Franks - Mythological Origins

Mythological Origins

The two earliest sources that describe the origin of the Franks are a 7th century work known as the Chronicle of Fredegar and the anonymous Liber Historiae Francorum, written a century later. Neither of these works is accepted by historians as trustworthy, compared with Gregory of Tours's Historia Francorum, which was written in the 6th century.

The author of the Chronicle of Fredegar claimed that the Franks came originally from Troy and quoted the works of Vergil and Hieronymous, but the Franks are not mentioned in those works, except in a general way by Hieronymous. The chronicle describes Priam as a Frankish king whose people migrated to Macedonia after the fall of Troy. In Macedonia the Franks then divided. The European Franks reached Francia under 'King Francio', just as Romulus went to Rome. Another branch, under 'King Turchot' became the Turks. Fredegar stated that Theudemer, named king of the Franks by Gregory, was descended from Priam, Friga and Francio.

Another work, the Gesta, is nowadays acknowledged by serious scholars as a fantasy. Its author described how twelve thousand Trojans, led by Priam and Antenor, sailed from Troy to the River Don River (Russia) and (with a total disregard of geography) to Pannonia (which is on the Danube), settling there near the Sea of Azov. There they founded a city called 'Sicambria'. The Trojans joined the Roman army in accomplishing the task of driving their enemies into the marshes of Maetosis, for which they received the name of Franks (meaning 'savage'). A decade later the Romans killed Priam and drove Marcomer and Sunno, the sons of Priam and Antenor, and the other Franks away.