Nordendorf fibula
Encyclopedia
The Nordendorf fibulae are two mid 6th to early 7th century Alamannic
fibulae found in Nordendorf
near Augsburg
, Bavaria
, Germany
.
Both fibulae are from the same grave, a woman's grave from an Alemannic cemetery of 448 row graves. They are labelled I and II, and were found in 1843 and 1844, respectively. Both fibulae bear Elder Futhark inscriptions. The first inscription is longer, and especially famous because of the explicit mention of theonyms of the South Germanic pantheon; Düwel (1982) calls it the "most important runic document of the continent".
The settlement to which the cemetery was attached was situated right on the important Via Claudia Augusta
and presumably owed its wealth to trade.
inscription containing the names of Wodan, the chief god of the Alamanni, and Þonar, the thunder god.
The inscription is in two parts:
Part (I) is written in a single line, across most of the width of the fibula; part (II) is arranged upside-down with respect to part (I), in three lines crowded to one side of the fibula, with one word per line.
The awa leubwini is a dedication, Awa being a woman's name (hypokoristic of Awila), and leub-wini meaning either "dear friend" or "beloved" (compounded of leub "love" and wini "friend"), or a second personal name, thus perhaps "[gift from] Awa and Leubwini".
The second part, apparently added to the conventional dedication, is an exceptional testimony of continental Germanic paganism. The explicit mention of theonyms is extremely rare in all of the runic corpus, including the later (Younger Futhark) Scandinavian tradition.
The prefix wigi- before the name of Þonar is interpreted either as from *wīgian "to hallow" or as from *wīgan "to fight" (so the thunder god is called either "holy thunder" or "fight-thunder").
It would seem plausible for logaþore to be the name of another god, yielding a divine triad, but there is no obvious identification in surviving sources regarding Germanic paganism
as we know it. Both Lóðurr
and Loki
have been proposed but the etymological
reasoning is tenuous.
K. Düwel interprets logaþore as "magician, sorcerer", and translates "Wodan and Donar are magicians/sorcerers", which could indicate either an early Christian
protective charm
against the old gods. On the other hand, the inscription may be an invocation of the gods' beneficial or healing power by an adherent of the old faith. With the fibula's date falling precisely in the period of gradual Christianization
of the Alamanni (the bishopric of Konstanz
was established around AD 600), both are probable, depending on the interpretation of the wigi-.
This has been interpreted as birl[i]n io elk "(little) bear and elk".
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
fibulae found in Nordendorf
Nordendorf
Nordendorf is a municipality in the district of Augsburg in Bavaria in Germany....
near Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Both fibulae are from the same grave, a woman's grave from an Alemannic cemetery of 448 row graves. They are labelled I and II, and were found in 1843 and 1844, respectively. Both fibulae bear Elder Futhark inscriptions. The first inscription is longer, and especially famous because of the explicit mention of theonyms of the South Germanic pantheon; Düwel (1982) calls it the "most important runic document of the continent".
The settlement to which the cemetery was attached was situated right on the important Via Claudia Augusta
Via Claudia Augusta
The Via Claudia Augusta is an ancient Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia across the Alps. Since 2007, the Giontech Archeological Site, in Mezzocorona/Kronmetz serves as the Via Claudia Augusta International Research Center, directed by Prof...
and presumably owed its wealth to trade.
Nordendorf I
The first fibula bears the following Elder FutharkElder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
inscription containing the names of Wodan, the chief god of the Alamanni, and Þonar, the thunder god.
The inscription is in two parts:
- I: awa (l)eubwini
- II: logaþore / wodan / wigiþonar
Part (I) is written in a single line, across most of the width of the fibula; part (II) is arranged upside-down with respect to part (I), in three lines crowded to one side of the fibula, with one word per line.
The awa leubwini is a dedication, Awa being a woman's name (hypokoristic of Awila), and leub-wini meaning either "dear friend" or "beloved" (compounded of leub "love" and wini "friend"), or a second personal name, thus perhaps "[gift from] Awa and Leubwini".
The second part, apparently added to the conventional dedication, is an exceptional testimony of continental Germanic paganism. The explicit mention of theonyms is extremely rare in all of the runic corpus, including the later (Younger Futhark) Scandinavian tradition.
The prefix wigi- before the name of Þonar is interpreted either as from *wīgian "to hallow" or as from *wīgan "to fight" (so the thunder god is called either "holy thunder" or "fight-thunder").
It would seem plausible for logaþore to be the name of another god, yielding a divine triad, but there is no obvious identification in surviving sources regarding Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
as we know it. Both Lóðurr
Lóðurr
Lóðurr is a god in Norse mythology. In the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá he is assigned a role in animating the first humans, but apart from that he is hardly ever mentioned, and remains obscure. Scholars have variously identified him with Loki, Vé, Vili and Freyr, but consensus has not been reached on...
and Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
have been proposed but the etymological
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
reasoning is tenuous.
K. Düwel interprets logaþore as "magician, sorcerer", and translates "Wodan and Donar are magicians/sorcerers", which could indicate either an early Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
protective charm
Charm
Charm, charms, charmed or charming may refer to:* A Spell or incantation** any "lucky charm" such as amulets , touch pieces and painted pebbles,*** Italian charm bracelet...
against the old gods. On the other hand, the inscription may be an invocation of the gods' beneficial or healing power by an adherent of the old faith. With the fibula's date falling precisely in the period of gradual Christianization
Germanic Christianity
The Germanic people underwent gradual Christianization in the course of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. By the 8th century, England and the Frankish Empire were Christian, and by AD 1100 Germanic paganism had also ceased to have political influence in Scandinavia.-History:In the 4th...
of the Alamanni (the bishopric of Konstanz
Konstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
was established around AD 600), both are probable, depending on the interpretation of the wigi-.
Nordendorf II
The second fibula has a short, partly illegible inscription, read as- ?irl?ioel?
This has been interpreted as birl[i]n io elk "(little) bear and elk".