Everything about Varini totally explained
The
Varni (Procopius),
Varini (Tacitus),
Varinnae (Pliny the Elder),
Wærne/
Werne (Widsith) and
Warnii (the Thuringian Law) probably refer to a little known
Germanic tribe. The name would have meant the "defenders", and they may have originated in the south
Scandinavian region by their name,
Värend, and settled in northern
Germany. They are often called
Warni and
Warini in English.
The earliest mention of this tribe appears in
Tacitus'
Germania, where he wrote:
» After the
Langobardi come the
Reudigni,
Auiones,
Angli,
Varini,
Eudoses,
Suarines and
Nuithones all well guarded by rivers and forests. There is nothing remarkable about any of these tribes unless it be the common worship of
Nerthus, that's Earth Mother. They believe she's interested in men's affairs and drives among them.
Pliny the Elder wrote
Germanorvm genera qvinqve: Vandili, qvorvm pars Bvrgodiones, Varinnae, Charini, Gvtones meaning that there were five Germanic races: the
Vandals whom the
Burgundians were part of, the
Varinnae, the
Charini and the Gutones (
Goths).
It is likewise mentioned in passing by
Procopius who wrote that when the
Heruls (Eruli) had been defeated by the
Langobards, they returned to
Scandinavia (Thule). They crossed the
Danube (Ister), passed the
Slavs (Sclaveni) and after a barren region, they came to the
Varni. After the Varni they passed the
Dani, and crossed the sea. In Scandinavia, they settled beside the
Geats (Gautoi). Procopius: Book VI, xv.
They also appear in the Anglo-Saxon poem
Widsith as the
Werns.
lines 24–27:
|
| þeodric weold Froncum, þyle Rondingum, |
Theodric ruled the Franks, Thyle the Rondings, |
| Breoca Brondingum, Billing Wernum. |
Breoca the Brondings, Billing the Werns. |
| Oswine weold Eowum ond Ytum Gefwulf, |
Oswine ruled the Eow and the Jutes by Getwulf, |
| Fin Folcwalding Fresna cynne. |
Finn Folcwalding the Frisian-kin. |
On
Ptolemy's map, they're placed in the area of
Mecklenburg, where one of the main rivers is
Warnow and a town is called
Warnemünde. They were crushed by the
Franks in
595. When the
Slavs arrived, they called themselves the
Varnes, perhaps having assimilated remaining Varnis.
Further Information
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