Oceano Ingaevones, medii Herminones, ceteri Istaevones vocentur"

"... they ascribe three sons to Mannus , after whose names the Ingävons , who are neighbors to the ocean , are said to be called Herminons in the middle, and the remaining Istävons "

- Tacitus, Germania 2.2

The location of the Herminones is also covered by the statement in Pliny:

"Mediterranei Hermiones, quorum Suebi, Hermunduri, Chatti, Cherusci"

"In the middle live the Hermions, to which the Suebi , Hermunduren , Chatten and Cherusker belong"

- Pliny, naturalis historia 4,100.

The geographical classification at Mela is slightly different:

"Ultra ultimi Germaniae Hermiones"

"Beyond the Herminones as the most extreme in Germania"

- Mela 3.32

However, it remains to be seen whether Mela's statement is “incorrect” because of this; from the context it seems possible that there are other tribes in addition to the Herminones.

Surname

The tradition of names varies in the sources between Herminones or Hermiones in Tacitus and Hermiones in the other sources. Since the three names offered by Tacitus are connected to one another by allied rhymes , the initial H - is not assigned any real linguistic meaning, but only a graphic one. The form Hermiones (without the first n ) can be explained as corruption, which can either be caused by the connection to names such as Latin-Gr. Hermione or in the transcription mechanically (by failure of a written as an abbreviation line n , so Hermiones [= Herminones]> Hermiones has arisen). The form to be postulated Germanic * Erminones is a derivation with German n suffix in an individualizing function from the urgerm. Adjective * ermina- 'general, comprehensive, total, mighty' (> ahd., As. Irmin- , ae. Eormen , aisl. Iǫrmun- ), so that the meaning of the name as 'the great, the mighty, the allies' is to be set. The name could therefore have been used to designate an amalgamation of several tribes. The name of the old Saxon sanctuary Irminsul should also be considered .

literature

Remarks

  1. ^ So Haug, in: RE , Vol. VIII, 1, Col. 324.