Jordanes > Quotes

“What just cause can be found for the encounter of so many nations, or what hatred inspired them all to take arms against each other? It is proof that the human race lives for its kings, for it is at the mad impulse of one mind a slaughter of nations takes place, and at the whim of a haughty ruler that which nature has taken ages to produce perishes in a moment.”
― Jordanes, The Origin and Deeds of the Goths

“Pope Leo himself came to meet him in the Ambuleian district of the Veneti at the well-travelled ford of the river Mincius. Then Attila quickly put aside his usual fury, turned back on the way he had advanced from beyond the Danube and departed with the promise of peace.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“XI (67) Then when Buruista was king of the Goths, Dicineus came to Gothia at the time when Sulla ruled the Romans. Buruista received Dicineus and gave him almost royal power. It was by his advice the Goths ravaged the lands of the Germans, which the Franks now possess.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“confidence, which is always the mother of calamities, prepared for them a disaster of no mean sort.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Still it can hardly be doubted that much of the coloring, if not the principal incidents of the story, came from this dark period in the history of the Frankish monarchy, and there seems quite as much reason to identify Siegfried and Brunhild with the sovereigns of Austrasia as to consider them, as many do, the mere personifications of natural phenomena, the development of the season myth!”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“It was at this time, as the historian Dio relates, that Philip, suffering from need of money, determined to lead out his forces and sack Odessus, a city of Moesia, which was then subject to the Goths by reason of the neighboring city of Tomi.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Grievous consequences have followed the division of that peninsula into fragments which have continued almost to the present time; and the dream of Italian unity cherished by Rothari and Liutprand was not to be realized until the days of Victor Emmanuel”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“An interesting question arises whether there is any connection between the characters and scenes in this Frankish drama of intrigue and revenge, and the legend of Siegfried as developed in the Elder Edda, the Saga of the Volsungs and the Niebelungen Lied.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“In peace they acted as judges in civil cases, and in war as leaders of the troops of the cantons.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“(82) But let us now return to the point whence we made our digression and tell how the stock of this people of whom I speak reached the end of its course. Now Ablabius the historian relates that in Scythia, where we have said that they were dwelling above an arm of the Pontic Sea, part of them who held the eastern region and whose king was Ostrogotha, were called Ostrogoths, that is, eastern Goths, either from his name or from the place. But the rest were called Visigoths, that is, the Goths of the western country.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“While the Roman veterans were engaged in the Illyrian war, great numbers of Germans led by Arminius, or Hermann, of the Cheruscan tribe rose in rebellion. In the ninth year of our era, Varus marched against them at the head of a force composed largely of new recruits. He was surprised and surrounded in the pathless recesses of the Teutoburg forest and his army of some twenty thousand men was annihilated (id., pp. 38-44).”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“He had given himself up to excessive joy at his wedding, and as he lay on his back, heavy with wine and sleep, a rush of superfluous blood, which would ordinarily have flowed from his nose, streamed in deadly course down his throat and killed him, since it was hindered in the usual passages.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“However, it has other islands deeper within its own tides, which are called the Baleares; and yet another, Mevania, besides the Orcades, thirty-three in number, though not all inhabited. (9) And at the farthest bound of its western expanse it has another island named Thule, of which the Mantuan bard makes mention: "And Farthest Thule shall serve thee.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Now how and in what wise the kingdom of the Amali was overthrown we shall keep to tell in its proper place, if the Lord help us.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Thus while human frailty rushes into suspicion, it often loses an opportunity of doing great things.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Donations of property were made in the presence of the thing”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“(42) In their third dwelling place, which was above the Sea of Pontus, they had now become more civilized and, as I have said before, were more learned. Then the people were divided under ruling families. The Visigoths served the family of the Balthi and the Ostrogoths served the renowned Amali. (43) They were the first race of men to string the bow with cords, as Lucan, who is more of a historian than a poet, affirms: "They string Armenian bows with Getic cords.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“(66) After a long time Sitalces, a famous leader of the Goths, remembering this treacherous attempt, gathered a hundred and fifty thousand men and made war upon the Athenians, fighting against Perdiccas, King of Macedon.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“The sixth province is Tuscia (Tuscany) which is thus called from "tus" (frankincense) which its people were wont to burn superstitiously in the sacrifices to their gods.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“After their success, the Goths recrossed the strait of the Hellespont, laden with booty and spoil, and returned along the same route by which they had entered the lands of Asia, sacking Troy and Ilium on the way. These cities, which had scarce recovered a little from the famous war with Agamemnon, were thus destroyed anew by the hostile sword.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Father Gradivus rules the Getic fields." (41) Now Mars has always been worshipped by the Goths with cruel rites, and captives were slain as his victims. They thought that he who is the lord of war ought to be appeased by the shedding of human blood. To him they devoted the first share of the spoil, and in his honor arms stripped from the foe were suspended from trees. And they had more than all other races a deep spirit of religion, since the worship of this god seemed to be really bestowed upon their ancestor.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“In this battle Alboin killed Cunimund, and made out of his head, which he carried off, a drinking goblet. This kind of a goblet is called among them "scala," [5] but in the Latin language "patera.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Italy then, which contains these provinces received its name from Italus, the leader of the Siculi, who took possession of it in ancient times. Or it is denominated Italy on this account, because large oxen, that is, "itali," are found in it; and the name comes from this, that by abbreviation "vitulus" (a calf) is "italus," one letter being added and another changed. Italy is also called Ausonia from Ausonus, son of Ulysses. Originally indeed, the region of Beneventum was called by this name”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“(48) From their name or race Pompeius Trogus says the stock of the Parthians had its origin. Hence even to-day in the Scythian tongue they are called Parthi, that is, Deserters. And in consequence of their descent they are archers--almost alone among all the nations of Asia--and are very valiant warriors. Now in regard to the name, though I have said they were called Parthi because they were deserters, some have traced the derivation of the word otherwise, saying that they were called Parthi because they fled from their kinsmen. Now when Tanausis, king of the Goths, was dead, his people worshipped him as one of their gods.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“But still another race dwells there, the Suehans, who, like the Thuringians, have splendid horses.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Furthermore, the Samnites received their name formerly from the spears which they were wont to carry and which the Greeks called 'saynia'.[1] [1] more properly a javelin.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“Thus by teaching them ethics he restrained their barbarous customs; by imparting a knowledge of physics he made them live naturally under laws of their own, which they possess in written form to this day and call belagines.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“and it is called Umbria because it remained above the furious rains (imbres) when long ago a watery scourge devastated the nations.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“When Alboin without any hindrance had thence entered the territories of Venetia, which is the first province of Italy - that is, the limits of the city or rather of the fortress of Forum Julii (Cividale) [1] - he began to consider to whom he should especially commit the first of the provinces that he had taken.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards

“It is certain, however, that the Langobards were afterwards so called on account of the length of their beards untouched by the knife, whereas at first they had been called Winnili; for according to their language "lang" means " long" and " bart " "beard.”
― Jordanes, History and Origin of the Goths & History of the Lombards