Hadugato or Hathagat was an early

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

leader, considered a founding father of Saxony by the tenth century. In 531, he led the Saxons to victory over the

Thuringians The Thuringii, Toringi or Teuriochaimai, were an early Germanic people that appeared during the late Migration Period in the Harz Mountains of central Germania, a region still known today as Thuringia. It became a kingdom, which came into confl ...

at the battle of

Burgscheidungen Burgscheidungen is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Laucha an der Unstrut. Burgscheidungen was the site of the Saxon Hadugato's defeat of the ...

, "a legendary victory, and one so great that adugatoappeared to

ater Ater (Hebrew אֲתַר) is an Old Testament male name. #A descendant of Hezekiah, who returned from Babylon ; #An Israelite, who subscribed to Nehemiah Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in r ...

Saxons as an epiphany of divinity itself."

Karl Hauck Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austrian ...

, "The Literature of House and Kindred Associated with Medieval Noble Families, Illustrated from Eleventh and Twelfth-century Satires on the Nobility", in

Timothy Reuter Timothy Alan Reuter (25 January 1947 – 14 October 2002), grandson of the former mayor of Berlin Ernst Reuter, was a German-British historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany, particularly the social, military and ecclesiastical ...

, ed., ''The Medieval Nobility: Studies on the Ruling Classes of France and Germany from the Sixth to the Twelfth Century'' (Amsterdam, 1979), pp. 61–85. The ''Chronica ducum de Brunswick'' records that in the

Duchy of Brunswick The Duchy of Brunswick (german: Herzogtum Braunschweig) was a historical German state. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...

in the sixteenth century a memorial week was still observed following

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...

(September 29) to celebrate the Saxon victory over the Thuringians.

Battle of Burgscheidungen

The earliest source to mention Hadugato is the ''Translatio sancti Alexandri'' of

Rudolf of Fulda Rudolf of Fulda (died March 8, 862) was a Benedictine monk during the Carolingian period in the 9th century. Rudolf was active at Fulda Abbey in the present-day German state of Hesse. He was one of the most distinguished scholars of his time. Many ...

. This was begun in 863 and completed after Rudolf's death in 865 by a monk named Meginhart. The account in the ''Translatio'' is repeated almost verbatim in the '' Deeds of the Bishops of the Church of Hamburg'' of

Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen ( la, Adamus Bremensis; german: Adam von Bremen) (before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle ''Gesta ...

, written between 1073 and 1076.August Wetzel
''Die Translatio S. Alexandri: Eine kritische Untersuchung''
(Kiel: 1881), pp. 84–85, presents the relevant Latin texts of the ''Translatio'' and Adam of Bremen in parallel. According to this account, the Saxons arrived in the region of

Hadeln Hadeln is a former ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the Land of Hadeln near the mouth of the river Elbe, approximately 15 km east of Cuxhaven. Its seat was in t ...

(''Haduloha''), having sailed from Britain, during the war between

Irminfrid Hermanfrid (also Hermanifrid or Hermanafrid; , died 532) was the last independent king of the Thuringii in present-day Germany. He was one of three sons of King Bisinus and the Lombards, Lombard Menia. His siblings were Baderic; Raicunda, married ...

, king of the Thuringians, and

Theuderic I __NOTOC__ Theuderic I (c. 485 – 533/34) was the Merovingian king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it is variously called—from 511 to 533 or 534. He was the son of Clovis I and one of his earlier wives or concubines (possibly a Franco- ...

, king of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

. The latter, "his hope of conquering frustrated, sent messengers to the Saxons, whose leader 'dux'',_duke.html" ;"title="dux.html" ;"title="'dux">'dux'', duke">dux.html" ;"title="'dux">'dux'', dukewas Hadugato … promising them a place in which to settle in the event of victory." The Saxons fought "as if their own liberty and country were at stake", and Theuderic kept his promise.

; Francis J. Tschan, trans., ''History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen'' (Columbia University Press, 2002), pp. 8–9. The most extensive account of Hadugato is found in Widukind of Corvey's ''Res gestae Saxonicae, Deeds of the Saxons'', completed around 967. Widukind's account also appears in a close paraphrase in the world chronicle of Frutolf of Michelsberg (died 1103). In this version, the Saxons, as allies of the Franks, defeat the Thuringians beneath the walls of Burgscheidungen on the

Unstrut The Unstrut () is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale. The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. It ...

. Their leader is not named. After the battle, Irminfrid offers to make peace and join Theuderic in driving off his Saxon allies. When word of this reaches the Saxons, a council is held at which "a certain one of the veteran soldiers, already somewhat older, but still vigorous in advancing old age, who by merit of his great valor was called father of fathers 'pater patrum'' by name Hathagat", gives a speech after taking the "standard that was held sacred among them, marked with the likeness of a lion and a dragon, and an eagle swooping from above." According to Widukind, he urged the Saxons to attack the unsuspecting Thuringians, putting himself forward as their leader. In the night, they scaled the walls of Burgscheidungen, massacred the Thuringian men, raped their women and forced Irminfrid and his court to flee.Wood (1949), pp. 170–79.

Sverre Bagge Sverre Håkon Bagge (born 7 August 1942 in Bergen) is a Norwegian historian. He took his doctorate with the thesis ''Den politiske ideologi i Kongespeilet'', published in 1979. From 1974 to 1991 he worked as an associate professor (''førsteamanue ...

