In order to prevent a common misunderstanding, let me start by making clear that "Germanic" is not the same as "German".
In English the country naming itself "Deutschland" is called Germany. This creates misunderstandings, even more so since, in England, the term Germanic is sometimes referred to as Teutonic. Here I will use the term Germanic.
The word refers to peoples of Northern Europe (or which have their origin there) with certain genetic and cultural traits in common, and to their cultural or genetic traits themselves, or to their languages.
The Old Germanic peoples, or tribes, were the ancestors of modern Germans, Dutch, Flemish, Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, and many more - also the Angels, Saxons, and Normans of Britain. In several waves of migration from Roman times and till about 1000 AD (the last being the Vikings, and finally the Norman invasion of England in 1066 AD), they swept down over Europe and reached as far as North Africa (Vandals and Visigoths). To many geographical areas, Germanic tribes have given names that are still used today: France (the Franks), Russia (Rus, or Ros, a people from Sweden), Andalusia (the Vandals, Vandalusia), Normandy (Normans), Bourgogne (Burgunds), Friesland (Frisians), Lombardy (Lombards, or Langobards), and similarly Sweden, Denmark, England, Sachsen, and many more. In England there are e.g. Essex, Wessex, etc., that is East Seaxe and West Seaxe. Named by the Saxon invaders.
Incidentally, the cockney speech of lower-class London is said to have some similarity with the Saxon language at the time of the invasion. This, I assume, refers to pronunciation. I do not know how well-founded this idea is, but it may be fun to research.
Britain, however, is not a Germanic name, but Celtic - etymologically it is the same as Bretagne, which is now a part of France.
The origin of the Celts remains a mystery. They are mentioned by Herodotus and by Hekataios of Miletos (about 500 BC); and then their culture covered most of Europe, except Scandinavia and the Mediterranean coastline. After the death of Alexander the Great, they spread further to the East, into Greece and Asia Minor (now Turkey). Their dominance was based on a superior metallurgy, which gave them a military advantage. For most people today, however, they are best remembered for King Arthur and Merlin, and, of course, for their Druids, whose presence in contemporary fantasy literature and film is firmly established. Quite clearly, there is something in the Celtic culture that thrills the imagination of modern man.
Pressed between Germanic and Roman expansions, the Celts gradually ceased to be an independent culture and were assimilated; except in Ireland and certain parts of the British Isles, where their special character can still be distinguished. Their contribution to European culture is considerable. Roman writers Livy and Horace were both assimilated Celts.
The Greeks called them "Galates", and the Roman said "Galli"; from that stems Gaul (pre-Frankish France), Gaels (people of Ireland and Scotland), and the Bible's Galatia (in Asia Minor).
The Germanic label was "Walah" (foreigner), resulting in Wales, and Walloons (people of Belgium). The Bretons gave name to Britain and Bretagne. Other Celtic tribes were the Belgae, from which we have got Belgium; and the Helvetians, who gave Switzerland its old Latin name: Confoederatio Helvetica.
While there are still several Germanic languages in use today, Celtic languages can only be found in certain parts of the British Isles, most notably in Wales and Ireland. They are completely different from from the three large language groups of Europe: the Latin-based, the Germanic, and the Slavic, and absolutely incomprehensible for the uninitiated. Just for fun, I will quote some proverbs in Gaelic, a Celtic language:
Molann an obair an fear.
[The work praises the man.]
Ní bhíonn saoi gan locht.
[There’s no wise man without fault.]
Tada gan iarracht.
[Nothing without effort.]
Ní dhíolann dearmad fiacha.
[A debt is still unpaid, even if forgotten.]
Ní mar a shíltear a bhítear.
[Things aren’t as they seem.]
Finally, allow me to end this with a slight digression, just as a curiosity. The Langobards, a Germanic tribe also known as Lombards (means "long beard") were originally from Southern Sweden in Scandinavia (probably); they migrated through Europe and ended up founding a powerful kingdom in present day Italy.
They have given their name to "Lombard banking", pawn shops, which as far as is known were originating in Lombardy in Northern Italy. Some cities of the world still today has a Lombard Street, originally a banking street or a pawn shop street.
Related material: Read about King Uther Pendragon and the Welsh (Celtic) Dragon.
Copyright © 2009, 2016, 2021 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
(The lead image is a detail of Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels. An example of Celtic aesthetics from their Christian era. Public Domain.)
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