Glomuzi

If you iook at Wikipedia entries on the Lemovii, you will be treated to a statement that they were a “Germanic tribe” and that they were “probably” identical with the Glommas.  Why ought this be so? Well, both “Lemovii” and “Glommas” translate to “the barking” ones (!) This last piece comes from the Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde, most recently published by Johannes Hoops and the Walter de Gruyter publishing house in 2001 (and originally authored by the likes of Herbert Jankuhn from the SS).

So let’s work with this and ask: Were Lemovii a Germanic tribe?

Lemovii are only mentioned by Tacitus… but Glommas appear in many sources.

Thus, for example, let’s take a look at what Widsith says:

Caesar ruled Greeks      and Celic [ruled]  Finns,
Hagena [ruled] Holmrygas      and Heoden [ruled] Gloms.
Witta ruled Suaevi,      Wada [ruled] Hælsings [Helsinki!?],
Meaca [ruled] Myrgings      Mearchealf [ruled] Hundings.
Theodric ruled Franks      Thyle [ruled] Rondings,

Casere weold Creacum      ond Celic Finnum,
Hagena Holmrygum      ond Heoden Glommum.
Witta weold Swæfum,      Wada Hælsingum,
Meaca Myrgingum,      Mearchealf Hundingum.
þeodric weold Froncum,      þyle Rondingum, 

But here is the interesting thing.  We know who the “Gloms” were.

The Gloms or Glommas cannot be any other people than the Slavic tribe of Glomacze (aka Golomacze or, importantly, Dolomici) which lived between the Elbe and Mulde.

They make an appearance in Thietmar’s Chronicle where, in Book I (Chapter 3), Thietmar says:

“His father sent him with a large army to that province which we Germans call Daleminzia but the Slavs call Glomaci.  After much destruction and burning, he returned victorious.  But I should now relate how that region acquired its name.  Glomuzi/Glomuci* is a spring located not more than two miles from the Elbe.  It is the source of a pool which often produces marvels, so the local populace claims, and many others have verified this with their own eyes…”

Isque a patre suo in provintiam, quam no Teutonice Deleminci vocamus, Sclavi autem Glomaci appellant, cum magno exercitu, devastata eadem multum atque incensa, victor rediit.  Sed qualiter pagus ste nomine hoc signaretur, edicam.  Glomuzi/Glomuci* est fons, non plus ab Albi quam duo milaria positus, qui unam de se paludem generans, mira, ut incolae pro vero asserunt oculisque approbatum est a miltis sepe operatur…

* depends on which manuscript you’re looking at.  I include all the name variations here.

In Book X Thietmar continues by noting that:

“He made the following regions pay tribute: Bohemia, Daleminzia, and the lands of the Abodrites, Wilzi, Hevelli, and Redarii.  They immediately rebelled and, cinciting others to join them, attacked, destroyed, and burned the burg Walsleben.  To avenge this, our army convened and besieged the burg Lenzen…”

Has regiones sibi fecit tributarias: Boemiam, Deleminci/Delemcici, Apodritas, Wilti/Wilthi, Hevellum/Hevellun et Redarios.  Qui statim rebelles aliosque ad hec concitantes. urbem Wallislevo/Wallislovo oppugnant, destruunt et incendunt.  Ad hoc vindicandum noster convenit exercitus, et Lunzini/Luncini* civitatem obsidens…

* Lenzen on the Loecknitz “in the country of the Linones.”

The country itself is named again in Book 4, Chapter 5:

“In the company of his supporters, Henry then sought out Boleslav [II], duke of the Bohemians, who had always been willing to help him, whatever the circumstances.  The duke receive him honorably and had his army conduct hiom from the boundaries of his territory through those of the territories of Nisan [Misnians] and Daleminzia as far as Muegeln…”

Post haec Heinricus Bolizlavum, ducem Boemiorum, in cunctis suimet necessitatibus semper paratum, cum suis adiit honorificeque ab eo succeptus cum exercity eiusdem a finibis suis per Niseni/Miseni et Deleminci pagos usque ad Mogelini/Mogelin* ducitur…

* Alt-Muegeln an der Doellnitz.  That this Mogelini/Mogelin is likely to have much to do with Ptolemy’s Mogilones should be obvious to anyone who can see.

Finally, we have Book V, Chapter 36 where we learn that:

“…In one day, the whole fertile region of Glomize was ravaged with fire and sword and had its inhabitants abducted.”

Notus hic pagus Glomize, optime tum excultus, in una hac die igne, gladio et habitatorum eductine flebiliter desolatur.

For more of Book V see here.

So from Thietmar we learn that Daleminzi was a German name but Glomuzi was a Slavic name. If this is true (and there is no reason to doubt Thietmar on this point) then an important conclusion has to follow and that is:

• the Glommum of Widsith must be a Slavic tribe and, in fact, a Slavic speaking tribe

Moreover, if the Glommas are the same as the Lemovii (Glemovii?) then:

• the Lemovii were Slavic and on the Baltic in the time of Tacitus.

Since the Lemovii were apparently Suevi then the question is:

• why should the Suevi not have been Slavs.

Note also that in Widsith we first learn that “Heoden Glommum, Witta weld Swæfum”. In other words, these appear right next to each other. Moreover, while Heoden is not a Slavic name, Witta or Vitas or Wit is either a Slavic name or a Baltic name – the Germanic name would usually expect to show a “d” (as in Wido, or, for that matter, Widsith, and so forth – but you do have the Frisian (?) pirate Vitthon) – though even with a “d” this could be a Slavic name.    

So either most of that is true or the Reallexikon is wrong about identifying the Lemovii with the Glommas. (It is also possible that the Glommas of Widsith are different than the Glomuzi/ /Glomacze but this seems rather implausible given the similarity of names and the generally similar location (Central Europe) for both).

There is another claim.  That Thietmar was wrong and that the very name – Glomuzi – is not, after all Slavic.  Why? Well, because there is a river in Norway (the country’s longest and widest) called the Glomma or Glåma.

Except that there is another possibility. That that name too is Slavic. For example, the Glomma runs into the Øyeren lake. Now I do not know what the possible etymology of that name is except to say that looks mighty like the Russian name for a lake – озеро. I would say maybe that has something to do with the Jæren district (provincia Yathrica) but that happens to be in Rogaland which is further West. Soon we will conclude that the Stavanger had something to do with the Stavanoi or Procopius…

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As for the Glomacze themselves – if we are to follow Thietmar and assume that they are the same as the Daleminzi – then they were first mentioned in 805 in what became the Chronicle of Moissac:

Anno 805 Karolus imperator misit filium suum Karolum regem cum exercitu magno ad Cichu-Windones*; et alium exercitum cum Adulfo et Werinario, id est cum Bajoariis; tertium vero transmisit cum Saxonibus super Hwerenofelda et Demelchion. Et ibi pugnaverunt contra regem eorum nomine Semela et vicerunt eum, et ille dedit duo filios eius pro fidelitate…  

[*note – incidentally, that is also the first mention of the Czechs under that name]

Their final conquest began in 928.

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