The Background:

Arminius is the Germanic chieftain of the Cherusci tribe. As a young boy he was taken from his family by Roman forces to be brought up and educated in Rome. He was taught Roman customs and combat, becoming an exemplary warrior in the Roman army. When he was sent on a mission to Germania, he betrayed Rome and allied with his own people, defeating many Roman legions in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest (9 AD), using the knowledge of warfare that he had been taught in Rome. We know of his life only because the Roman scholar, Tacitus, wrote about Arminius in his book “Annals”, written almost 100 years after the death of Arminius.

Arminius is the Latinised form of a Germanic name, which is not recorded. However, using comparative etymology, the Proto-Germanic form would likely have been: Irminaz. This is interesting, because there is another persona identified by Tacitus in “Germania” that also goes by the name of Irminaz: the divine progenitor of the Irminones and the god that would go on to become known as Odin.

“In their ancient songs, they celebrate Tuisco, a god brought forth from the Earth itself. They attribute to him a son, Mannus, the founder of their race and to Mannus three sons, from whose names the coastal tribes are called Ingvaeones; those in the interior, Irminones; and the rest, Istvaeones”.

It has long been speculated that the progenitor of the above mentioned Irminones would be the god, Irmin or in Proto-Germanic, Irminaz. The Norse form of Irmin, is Jormun which is an attested by-name for Odin, which all but confirms that Odin’s original name was indeed Irminaz.

The Question:

The facts above, result in the following conclusion:

Arminius=Irminaz and Odin=Irminaz

This ponders the question, is Odin therefore Arminius?

Or more accurately, did the Odin myth originate out of the legend of Arminius?

The Arguments:

1. Simply the fact that the two personas of Odin and Arminius share the same root name (Irminaz) is a good argument. However, it could also be claimed that Irminaz (the god) is distinct and far older. Perhaps Arminius was simply named Irminaz in honour of the pre-existing god. This is certainly possible. However, there is more to consider…

2. The legend of Arminius is not told in any Germanic sources. It is very strange that no record of his legend survived within Germania. Indeed, we only know that Arminius existed because his life is recorded by Tacitus. Indeed, Tacitus states the following:

“Assuredly he was the deliverer of Germany… He completed thirty-seven years of life, twelve years of power, and he is still a theme of song in Germania.”

Therefore, around 100 AD, Arminius was the theme of a song in Germania. As we know legend and myth was recorded by the Germanic people, not in writing, but by songs and oral tradition. Therefore, it is strange that no legends or songs survived within Germanic tradition to tell the tale of the saviour of the Germanic people. Unless, those legends did survive, by evolving into the myth of Wodanaz/Woden/Odin. This would certainly explain why there is no legend of Arminius in German sources, because his persona evolved into that of Woden/Odin over the centuries.

3. There are other curious coincidences, for example, Arminius’ brother Flavus is famed for losing one of his eyes in combat. Did this fact get conflated with Irminaz/Wodanaz over time and evolve into the myth of the one-eyed Odin? Considering that legends can evolve due to the “Chinese whispers” phenomenon, a myth can develop quite dramatically over several hundred years as it is shared and retold among many different people, meaning that the story of the one-eyed brother of Arminius was perhaps the source of the myth of a one-eyed Odin.

4. The reference to the fact that Arminius was so astute in war was due to his teachings in Rome and indeed that it was Arminius’ vast knowledge of Roman warfare that gave him, and his Germanic allies, the victory at Teutoburg Forest. This fact seems to have equivalence with Odin’s own unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

5. The Germanic tribes are known to pray to Woden/Odin for victory in battle. Indeed, Odin is known as the Victory-father. Perhaps this tradition began with the Germanic people asking their ancestor, Arminius (Irminaz), to aid them in battle and over time this evolved into Woden/Odin as the god of victory.

6. Tacitus says of the god Irminaz:

“In their ancient songs…”

And he says of Arminius:

“...he is still a theme of song in Germania”

Is Tacitus unknowingly referring to the fact that Arminius had already evolved into the persona of the god Irminaz by approximately 100 AD? Since Irminaz (the god) and Irminaz (the warrior) seem to both have famous songs sung about them at this same period of time.

7. However, a mere 100 years or less does not seem long enough for a mortal man to be elevated to the status of godhood. Although Arminius was regarded as a hero of the Germanic people, it’s not impossible that his legend became so well regarded, that he was indeed treated as a god by the population. Indeed, a lot can happen in 100 years and the notion of elevating mortals to the status of godhood was not unknown to the heathen Germanic people. The seeress, Veleda, is one such example.

8. Tacitus was well aware of both Arminius and Irminaz. He wrote about both of them as distinct personas. We would think that if Arminius had already been elevated to the status of godhood, that Tacitus would have spotted the linguistic association between the name Irminaz and the Latinised form, Arminius. It’s indeed curious that Tacitus made no mention of this coincidence or saw no reason to do so. Conversely, if he had made this same association, he would be unlikely to put it to paper. His audience were Roman citizens and he likely would not want them to know that the Germanic people were aided in war by a god.

Another Possibility?

Taking a theological approach rather than a historical one, another possibility exists: we know that Odin is said to wander the Nine Realms and indeed to roam Midgard as a man. Is it therefore possible that Arminius was Odin in mortal form, that he came to Midgard to defend the Germanic people from annihilation by foreign forces. This would also perhaps explain Odin’s by-name of Jormun (the Norse form of Irmin). A memory of the fact that Arminius was indeed Odin walking the Earth as a mortal man.

