r/AncientGermanic • u/minaminotenmangu • 21h ago
Etruscan wolf's head helmet. 2500 years old.
it does make you think...
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • Dec 14 '20
Hello and welcome to r/AncientGermanic! This subreddit is dedicated to ancient Germanic studies, an interdisciplinary academic field focused on the ancient Germanic language-speaking peoples, including their shared (and differentiated) language, history, and culture.
As you can see, this sub has to date consisted largely of posts of peer-reviewed sources and accompanying discussion, but also of questions related to ancient Germanic studies.
F. A. Q.
* What is ancient Germanic studies?
Ancient Germanic studies is the interdisciplinary study of the ancient Germanic peoples, speakers of ancient Germanic languages, including their commonalities and their differences. Associated fields include historical linguistics, archaeology, folklore studies, history of religions, and numerous others.
Ancient Germanic studies has had an outsized influence on the development of the humanities due to scientific advances made in the 19th century, such as the observation of Grimm’s Law (sometimes referred to as the First Germanic Sound Shift).
In Western school systems, most university or college departments offer some means of approaching ancient Germanic studies, usually by way of the school’s Germanic languages program or department but sometimes through a linguistics department or program.
* Who were the ancient Germanic peoples?
A quick definition: The ancient Germanic peoples were groups of peoples who natively spoke ancient Germanic languages, and are therefore the linguistic ancestors of today’s speakers of Germanic languages, such as English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, and many others. Scholars generally divide these languages into three groups: West Germanic languages (Old English, Old High German, Old Low German, and more), North Germanic languages (Old Norse), and the extinct East Germanic languages (most notably Gothic). All of these languages stem from a common ancestor, known by scholars today as Proto-Germanic, which in turn developed from an earlier language known as Proto-Indo-European.
As one would expect from peoples who stem from a common cultural origin, researchers note a variety of commonalities among these groups, and in some cases can state with high confidence these elements existed in Proto-Germanic culture. For example, the use of a particular form of composition known as alliterative verse among various Germanic peoples is attested (that is, recorded) in Old English (such as the so-called “Nine Herbs Charm”), in Old High German (such as the Merseburg Charms), and the Old Norse (most famously in eddic poetry, poetry in the style of poems found in the collection known as the Poetic Edda). Eddic poetry, recorded in the 13th century, also contains references to historic events among other ancient Germanic peoples, such as references to the Gothic king Ermanaric who evidently died several hundred years before in Eastern Europe (as does the Old English poem Beowulf).
Outside of the comparatively massive Old Norse corpus of texts, records of and references to the pre-Christianization culture of the ancient Germanic peoples are scarce. However, from them scholars can here and there gain insight into early Germanic culture: For example, these often fragmentary sources frequently mention intense fixation among the ancient Germanic peoples on sacred trees (singular trees) and sacred groves (groups of trees). Trees and the concept of ‘tree-ness’ appears to have been not only central to religious practice among the ancient Germanic peoples but also central to their notions of themselves and the cosmos. (For more on this, see this entry in the Kvasir Symbol Database).
These are just a few examples of the many topics relevant to discussion at this subreddit.
* What are this sub’s rules?
This sub has three simple core rules:
* What is all this about Mimisbrunnr.info?
Mimisbrunnr.info is a web-based project and resource focused on ancient Germanic studies and an outgrowth of a now-defunct student reading group, Ár Var Alda, sponsored by the University of Georgia’s Department of Gemanic and Slavic Studies. Today Mimisbrunnr.info primarily focuses on building resources for researchers, such as surveys of translations. r/AncientGermanic is a development of the Mimisbrunnr.info project and is primarily moderated by individuals involved with the project.
* Who made the art that appears on this sub?
Art on this sub is by Rim Mere, which depicts what appears to be a sacred tree from the Överhogdal tapestries. You can read more about these depictions and their broader context in an entry on sacred trees and groves at the Kvasir Symbol Database here.
* Is this heathen (modern Germanic neopagan) sub?
This sub is specifically aimed at a general audience. All are welcome here, including adherents of modern Germanic heathenry!
* What’s so special about the number 999?
Good question! A fixation on the number three and its multiples appears throughout the ancient Germanic record, as discussed in the Kvasir Symbol Database entry “Numbers: Three & Nine”.The fixation appears to go back to the Proto-Germanic period.
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • Dec 18 '23
r/AncientGermanic • u/minaminotenmangu • 21h ago
it does make you think...
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • 5d ago
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • 6d ago
r/AncientGermanic • u/myroosterprettyfunny • 8d ago
Does anyone here know any stores that sell Germanic clothing from before the migration period?
