Eurasian Israelism in Gesta Danorum (Part I)

Posted Monday 18. January, 2021

Category: Eurasian Israelism  ✷  ▼ Download (.md)

◄ BACK TO BLOG

Gesta Danorum, or the Deeds of the Danes is a 12th century work done by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus. It is often cited as the most ambitious collection of historical accounts regarding Denmark and Scandinavia. Sources are available under the Sources page.

GD is also cited by both old and modern Anglo-Israelist and Nordic Israelist groups as historical evidence for their positions, specifically for the claim that the Danish people are descendants of Dan, son of Israel. As such, we will go through the manuscript to find data which will either support or deny our preconceived notion.

The Mythological King Dan

According to Saxo, the first recorded king of the Danes was, as the name suggests, Dan, son of “Humli” and brother of “Angel,” from which Anglo is derived. Chronicon Lethrense, another medieval manuscript, also mentions a king of the Danes named Dan. The Ballad of Eric is another example, though much later, of Dan being mentioned. King Dan is also identified by several scholars as Halfdan the Old, another legendary king figure. According to Saxo, Dan has two sons, Humli and Løther, and a wife, Gritha. After the death of Dan, an interesting practice is initiated to select a new king. Saxo puts it this way: “When they were to choose a king it was our forebears’ custom to proclaim their votes while standing on stones fixed in the ground, as though to augur the durability of their action through the firmness of the rocks beneath them.” – Gesta Danorum 2.1 Although a direct comparison is hard to find, a similar practice was done by the Israelites, as noted in 1 Samuel:

“In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves,” and “Then Samuel called the people together before Yahuah at Mizpah.” – 1 Samuel 8:18 and 1 Samuel 10:17_

These verses show that, atleast to some extend, the practice of gathering and choosing, or voting in, a king is seen in both cultures. This may or may not be unique to either culture, but it is an interesting note that this was the “obvious” choice for electing a leader for both people. It is also of note that Saxo first describes Dan and Angel as “founders of our race,” but then goes on to describe “forbears,” who we must conclude is of a different identity. Humli, or Humblus, was initially chosen to be the successor, but was forced to relinquish power to his brother, Løther, or Lotherus.

Dan ben Ya’akov and the Tribe of Dan

Jacob, or Yaakov, also called Israel, had twelve sons, who would become the namesakes of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The history of the Israelites is well documented in the Torah, and some interesting comparisons can be made to Saxo’s writings. An interesting detail is the way in which both the Tribe of Dan and the early Danes were described; lazy, slothful and harsh. The Jewish Encyclopedia, based on Jeremiah, describes the tribe as wicked. Saxo notes “the Danes’ sluggishness matched their former ignorance and they were as wretchedly slothful now as they were ill-educated before.” Again, a minor point, but interesting that these terms were used for both peoples by prominent writers. Another point of note is the fact that the Tribe of Dan is described as a seafaring nation (Judges 5:17). The Jewish Encyclopedia notes, in relation to Judges 5:17: “This probably had reference to the fact that members of the tribe of Dan had enlisted on the ships of the Phenicians.”

Archeological examples of longboats used by the Danes (knarr), especially the vikings, and longboats of the Phonecians (trireme), who had close relations to the Israelites, show boats of almost identical structure and function. If the Danes are descendants of Dan, a known seafaring nation with knowledge of the almost identical Phoenician boats, it is unlikely that such valuable knowledge would be lost during migration to a new land. A 15th century manuscript called Vetus Chronicon Holsatiae is perhaps one of the earliest example of an author concluding that the Israelite tribes moved towards Europe, specifically Scandinavia.

Conclusions

We can draw a number of loose conclusions, that together may draw a more convincing argument. It is important to note that all evidence presented here is circumstantial at best, speculative at worst.

• Saxo identifies the first king of the Danes, and the namesake of the Danish people as “King Dan.”
• The “forebears” of the Danes had a custom of gathering people and voting on top of rocks. The Israelites also had at least one example of gathering people to choose a king.
• Dan and Angel are identified as founders of the “race” of the Danes, but “forbears” are identified, indicating the Danes had a former tribal or racial identity, much like the Tribe of Dan.
• The Danes and the Tribe of Dan were both identified as having negative traits (wicked, lazy and slothful) by respected historians.
• The Book of Judges and The Jewish Encyclopedia identify the Tribe of Dan as a seafaring nation with ties to the Phonecians. The Danes have been known for their seafaring abilities since ancient times.
• Archeological evidence of longboats used by both the Danes and the Phonecians show almost identical designs.

In Part II, we will go further into the connection between the early Danes and the Tribe of Dan, with the Gesta Danorum as our primary source.

MARANATHA

M. L. Mayaan-Baruch

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA-4.0) - You are free to share and adapt the works in this blog, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.