Thusnelda

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The grieving barbarian , Rome , approx. 2nd century AD, marble, interpreted as a representation of Thusnelda

Thusnelda (* around 10 BC ; † after May 26, 17 ) was a daughter of the Cheruscan prince Segestes and the wife of the Cheruscan prince Arminius .

As the victor of the Varus Battle (9 AD), Arminius marked a decisive turning point in the history of the conflict between the Teutons and the Roman Empire . Already promised to another man by her father, but kidnapped by Arminius, Thusnelda became his wife.

The term "chick", which is mostly used as a swear word today, is derived from Thusnelda .

Life

Reliable historical information on Thusnelda has only come down to us through Tacitus , her name only from Strabo . Your year of birth is unknown.

Towards the end of the year 14 or beginning of the year 15, Arminius, son of the Cheruscan count Segimer, kidnapped the daughter of the Cheruscan count Segestes, who was close to the Romans, and married her, probably with her consent. This exacerbated tension between the two families and led to violent clashes. According to his own testimony, Segestes succeeded in bringing Arminius under his control and holding him captive for a while. The reason was possibly that after Thusnelda's abduction, no steps had been taken to secure the marriage under Germanic law, i.e. H. through subsequent acts such as the formal purchase of a bride and the exchange of gifts and gifts in return.

Arminius was eventually released (how it is not known), but Thusnelda did not go back to her father. He then had her kidnapped in 15 - she was now advanced pregnant - and brought to his fortified Gaugrafensitz, possibly the Eresburg near Obermarsberg or the Desenberg near Warburg . Arminius besieged Segestes there, but without success. Segestes succeeded in sending an embassy to the Romans in Cologne or Xanten , whereupon Germanicus marched into the Cheruscan territory and blew up the ring of siege around Segestes. Segestes handed Thusnelda over to Germanicus, who had it brought to Ravenna . In captivity she gave birth to Arminius' son Thumelicus .

On May 26, 17, Thusnelda and Thumelicus were carried as trophies in the triumphal procession that took place in Rome in honor of Germanicus. Her father Segestes, who had received a secure residence from Germanicus on the left bank of the Rhine, attended this play as a guest of honor. Nothing is known about Thusnelda's further life and death; likewise about the life and end of their son. Tacitus suggests: “The boy grew up in Ravenna. I will report in due time about the game that fate later played with him. ”However, the announced report is either lost or was never written.

Thusnelda as a motif of art

Thusnelda in the triumphal procession of Germanicus

Thusnelda's fate has animated artists of all epochs to depict them. The statue is supposed to represent the grieving barbarian in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence Thusnelda. The best-known representation in art comes from the German history painter Carl Theodor von Piloty , whose monumental painting Thusnelda in the triumphal procession of Germanicus from 1873 is shown in the Neue Pinakothek in Munich .

From the Cheruscan princess to a swear word

Thusnelda's name, which had a positive connotation in the 19th century, was reinterpreted in the 20th century. Kleist's Hermannsschlacht , school reading of several generations, was certainly partly responsible . Thusnelda became the name for annoying wives and female servants. From T (h) usnelda that emerged endearment Tusschen and finally chick or Tusse as a term of abuse for women and even more than cliché of a superficial, "Dummchens" vain.

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Thusnelda  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Thusnelda  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Strabon 7, 1, 4.
  2. ↑ Tacitus, Annals 1.58.
  3. ^ Robert Berhorst: Tussi - Thusnelda - Hermann ( Memento from March 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (archived website)
  4. ↑ See Duden online: Tussi und Tusse
personal data
SURNAME Thusnelda
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tusnelda
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Daughter of the Germanic prince Segestes, wife of Arminius
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH after May 26th 17