Germanic names

[Alanus]

Salve, Chilperic and those who need assurance that Germans served in Roman Britain.

Yes, Theodoric was Frankish after King Theodoric of the Ostrogoths sent his namesake and relative into a marriage with the Frankish kingdom. The name is also earlier than the Spanish-Roman Theodosian dynasty, and it could very well be that "theo" was a broad Indo-European term.

We should remember that Ammianus Marcellinus mentions two high Roman officers falling in harm's way during the Pictish-Scott-Saxon conspiracy of 367. The probable Dux Britannium, Fullofaudes, was killed outright, evidently near the Wall. Fullofaudes is rather West Germanic, and he was either a Frank or an Alammanus. The second officer was Nectaridus, Count of the Saxon Shore... and Nectarid is East Germanic and most likely Gothic. True, we cannot interview these two officers and ascertain their tribal nationality (if there is such a term!), but these men-- the two highest Romans stationed in Britain-- were Germanic.

By the end of the occupation, most of the foot were removed and the cavalry remained as the last defence in Britain. I hope most of us agree with that. And if that is the case, then we find Alans in Britain as the Taifali. See Herwig Wolfram on their ethnicity. I am not the first to propose Tealby as their retirement community, but it is on the eastern side where we find dragon buckles, perhaps related to the Taifali dragon and pearl shields, a dragon that is not historically or artistically present in Britain until after the stationing of the Equites Taifali Iuniors. The Taifali were most likely also living in Gallic Tiffauges, just south of the larger Alanic communities that settled under King Goar around Orleans. The Alans thrived, and King Sangiban is later recorded as giving the central punch to Attila under the command of Aetius. Gregory of Tours mentions a saintly Taifal living and ministering in Tours, and Alain II headed William the Bastard's cavalry at Hastings.

The Goths and Alans rose to the Imperial heirarchy. Alaric became Magister Militum of Illyricum, Generid became MM of Dalmatia, and Gainas became the big cheese at Constantinople. In the cavalry, Saul the Alan became Master of the Horse in Italy under Flavius Stilicho, Regent of the Western Empire and an East German. Theudebald, recorded by the Welsh as the "diademned prince the legate," would be more likely to be Gothic than West German, especially if he was a horseman. He name rings as "The Bold Prince;" and there is every indication that he was likely to have been a Balth-- the Bold-- and the highest family in the Tyrfingi Gothic culture, as opposed to being a Frank, a tribe not noted for excellent horsemanship, not to say that they were not but they were not recorded as such.

I suppose I am speaking of pobabilities, but much of the above is found in Ammianus, Wolfram, and Gibbon. If I am being crucified for stating that the Goths and Alans were the Empire's top horsemen, and that some of them were stationed in Britain, then I am in good company.

Hailog thein,
A.J. Campbell/Alanus