ORIGIN OF GERMANIC AND NORDIC MYTHOLOGY.
 
Whether the Goths, the Anglo-Saxons or the famous Vikings - all these cultures have a common origin: the age of the Germanic tribes. This conditioned map shows ancient Germania according to the records of the Roman historian Tacitus, approx. 98 CE. The characteristics of the most important tribes are highlighted with the help of symbols:
 
Semnones: The main tribe of the Elbe Germanic Suebi, represented by the Suebi knot - a typical ancient Germanic male hairstyle
 
Suions: A northern Germanic people distinguished by their naval fleet and the special construction of their ships.
 
Sithons: This culture is located even further north and, according to Tacitus, has one major distinctive feature: it is ruled by a woman. The illustration of a Germanic queen makes this clear.
 
Cherusci: The legionary helmet symbolizes the resistance against the Roman Empire, which culminated in the legendary battle of the Teutoburg Forest. The Cherusci took the leading role on the Germanic side. 
 
Chatti: Further south, the image of a Chattian berserker is said to recall the tribe of the same name. According to Tacitus, these fighters were among the most feared warriors in ancient Germania. 
 
Goths: The East Germanic people of the Goths is represented by the famous Gothic eagle, which was increasingly found in the form of brooches in the European area of late antiquity.
 
Lugii: Among the Lugian tribes, Tacitus highlights a sacred grove from ancient times. Symbolically, therefore, as described in the Germania, a priest in female costume is depicted, who looked after the sanctuary.
 
© NORD 2022
© Aufbau Verlage GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin 1942, 2008
Source: Tacitus. Germania. Translated and explained by Arno Mauersberger. Published as volume 100 by Sammlung Dieterich; Leipzig, Dieterich´sche Verlagsbuchhandlung 1942