Quote:
Originally Posted by Eichhornchen
Well I guess there was that bloke called "Herman the German" in antiquity, wasn't there? So I suppose the word does pre-date the federation of all those small states.
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A nickname, his real name was Arminius , a latinized version of his germanic name Erminaz. the later germanized version of the latinized verison wold become "Hermann".
I was born in the shadow of the Hermann Height Monument, btw. My grandfather'S name was Hermann. And I owned not one but four swords in my life. You all are warned.
Arminius was Cheruscian, usually described as a Germanic tribe. The English reference "Hermann the German" in unknown in German, he does
not have the name "Hermann der Deutsche/Germane" in German language. In German, he occasionally gets referred to as "Hermann
der Cherusker".
It is under debate that the Cherusci indeed have to be counted as a Germanic tribe. However, no matter their origin they got absorbed by Franconian and Alemmani tribes later.