HISTORY

Invading Barbarians

[Writer's Surname]

Invading Barbarians

Introduction

Chapter 5 of the book presents views of different authors about the barbarians of their time. The authors have some commonalities. For instance, they all come from an urban background. They are all different from their defined barbarians. They shaped their point of view on the barbarians based on their experience with them.

Discussion

Adam of Bremen moved from the southern part of Germany to the northern part only to investigate more on the people living in the farther north. He makes a comparison of the Swedish and the Norwegians and studies the two groups for their similarities and differences (Wiesner 2007, p. 104).

Tacitus describes Germans and their common features. The German men all have a fair complexion with blue eyes and large bulky bodies. They were all alike because they did not marry out of their own tribe. Germans are highly related to their families. They have close family ties and depend on their women for moral support. The noble birth determines the king. The sole purpose in life for the German men is to safeguard their chieftain when in battle and live up to his expectations. These men, huge and bulky, are not afraid of war (Wiesner 2007, p. 106). They are as strong on the inside as they are on the outside. Violence and war is their way of life. They feel pride in waging war. Peace brings them discomfort. They are strange people in that, when the men are not at war they devote their time to sleeping and resting. Very few engage in hunting. The mundane tasks and the household chores are left for women and elderly in the tribe and men considered good for nothing. These are not rich people in that mothers are the primary caregivers and there is no concept of servants. Adultery is an unusual case. The masters and the slaves are equally uncivilized and barbaric.

The above mentioned tribe of Germans is considerably different from the Chatti tribe where men create and respect hierarchy. The Chatti men let their hair grow and cut it only when they have slain the enemy.

The Chauci is the only non-barbaric tribe among the Germans. They are rather civilized, the noblest and the most peaceful. The Fenni, on the other hand, are the most barbaric who are ready to slay the enemy on the slightest provocation. They have their entire world revolving around the wagons they live in. They make love to their women in these wagons who give birth to the infants in the wagons too. They are born warriors and take pride in their savagery. Danger and warfare pleases the Halani men. The happiest and most successful of them are the ones who sacrifice their life in war.

The Agathias describes the Farnkish as strictly orthodox. They are all Christians. The Agathias has a much different view of the Germans than the Tacitus who spoke of their savagery. Agathias talks of the things he likes about the Germans which is their ability to never ...