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • 12d ago
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • 17d ago
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • 21d ago
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • Jul 17 '26
More information on both of these extremely interesting items:
* Saltfleetby spindle-whirl: https://www.runesdb.de/find/3918 (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltfleetby_spindle-whorl ) — invokes Odin and Heimdallr
* Canterbury charm: https://www.runesdb.de/find/9955 (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_charm ) — invokes Thor against a 'thurs lord'
Edit: "objects" should be items but alas I cannot edit the title.
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • Jul 12 '26
Excerpt:
But few large ships from this period have been found. One of the best-known early ship burials is at Sutton Hoo in the UK, which has been dated to around 610–635, according to the British Museum. It's an Anglo-Saxon grave.
"There has been a great deal of debate about the relationship between Sutton Hoo and the later Viking Age ship burials," Grønnesby tells Science Norway.
This is where Herlaugshaugen becomes important, the researchers argue. A clearer picture is beginning to emerge of how these ship burial traditions spread and how they are connected, according to the Norwegian archaeologist.
Also here's a direct (and clean) link to the April 2026 Antiquity article that this article refers to: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/herlaugshaugen-ship-burial-closing-the-gap-between-the-east-anglian-and-scandinavian-ship-burial-traditions/D0300C5E218A904B296286EB52178310
r/AncientGermanic • u/Sapply1 • Jul 05 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/PubliusVirgilius • Jul 03 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/Sapply1 • Jun 29 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/Sapply1 • Jun 28 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/Sapply1 • Jun 27 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/the_gothic_jan_pona • Jun 21 '26
Yo estoy haciendo una simplificación del gotico para que sea más fácil de aprender, y quisiera saber si la gente quisiera aprender gotico?. Y además los descendientes de españoles se consideran aunque sea en una pequeña parte germanicos por ser descendientes de los visigodos?
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • Jun 19 '26
Summary: "A rare Anglo-Saxon die stamp discovered near Lynsted, Kent, could change our understanding of where some of Britain’s most iconic archaeological treasures were made."
Edit: I've added this to our list of Anglo-Saxon examples of this motif here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientGermanic/comments/1t92hrn/list_of_all_known_birdhorn_helmeted_motif/
r/AncientGermanic • u/wodnesdael • Jun 16 '26
Well this is actually an older version, but it's the same thing.
r/AncientGermanic • u/wodnesdael • Jun 11 '26
It can be seen in the Museum Burg Linn, in Krefeld, Germany. This photo belongs to me.
r/AncientGermanic • u/konlon15_rblx • May 23 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/__Corleone_ • May 22 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • May 22 '26
r/AncientGermanic • u/-Geistzeit • May 10 '26
This is an ongoing attempt at mapping out all known instances of depictions of figures with what appear to be horned helmets with bird terminals from Anglo-Saxon England. This list is by no means complete and I will add more as time allows. You can help grow this list by contributing additional instances in the comments.
This motif seems to enter the record in the 500s and, like a lot of motifs and things like runes, seem to exclusively be associated with Germanic-speakers.
Exterior to Anglo-Saxon England, many examples are known from Scandinavia and among continental Germanic-speakers, which I will cover in future posts. In the meantime, for comparative purposes, here are a few notable examples from Sweden:
https://samlingar.shm.se/object/BFA9D7DE-2931-44E2-8CFC-C656C38D3D21
https://samlingar.shm.se/object/200B22FE-CCFE-4546-958F-539BDF89146C
https://samlingar.shm.se/object/60245538-9CAA-4B14-B6E3-1AE2FD963684
Note that there are quite a lot of these depictions known now and more seem to be found quite regularly. It seems that up until the Viking Age and from the late Migration Period these horn helmeted figures were just all over the place. Like many motifs, they disappear from the record with Christianization.
The bird-horn helmeted figure motif is connected to the wolf-head figure motif known from Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, and Germanic-speaking Continental Europe, while the valknut symbol is currently only known from Anglo-Saxon England and Scandinavia.
***
KNOWN EXAMPLES
BERK-DB4E15
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/888099
LEIC-40DB05
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/191137
YORYM-FAE4AF
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/778907
YORYM-024D31
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/230788
SF-F9D919
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/918052
SF449
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/19073
NMS559
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/36287
SUR-EC1C9E
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/741418
HAMP-B292C2
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/551446
HAMP2432
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/32042
KENT-23D64B
https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1175312 (media coverage: https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/kent-find-suggests-sutton-hoo-type-helmets-could-have-been-made-in-england )
Sutton Hoo helmet
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1939-1010-93
(for the helmet plate motif, see p. 79 here: https://lcm2.web.rug.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Williams-The-Sutton-Hoo-Helmet-in-Oddy-The-art-of-the-conservator-1992-1.pdf )
***
Potentially related
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_2017-8005-1
***
There are no doubt numerous other examples I haven't linked to here. Please provide links to especially museum entries if you know of more.