Merovingians in the 5th/6th century

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Anon thou [Avitus] didst follow Aetius, because he had learnt many a lesson from the Scythian warfare; and he [Aetius], glorious in arms though he was, did no deed without thee [Avitus], though thou didst many without him. For when he had finished with the luthungi and the war in Noricum, and had subdued the Vindelicians [430 AD], thereafter in partnership with thee did he deliver the Belgians, whom the fierce Burgundian had harassed [436 AD]. There the Herulian found in thee [Avitus] his match in fleetness, the Hun in javelin throwing, the Frank in swimming, the Sauromatian in use of shield, the Salian in marching, the Gelonian in wielding the scimitar ; and in bearing of wounds thou didst surpass any mourning barbarian to whom wailing means self-wounding and tearing the cheeks with steel and gouging the red traces of scars on his threatening face.

Here the Herulian could be the Herulii Seniores, a unit in Aetius' army, but it is also known that there were some Heruli in the Gothic kingdom of Aquitiane, who "8 ships full" attacked Gallaecia in 457.

He distinguishes between the Salians and Franks in general - this could refer to the Palatina unit the Salii, and thenk Frnakish Foederati, or Franks serving in Roman units, and Salian Foederati.

The Sauromatian is the Alanic groups of Goar and Sambida, who served the Empire loyally from 414 to 453.