OT: Odoacer/Eadwacer (was Re: Quick language sketch -- Hrondu)

On Fri, Jan 26, 2001 at 05:04:27PM -0600, Patrick Dunn wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Jan 2001, Eric Christopherson wrote:
> > What is "Wulf and Eadwacer"? I've never heard of it, but Eadwacer looks like
> > a form of the name of that Germanic (Vandal?) chieftain, Odovaker or
> > Odoacer. Am I right?
[...]
> Where'd you read about this Vandal chief?  Is this the same one who drove
> *snaps fingers*  damn what was his name?  out of Italy for thirty years?
I had to refresh my memory on this. Apparently not a Vandal (unless perhaps
the Vandals had other names). From the Columbia Encyclopedia, URL
http://www.bartleby.com/65/od/Odoacer.html :


ODOACER or Odovacar, c.435-493, chieftain of the Heruli, the Sciri, and the
Rugii (see Germans). He and his troops were mercenaries in the service of
Rome, but in 476 the Heruli revolted and proclaimed Odoacer their king.
Odoacer defeated the Roman general Orestes at Piacenza, took Ravenna (the
West Roman capital), and deposed Romulus Augustulus, last Roman emperor of
the West (until the coronation in 800 of Charlemagne). The date 476 is often
accepted as the end of the West Roman Empire. However, Odoacer's action made
little difference in the status of Western Rome, which had long been prey to
the barbarian armies; the emperors had been mere puppets. Emperor Zeno of
the East, considering himself heir to the West Roman Empire, reluctantly
recognized Odoacer's authority over Italy and granted him the title of
patrician. The Roman administration of Italy continued to function under
Odoacer, who retained the chief officers of state. In 488, Zeno sent
Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, into Italy to expel Odoacer.
Several times defeated, Odoacer consented (493) to a treaty by which he was
to share his authority with Theodoric. Invited to a banquet by Theodoric,
Odoacer and his son and chief officers were treacherously assassinated; thus
Theodoric made himself master of Italy.


Interesting stuff! I never knew Ravenna had been a Roman capital. Anyway, I
did a Google search on "Odoacer and Eadwacer" and came up with two hits, one
being simply and onomasticon and the other being a post on a forum of some
sort, at
humserv1.hum.gu.se/arkiv/ONN/1998onn/I/msg00289.html. But be warned; this
link didn't work for me, so I had to take Google's cached version at
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:humserv1.hum.gu.se/arkiv/ONN/1998onn/I/msg00289.html+eadwacer+odoacer&hl=en.
Anyway, in the post a Lars Hemmingsen, Ph.D. says:

>  As for Odoacer, he appears as Aetgeirr in the saga, and his brother Onoulf
>as Vidolf (they are Eadwacer and Wulf in a well known OE poem of their end,
>but that is another story). They are some of Didrek's most important
>opponents in the legends.
The saga in question is apparently Thidrekssaga, and Didrek/Thidrek is
Theodoric, the chief Zeno sent to depose Odoacer.

I also looked up the poem. I like it! :)

--
Eric Christopherson / *Aiworegs Ghristobhorosyo