“The whale’s road is long, the weather sharp. We miss the comfort of song and harp.”
Of all the nations in Europe, the English seem to be the most unaware of their own origins. Contrast that with every other nation in the British Isles, who are, it seems, keenly aware of their own. If I’m honest, to an almost exasperating extent.
So, where did the English come from? As most Welshmen will point out, extensively and with a sense of pride, we need to look beyond the shores of Britain. The Welsh were well established in these islands before BC ticked over into AD, unlike us “newcomers”. Obviously, this kind of thinking only works from a cultural sense, the English being a mix of English and the peoples already established in these islands. But, from my perspective, the origin of the English on the continent is fascinating, opening up a legacy that most Englishmen are unaware of.
As an aside, while a lot of the below is pretty tongue in cheek, don’t doubt that I have immense respect for my ancestors and the cultures from which they came.
The English have been around for a while, it seems; first directly mentioned by Tacitus around 98AD in his book Germania (chapter 40). Known by Tacitus as the Anglii (Angles), they lived in what is now North-West Germany and Southern Denmark. The Angles (according to Tacitus) were part of a larger group of peoples called the Suebi, mentioned in Chapter 38 of Germania.
Tacitus describes the Suebi, not as a tribe but rather a confederation of tribes with individual tribal identities. So you see, the English aren’t totally against the idea of political unions! Tacitus goes on to describe the way the Suebi arranged their hair, they “twist their hair back and fasten it in a knot. This distinguishes the Suebi from other Germans, as it does their freeborn from their slaves”.
It seems like the Suebian knot was a kind of first-century man bun, but I would, however, urge caution if you are thinking of criticising their choice of hairstyle. You may be met with a somewhat more violent response than having a cinnamon soy macchiato thrown over you! I’m more a gingerbread latte man myself, though I would never waste it by throwing it over someone; it’s far too precious to me!
If you want to see an example of an actual Suebian knot, then please check out the link below.
Osterby Man Still Has a Great Hairdo Nearly 2,000 Years On! | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)
Their man buns obviously bought all the boys to the yard because Tacitus advises that quite a few of the non-Suebi youths of Germania imitated this hairstyle, but only in youth. The Suebi, however, kept this hairstyle until long after their hair turned grey; they were in it for the long haul.
The chiefs of the Suebi had a more elaborate hairstyle, not to attract the ladies, you understand; I don’t think any man bun has ever done that in history, but rather “to make them appear taller and more terrible to their foes”. And I would agree, there is nothing more terrible than a man bun.
Tacitus continues in Chapter 40 to describe certain tribes of the Suebi and their religious beliefs; this is where we have our first mention of the Angles.
Several tribes of the Suebi are mentioned in this chapter who, according to Tacitus, are “fenced in by rivers or forests”, the Anglii being one of them. None of these tribes he described as having any noteworthy features. Cheers Tacitus! …Except… ah ok… their common worship of Ertha or Mother-Earth.
To quote Alfred John Church’s translation of Germania reprinted in 1942:
“…their belief that she (Ertha) interposes in human affairs, and visits the nations in her car.” I’m assuming not a Prius but rather a wheeled vehicle.
To quote again from Alfred’s translation.
“In an island of the ocean there is a sacred grove, and within it a consecrated chariot, covered over with a garment. Only one priest is permitted to touch it. He can perceive the presence of the goddess in this sacred recess, and walks by her side with the utmost reverence as she is drawn along by heifers. It is a season of rejoicing, and festivity reigns wherever she deigns to go and be received. They do not go to battle or wear arms; every weapon is under lock; peace and quiet are known and welcomed only at these times, till the goddess, weary of human intercourse, is at length restored by the same priest to her temple. Afterwards the car, the vestments, and, if you like to believe it, the divinity herself, are purified in a secret lake. Slaves perform the rite, who are instantly swallowed up by its waters. Hence arises a mysterious terror and a pious ignorance concerning the nature of that which is seen only by men doomed to die. This branch indeed of the Suevi stretches into the remoter regions of Germany.”
The Suebi were first mentioned by Julius Caesar in the first century BC in his book The Gallic Wars.
From Julius Caesar Book 4 Chapter 1, translated by W. A. McDevitte in 1869! I like to keep my sources as up-to-date as possible.
‘The nation of the Suevi is by far the largest and the most warlike nation of all the Germans. They are said to possess a hundred cantons, from each of which they yearly send from their territories for the purpose of war a thousand armed men: the others who remain at home, maintain [both] themselves and those-engaged in the expedition. The latter again, in their turn, are in arms the year after: the former remain at home. Thus neither husbandry, nor the art and practice of war are neglected. But among them there exists no private and separate land; nor are they permitted to remain more than one year in one place for the purpose of residence. They do not live much on corn, but subsist for the most part on milk and flesh, and are much [engaged] in hunting; which circumstance must, by the nature of their food, and by their daily exercise and the freedom of their life (for having from boyhood been accustomed to no employment, or discipline, they do nothing at all contrary to their inclination), both promote their strength and render them men of vast stature of body. And to such a habit have they brought themselves, that even in the coldest parts they wear no clothing whatever except skins, by reason of the scantiness of which, a great portion of their body is bare, and besides they bathe in open rivers.’
So this, essentially, is the state of the early English at the time of Christ, from the Roman perspective at least. Big and blond (see Germania), martially energetic, exciting hairstyles, fondness for skins and leather and worshipers of Mother-Earth. I’m getting an aggressive hippy vibe… And this aggressiveness was about to spill out into the Roman world; well, in a few centuries, during what is known as the migration era. We can sort of blame the Chinese for this; I know, weird!? I’ll discuss all this in part two.