Maybe one day, the spirit of Irminaz will rise again when we need him most and Odin will walk among us once more….

Dʰéǵʰōm is the reconstructed name of the Earth in the Proto-Indo-European religion. The Earth-mother (*Dʰéǵʰōm Méh₂tēr) is generally portrayed as the vast and dark abode of mortals, the one who bears all things and creatures.

She is often paired with Dyēus, the daylight sky and seat of the undying gods. Together their relationship is one of contrast and union, since the fructifying rains of Dyēus bring nourishment and prosperity to the Earth, and all those who live upon her.

Dʰéǵʰōm is commonly associated in Indo-European traditions with fertility and growth, but also with death, and is conceived as both the origin and final dwelling place of mortals. Thus Dʰéǵʰōm has a connection with both life and death: all life springs forth from her and so all shall eventually return to her in death. As the crop grows from her moist soil fertilised by the rains from the sky above, the deceased are eventually returned to her eternal embrace.

As we know from the Norse sources, Hel is said to represent this same duality. Hel is also known to dwell underground deep within the Earth where the dead rest, but it’s also from where new life springs forth. She is often described and depicted as a woman of two halves. It is said, that half her body is vibrant with life and the other half in perpetual decay. Symbolically this represents the duality of the goddess, meaning that she is associated with both life and death.

Of course this is in synchronicity with the Earth itself: for Dʰéǵʰōm is always bringing forth new life, yet at the same time everything on Earth is also decaying. A ceaseless cycle of life and death. This duality suggests that the entity we know as the Norse Hel is a manifestation of the original Dʰéǵʰōm Méh₂tēr (Earth-mother).

There are many other earthly goddesses within the Germanic and Norse pantheons, such as: Jord, Nerthus, Gerdr, Gefjon, Sif and Frigg, however all of these goddesses only retained the fertility, growth and motherly attributes of the Proto-Indo-European Earth-mother. However, miraculously perhaps, our ancestors remembered the original and true nature of the Earth-mother and preserved this idea within the goddess they called “Hel”.

I have reconstructed what I believe the Proto-Germanic Pantheon may have looked like during the time of Tacitus when he wrote “Germania” in 98 AD. This genealogy is based on the information given to us by Tacitus, specifically the following: “In their ancient songs, they celebrate Tuisco, a god brought forth from the Earth itself. They attribute to him a son, Mannus, the founder of their race and to Mannus three sons, from whose names the coastal tribes are called Ingvaeones; those in the interior, Irminones; and the rest, Istvaeones”.

This is interesting because we see significant cross-over between the older Proto-Indo-European (PIE) gods and a new sub-branch of Germanic gods branching off from the older religion. This begins with Tiwisko (Tuisco) whose name means Son of Dyēus and described in the above quote as the Earth-born god. This can only mean one thing: Tiwisko is the son of the PIE Daylight-sky-father and the Earth-mother. The god Tiwisko is therefore the glue that connects the older Proto-Indo-European religion and what was later to become Germanic heathenry and its offshoots (Saxon/Nordic), because he is the both the Son of Dyēus and the grandfather of Irmin/Woden/Odin.

Below is my interpretation of how this may have looked during this early era of Germanic heathenry. I’ve also added some additional explanatory notes in the yellow box. Click to zoom:

It's important to note that when I'm saying "Norse equivalent", I'm not saying that for example, Dagr is the Norse Sky-father. I'm meaning that "Dyēus" evolved over time into the persona of "Dagr" within the Norse pantheon. This occurred as the nature gods took a back seat, when a farming and pastoral lifestyle was replaced with the warlike culture of the migration era. Thus the Daylight-sky god (Dyēus=Dagr) was reduced to a minor role within the Norse pantheon. This occurred because the requirement for gods of war replaced the requirement for gods of farming (nature gods). Thus Dyēus, Dʰéǵʰōm, Sowilō took a backseat, however Perkwunos remained in a role of prominence, being seen as both a god of the rains and also a protector therefore somewhat warlike. Thus the shift from a farming culture to a war culture, facilitated the rise of Irmin/Woden/Odin as a god of war and death, and he took prominence within the later iterations of Germanic religions (Saxon/Nordic).

Also to note, traditionally Odin is considered to be the Sky-father of the Norse pantheon, but it depends on how you perceive this role. Does it simply mean, the chieftain of the gods? If so, then yes Odin assumes this role based on the Norse sources. However, Dyēus ph₂tēr really means "Daylight Father" or indeed the "Father of Daylight" or perhaps "Father of the Daylight Sky". This makes more sense when we conclude that Dyēus fathered the Sun-maiden and thus created day, when considering that it is the sun that causes daylight, thus Dyēus ph₂tēr, the father of daylight.

Odin, does not have solar, sky or daylight attributes himself. Other than perhaps one thing: it is said that he placed a spark from Muspelheim into the heavens and this is the sun. I would speculate that this is a function that the god Odin, which evolved from Irmin, assumed as he was elevated to the primary position within the Germanic pantheon. Thus he adopted an attribute of the former Sky-father. Odin's original primary attributes have little else in common with PIE Daylight-sky-father. Odin is the psychopomp (an entity that accompanies souls to the afterlife), a teacher of knowledge and magic, and a war god that would be prayed to for victory. Thus he is associated with the Roman Mercury (Wednesday=Mercredi afterall) and the Greek Hermes. I also can't help but notice the linguistic similarity between Irmin, which is sometimes spelt Hermin by Tacitus, and Hermes. But Irmin and his roots will be the topic of another post at a later time.