, ''Kings, Politics, and the Right Order of the World in German Historiography, c. 950–1150'' (Brill, 2002), p. 65. The

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

Saxons then set up an altar of victory and "celebrated the appropriate rites with all due solemnity, according to their ancestral superstition" for three days. They even "raised their leader

uke Uke may refer to: People * Uke Clanton (1898–1960), Major League Baseball first baseman who played for one season. Nicknamed "Cat", he played for the Cleveland Indians for one game on September 21, 1922 * Uke Rugova * Sıtkı Üke (1876� ...

to the skies with their praise, declaring him possessed of divine courage and god-like valor who by his constancy had led them to win such a victory." All this took place, Widukind says, "as the memory of our elders testifies, at the Kalends of October," i.e. on October 1.Bagge (2002), p. 57, n. 130.

Pagan significance?

The German historian

argues that the oral tradition of Hadugato that Widukind records contains a display of

sacral kingship In many historical societies, the position of kingship carries a sacral meaning; that is, it is identical with that of a high priest and judge. The concept of theocracy is related, although a sacred king need not necessarily rule through his re ...

, with Hadugato being worshiped as a god. He qualifies the worship of such battlefield leaders as a "temporary" deification. He also sees pagan significance (an autumn festival) in the date.Karl Hauck, "Lebensnormen und Kultmythen in germanischen Stammes- und Herrschergenealogien", ''Saeculum'' 6 (1955), pp. 186–223, at 217–18. Clive Tolley has argued that Widukind is in fact describing an ''ad hoc''

Irminsul An Irminsul (Old Saxon 'great pillar') was a sacred, pillar-like object attested as playing an important role in the Germanic paganism of the Saxons. Medieval sources describe how an Irminsul was destroyed by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars. A ...

(sacred pillar) rather than a true altar. He argues that Widukind's somewhat garbled passage indicates that the real name of the "altar" was Hirmin (which the Saxon historian glosses as

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

) and its form was that of a pillar.

Name

The name ''Hadugato'' (as in Adam of Bremen), ''Hadugoto'' (as in the ''Translatio''), ''Hatugato'' (as in Frutolf) or ''Hathagat'' (as in Widukind) is preserved only in sources written centuries after his life. The form ''Hathugast'' that appears in some modern works is etymologically incorrect. J. O. Plassmann, "Review of Friedrich von der Leyen, ''Das Heldenliederbuch Karls des Großen. Bestand–Gehalt–Wirkung''.", ''Historische Zeitschrift'' 186, 1 (1958)
pp. 98–103
According to Hauck, the name is probably no more than an honorific, ''Hathugaut'', meaning "Gaut of battle", in reference to

Gaut is an early Germanic name, from a Proto-Germanic ''gautaz'', which represents a mythical ancestor or national god in the origin myth of the Geats. Etymology ''Gautaz'' may be connected to the name of the Swedish river Göta älv at the city ...

, the legendary ancestor of the

Geats The Geats ( ; ang, gēatas ; non, gautar ; sv, götar ), sometimes called ''Goths'', were a large North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the late Middle Ages. They are one of th ...

and of the royal houses of the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...

and the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

.The

Amal dynasty The Amali – also called Amals, Amalings or Amalungs – were a leading dynasty of the Goths, a Germanic people who confronted the Roman Empire during the decline of the Western Roman Empire. They eventually became the royal house of the Ostrogot ...

of the Goths begins with a legendary Gapt and the

Gausian dynasty The Gausi or Gausian dynasty was a prominent Lombard ruling clan in the second half of the 6th century (547–572). They were either pagans or perhaps Arian Christians and were frequently at odds with the Roman Catholic Church. Under their rul ...

of the Lombards begins with a legendary Gausus. A similar name, Sigegéat, meaning "Gaut of victory", is preserved in

Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies A number of royal genealogies of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, collectively referred to as the Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies, have been preserved in a manuscript tradition based in the 8th to 10th centuries. The genealogies trace the succession of th ...

. The name "Gaut" itself would just be another by-name for Wodan (''Odinsheiti'').

Herwig Wolfram Herwig Wolfram (born 14 February 1934) is an Austrian historian who is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History and Auxiliary Sciences of History at the University of Vienna and the former Director of the . He is a leading member of the Vienna Scho ...

, ''The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples'' (University of California Press, 1997), p. 26.See Karl Hauck
"Herrschaftszeichen eines Wodanistischen Königtums"
''Jahrbuch für fränkische Landesforschung'' 14 (1954), pp. 9–66, at 36–7, for more discussion of the 'name' Hathugaut as a sign. Hauck treats Widukind's phrase ''pater patrum'' as a variation of ''

pater patriae ''Pater Patriae'' (plural ''Patres Patriae''), also seen as ''Parens Patriae'', is a Latin honorific meaning "Father of the Country", or more literally, "Father of the Fatherland". It is also used of U.S. President George Washington, the Swedis ...

'' (father of the country). "The most noble house 'represents' the tribe" and Widukind clearly presents Hadugato as the most noble. In Hauck's view, Widukind is presenting Hadugato as the ancestor of the

Liudolfings The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...

, the ruling house of Saxony in his own time, without presenting an actual genealogy. Hauck's conclusions are not universally accepted, since the connection of the name Gaut to Wodan comes only from later Norse

sagas is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the Play ...

. Without sources written hundreds of years after the earliest accounts of Hadugato, no divine meaning would be attached to the -''gat(o)'' suffix in his name. Without the later sources, these names would have remained "empty and unnoticed" in Eve Picard's words.Eve Picard, ''Germanisches Sakralkönigtum?: quellenkritische Studien zur Germania des Tacitus und zur altnordischen Überlieferung'' (Heidelberg: 1991), p. 36.

Walter Goffart Walter Goffart (born February 22, 1934) is a German-born American historian who specializes in Late Antiquity and the European Middle Ages. He taught for many years in the History Department and Centre for Medieval Studies of the University of To ...

, "Two Notes on Germanic Antiquity Today", ''Traditio'' 50 (1995), pp. 9–30, at 18.

Battle of Burgscheidungen

Pagan significance?

Name

References

Further reading