The green area is the traditional extent of Götaland and the dark pink area is the island of Gotland. The red area is the extent of the Gothiscandza (the Wielbark Culture) in the early 3rd century, and the orange area is Oium (the Chernyakhov Culture), in the early 4th century. The purple area is the Roman Empire

Ermanaric (d. 376) was a King of the Gothic Greuthungi. As king, he allegedly ruled a vast empire located in today's Ukraine. The exact limits of his territory, however, are obscure, but it seems to have stretched south of the Pripet Marshes between the Don and Dniester rivers. Image File history File links my own map, based on User:Dbachmanns blank map. ... Image File history File links my own map, based on User:Dbachmanns blank map. ... Götaland Unofficial Nordic cross flag of western Götaland. ...   is a county and province of Sweden and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. ... Gothiscandza was according to the 6th century Goth scholar Jordanes, the first settlement of the Goths after their migration from Scandinavia (Scandza). ... Areas in the first half of the 3rd century: Wielbark culture (red) , Przeworsk culture (green), a Baltic culture (Aesti?, yellow), DÄ™bczyn culture (pink) and the Roman Empire (purple) Wielbark culture (German: , Polish: , Ukrainian Ukrainian: ) was an archaeological culture identified with the Goths which appeared during the first half of... // Overview Events 212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men 212-216: Baths of Caracalla 230-232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east 235-284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire 250-538: Kofun era, the first... Oium (from Aujom, meaning in the waterlands in Gothic) was according to Jordanes, a name for Scythia, where the Goths settled after leaving Gothiscandza. ... Chernyakhiv culture is shown in orange, the third-century Wielbark Culture in red. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire. ... Events Visigoths appear on the Danube and request entry into the Roman Empire in their flight from the Huns Births Cyril of Alexandria, theologian Deaths Categories: 376 ... Invasion of the Goths: a late 19th century painting by O. Fritsche, is a highly romanticized portrait of the Goths as cavalrymen. ... Map of Ostrogothic Kingdom The Ostrogoths (Greuthung, Gleaming Goths or Eastern Goths), in distinction from the Visigoths (Noble Goths or Western Goths), were a Germanic tribe that influenced political events of the late Roman Empire. ... Pinsk Marshes (Пинские болота) or Pripyat Marshes (Pripet Marshes, Припятские болота) is a vast territory of wetlands along the Pripyat River and its tributaries from... The Don (Дон) is one of the major rivers of Russia. ... The Dniester (Ukrainian: , translit. ...

Historical accounts

Ermanaric is mentioned in two Roman sources; the writings of Ammianus Marcellinus and in Getica by the 6th century historian Jordanes. Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330-after 391) was a Roman historian who wrote during Late Antiquity. ... The Origin and Deeds of the Goths (Latin: De origine actibusque Getarum), commonly referred to as Getica, was written by Jordanes, probably in Constantinople, and was published in AD 551. ... The 6th century is the period from 501 - 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ...

According to Ammianus, Ermanaric is "a most warlike king" who eventually commits suicide, facing the aggression of the Huns, who invaded his territories in the 370s. His kingdom was destroyed and his people became subject to the Huns for about 75 years. Many historians consider the Huns (meaning person in Mongolian language) the first Mongolian and Turkic people mentioned in European history. ... Centuries: 3rd century - 4th century - 5th century Decades: 320s - 330s - 340s - 350s - 360s - 370s - 380s - 390s - 400s - 410s - 420s Years: 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 Events: Categories: 370s ...

According to Jordanes, the realm Ermanaric ruled was called Oium. Jordanes also states that the king put to death a young woman named Sunilda with the use of horses, because of her infidelity. Thereupon her two brothers, Sarus and Ammius, severely wounded Ermanaric leaving him unfit to defend his kingdom from Hunnic incursions. Variations of this legend had a profound effect on medieval Germanic literature, including that of England and Scandinavia (see Jonakr's sons). Jordanes claims that he successfully ruled the Goths until his death at the age of 110. Oium (from Aujom, meaning in the waterlands in Gothic) was according to Jordanes, a name for Scythia, where the Goths settled after leaving Gothiscandza. ... Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun in the Volsung Cycle. ... In legend and history, the following people are named Sarus: Sarus (Sörli), a son of the Norse mythological king, Jonakr. ... Hamdir, Sörli and Erp (ice. ... Hamdir, Sörli and Erp (ice. ...

In many Germanic tales, Ermanaric is ill-advised by Bicke, Bikka or Sifka, who wants revenge for the rape of his wife by Ermanaric. Also in some tales of Dietrich of Bern, Ermanaric is Dietrich's uncle who stole the kingdom. This adviser advised Ermanaric to kill those closest to him. Dietrich von Bern is a figure from German medieval legend, based on Theodoric the Great, the historical king of the Ostrogoths. ...

Ermanaric's names

Ermanaric's name in his native Gothic was probably Aírmanareiks. However, because he is referred to in literature throughout the Germanic world right up until the 13th century his name takes many forms: Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...

Latin names:

• in Jordanes' Getica he is Ermanaricus.

Germanic names: The Origin and Deeds of the Goths (Latin: De origine actibusque Getarum), commonly referred to as Getica, was written by Jordanes, probably in Constantinople, and was published in AD 551. ...

• in the Old English epic Beowulf he is Eormenric,
• in Old Norse he is Jörmunrekkr,
• in Middle High German Ermenrich.

He is also called Hermanaric, Erminrich, Emmerich, Ermanrik and many other names.^[1] Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... The first page of Beowulf Beowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem composed in the later Early Middle Ages (in the 8th, 9th or 10th century). ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... Middle High German (MHG, German Mittelhochdeutsch) is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. ...

Since the name Heiðrekr was rather synonymous with Ermanaric, he is possibly identical to Heiðrekr Ulfhamr of the Hervarar saga, who was said to have ruled the Goths for a long time. Hervarar saga ok Heidhreks is a fornaldarsaga from the 13th century using material from an older saga. ...

See also

• Getica
• Ammianus Marcellinus
• Oium
• Dietrich von Bern

The Origin and Deeds of the Goths (Latin: De origine actibusque Getarum), commonly referred to as Getica, was written by Jordanes, probably in Constantinople, and was published in AD 551. ... Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330-after 391) was a Roman historian who wrote during Late Antiquity. ... Oium (from Aujom, meaning in the waterlands in Gothic) was according to Jordanes, a name for Scythia, where the Goths settled after leaving Gothiscandza. ... Dietrich von Bern is a figure from German medieval legend, based on Theodoric the Great, the historical king of the Ostrogoths. ...

References

• Auerbach, Loren and Simpson, Jacqueline. Sagas of The Norsemean: Viking and German Myth. TIME-LIFE books.