Oct 9, 20232 min read

The Ancient Germanic People: Who Were They?

Ancient Germanic People: Who Were They

The history of the Germanic People dates back thousands of years. Before the expansion of the Roman Empire the Ancient Germanic People had their own unique cultures and traditions that set them apart from other Europeans. The different Germanic tribes worshiped the same God's, performed similar rituals and spoke similar languages.

The Ancient Germanic People are descended from explorers who settled in extreme Northern Europe and spoke a language that was a mixture of an Indo-European tongue and the language of the Northern Megalithic culture which was related to the builders of Stonehenge.

The earliest Germanic culture that can be identified is the Jastorf culture. This was in a province in Northern Europe. Their neighbors were the Celts, Scythians, Sarmatians, Lapps and Finns.

The Ancient Germanic People were part of the Nordic Bronze age that stretched from Western Norway to the Northern part of what is modern day Germany. This was an Era of trade networks which created great wealth for the tribes who traded amber for copper and tin. These trade networks also allowed for much travel between the people.

If you have read any of my past blogs, you know the importance that is put upon the original language of the culture. Pre-Proto-Germanic was spoken around the time of the Nordic Bronze age. This developed into the Proto-Germanic language and eventually into three distinct branches, West Germanic, North Germanic and East Germanic. Eventually the Germanic People would bring their language to England replacing the celtic language and now English is considered a West Germanic language.

The Ancient Germanic People worshiped God's similar to the Norse. Odin and Thor were the 2 main God's that they worshiped. They also believed in Elves, dwarves, trolls and giants.

The ancient Germanic settlements were mostly small and near coasts and rivers. They were a farming society with the main crops being wheat, barley, oats and rye. Everyday life was centered around family. Fathers were the head of the household, and the women were well respected and had a lot of freedom.

A strong emphasis was placed on warfare in the Ancient Germanic culture. Inter-Tribal rivalry and battles were very common. Eventually those battles were turned to fighting together against the expansion of the Roman Empire near the Rhine River.

With all of that said, there is still not much known about the Ancient Germanic People. Many stories have been made up over the years to fill in the blanks. We may never know the true history, but then again do we really know the true history of anything?

Are the Ancient Germanic People an example for us on what happens when your culture is allowed to disappear to conform with those who want you to be like them? There are many more questions than answers.