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The pagan religion of theGermanic tribal confederation of theFranks has been traced from its roots in polytheisticGermanic paganism through to the incorporation ofGreco-Roman components in theEarly Middle Ages. This religion flourished among the Franks until the conversion of theMerovingian kingClovis I toNicene Christianity (c. 500), though there were many Frankish Christians before that. After Clovis I, Frankish paganism was gradually replaced by the process ofChristianisation, but there were still pagans in the late 7th century.[citation needed]
The majority of pagan Frankish beliefs may share similarities with that of other Germanic peoples. If so, then it may be possible to reconstruct the basic elements of Frankish traditional religion.[1]
Themigration era religion of theFranks likely shared many of its characteristics with the other varieties ofGermanic paganism, such as placingaltars in forest glens, on hilltops, or beside lakes and rivers, andconsecration of woods.[2] Generally,Germanic gods were associated with local cult centres and their sacred character and power were associated with specific regions, outside of which they were neither worshipped nor feared.[3] Other deities were known and feared and shared by cultures and tribes, although in different names and variations. Of the latter, the Franks may have had one omnipotent godAllfadir ("All Father"), thought to have lived in a sacred grove. Germanic peoples may have gathered where they believed him to live, and sacrificed a human life to him.[4]Variants of the phraseAll Father (likeAllfadir) usually refer toWuodan (Woden, Óðinn/Odin), and the Franks probably believed in Wuodan as "chief" of blessings, whom the first historianTacitus called "Mercurius", and his consortFreia,[5] as well asDonar (Thor), god of thunder, and Zio (Tyr), whom Tacitus called "Mars". According toHerbert Schutz, most of their gods were "worldly", possessing form and having concrete relation to earthly objects, in contradistinction to the transcendent God of Christianity.[3] Tacitus also mentioned a goddessNerthus being worshipped by the Germanic people, in whom Perry thinks the Franks may have shared a belief.[6] With the Germanic groups along the North Sea the Franks shared a special dedication to the worship ofYngvi, synonym toFreyr, whose cult can still be discerned in the time of Clovis.[7]
In contrast to many other Germanic tribes, no Merovingians claimed to be descended from Wodan.[8]
Some rich Frankish graves were surrounded by horse burials, such as Childeric's grave.
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The bulls that pulled the cart were taken as special animals, and according to Salian law the theft of those animals would impose a high sanction.[citation needed] Eduardo Fabbro has speculated that the Germanic goddessNerthus (who rode in a chariot drawn by cows) mentioned by Tacitus, was the origin of the Merovingian conception ofMerovech, after whom their dynasty would be named. The Merovingian kings riding through the country on an oxcart could then be an imaginative reenactment the blessing journey of their divine ancestor.[10] In the grave ofChilderic I (died 481) was found the head of a bull, craftily made out of gold. This may have represented the symbol of a very old fertility ritual,[11] that centred on the worship of the cow. According to Fabbro, the Frankish pantheon expressed a variation of the Germanic structure that was especially devoted to fertility gods.[1]
However, a more likely explanation is that the Merovingian ox-cart went back to the Late-Roman tradition of governors riding through the province to dispense justice in the company ofangariae, or ox wagons belonging to the imperial post.[12][13] The bull in Childeric's grave was probably an insignificant object imported from elsewhere, and belongs to a wide artistic usage of bulls in pre-historic European art.[13]
The Frankish mythology that has survived in primary sources is comparable to that of theAeneas myth of inRoman mythology, but altered to suit Germanic tastes. Like many Germanic peoples, the Franks told afounding myth to explain their connection with peoples ofclassical history. In the case of the Franks, these people were theSicambri and theTrojans. An anonymous work of 727 calledLiber Historiae Francorum states that following the fall ofTroy, 12,000 Trojans led by their kingsPriam andAntenor moved through theSea of Azov and up theTanais (Don) river and settled inPannonia, where they founded a city called "Sicambria". After altercations with theAlans and Emperor Valentinian (late 4th century AD), who renamed them Franks, they moved to the Rhine.
These stories have obvious difficulties if taken as fact. Historians, including eyewitnesses like Caesar, have given us accounts that places the Sicambri firmly at the delta of the Rhine and archaeologists have confirmed ongoing settlement of peoples. The Franks also appear close to the Rhine earlier than the 4th century. Frankish historianFredegar, who also has the Franks originate in Troy but, under an eponymous king namedFrancio, lets them move straight to the Rhine without mentioning the Sicambri. For these reasons, current scholars think that this myth was not prevalent, certainly not historical: for example,J. M. Wallace-Hadrill states that "this legend is quite without historical substance".[14] Ian Wood says that "these tales are obviously no more than legend" and "in fact there is no reason to believe that the Franks were involved in any long-distance migration".[12]
In Roman andMerovingian times,panegyrics played an important role in the transmission of culture. A common panegyrical device was the use of archaic names for contemporary things. Romans were often called "Trojans" and Franks were called "Sicambri". A notable example related by the sixth-century historian Gregory of Tours states that the Merovingian Frankish leader Clovis I, on the occasion of his baptism into theCatholic faith, was referred to as a Sicamber byRemigius, the officiatingbishop of Rheims.[15] At the crucial moment of Clovis' baptism, Remigius declared, "Bend your head, Sicamber. Honour what you have burnt. Burn what you have honoured." It is likely that in this way a link between the Sicambri and the Franks was being invoked. Further examples of Salians being called Sicambri can be found in thePanegyrici Latini, theLife of King Sigismund, theLife of King Dagobert, and other sources.
Before Clovis converted to Catholic Christianity, pagan Frankish rulers probably maintained their elevated positions by their "charisma"; theirlegitimacy and "right to rule" may have been based on their supposed divine descent as well as their financial and military successes.[3][16] The concept of "charisma" has been controversial.[17]
Fredegar tells a story of the Frankish kingChlodio taking a summer bath with his wife when she was attacked by some sort of sea beast, which Fredegar described asbestea Neptuni Quinotauri similis, ("the beast ofNeptune that looks like aQuinotaur"). Because of the attack, it was unknown ifMerovech, the legendary founder of theMerovingian dynasty was conceived of Chlodio or the sea beast.[18]
In later centuries, divine kingship myths would flourish in the legends ofCharlemagne (768–814) as a divinely-appointed Christian king. He was the central character in the Frankish mythology of the epics known as theMatter of France. TheCharlemagne Cycle epics, particularly the first, known asGeste du Roi ("Songs of the King"), concern a King's role as champion of Christianity. From the Matter of France, sprang some mythological stories and characters adapted through Europe, such as the knightsLancelot andGawain.
