Adal: There have been numberous finds of (what seem to be) eagle brooches in Merovingian graves. Most of them from the Stufe II period, as far as I know. There are a few theories as to why these were popular and one of which is that the eagle was a common Roman symbol. The noble Franks being quite close to the Romans, such as Clovis I being at once Rex Francorum and Agustus, and many others before and after. A theory I have, based on work by O. Van Renswoude, is that adal, meaning good lineage, good descent, good family was a common portion of many Frankish names such as Adalbehrt and was also a title given to the eagle. The Dutch have adelaar, meaning noble brid as another word for eagle (and other carnivorous birds). Adelaar is also the dutch word for an eagle standard, such as what the Romans used. So I think that the eagle brooch, with its fiery red gems could have been an insignia for Frankish nobles, either in recognition by Rome or in imitation of it... this make sense? pinterest/pin/423760646160746473/
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 00:58:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015