# Germanic Traditions Warriors fought naked/only in cloaks A skillful dance in which naked youths dodged spears and swords was a sport • Aurochs ○ Considered a fear f skill and courage to kill one ○ Their horns were edged with silver and used as drinking vessels § Symbolic of manly valor • The Lombards in the 6th century: sung and danced around a goats head • Little evidence for sheep sacrifices, Grimm says they were of little value ## Anglo-Saxon • Priests could not carry arms nor ride anything but a mare • Rings were given by chiefs to loyal retainers ○ chief = beaga brytta ("distributer of rings") • "In the 19th century a massive but undecorated whetstone, unused, was found set upright in the ground near a group of Anglo-Saxon barrows. Clearly this fine grained stone was of ritual significance" • King Edwin of Northumbria was habitually preceded by a standard (OE þuf, Latin tufa) a cutom borrowed from the Romans "Thus the Anglo-Saxons lived their lives, cozy in their brightly lit halls, cheered by feasting and music. They placated their gods with sacrifice and strove to keep out the hostile creatures who lurked in the outer darkness. They enjoyed formal ceremonies--pledging of oaths and speechmaking--and superstitious rituals, like the casting of lots, decided the major issues and their lives." -Gale Owen