SWABIANS/ ALEMANS
 
People,
who know the southwest of Germany, could easily think that one rarely sees
Swabians (historically also ”Suevi“) and Alemans together in such a hearty
way like here the deer of Württemberg and the griffin (a mythical creature)
of Baden ...
...
but this idea would be wrong:
The
reason: Among the Alemans ”all men“ are actually Swabians -
and of course all women too ...
...
but better back to the very beginnings:
The
Swabians always consisted of different Groups, to which also the historically
important Langobards belonged.
Since the beginning of history the Swabians are of special importance among
the Germans. The Romans named the Baltic Sea for them: “Mare Suebicum = Swabian Sea“, as the
Swabians first lived at the Oder (river).
- Today the name “Swabian Sea“
is used as a nickname for Lake Constance ...
- However one shouldn’t regard
this as an indication of a loss of importance, as the modern world, like we
know it, would not exist without the Swabians, their inventions and their
diligence.
Already
in the antiquity there was something special about them. Many Germanic tribes
set great store by being regarded as Swabians. Their traditions were
described as characteristics of the Germans far beyond the borders of
Germany. As the central people of the Swabians Tacitus mentions the
“Semnons“. Very remarkable is also that Tacitus counted the Angles to the
Swabians! - Geographically this appears “questionable“ however.
Definitely
for sure is, that parts of the Swabians did not only conquer the southwest of
Germany, but also got as far as to Northern Portugal, where a Swabian Reich
existed, in which the Swabians were however only the leading class, like in
all other Germanic Reichs in Southern Europe.
The
Swabian “language” is maybe the best imaginable one of all old Germanic
dialects, as it’s remarkable, that the Portuguese language sounds very
different to all other Romanic languages, but indeed very similar to today’s
Swabian German. Optically the Swabians are describable best in every case:
the “Swebenknoten = Swabians’ knot”,
for which the hair was twisted on one side of the head, is generally known in
the antique sources and proved by archaeology as well.
Roman bronze-sculpture of a Swabian (1st century).
Also the drawing on the right is based on a Roman Depiction. Both show the
Swabians in clothes made of linen/ canvas with belt and a short cape as well
as the typical Swabian knot.
Harder
to get, is the term Alemans. It’s not even clear, whether they gave
this name to themselves or whether it was only used for them by the Romans.
Already in the antiquity it was interpreted as an expression of a mixture of
different groups. As they can not be separated from the Swabians
archaeologically, this does not need to be understood as a contradiction to
the name “Swabians“ however. The term Alemans rather seems to describe a
connection of Swabians from different Swabian groups, which moved to the
German Southwest together during the migration of the peoples. Later additional
Swabians from the east seem to have come to them.
A fact
is in every case that the names “Alemans” and “Swabians” were formerly used
for the same people. Also the Tribal-Dukedom Swabia was first called
Alemania. Until today Alsatians, German Swiss, Vorarlbergers
(Austria), Badeners and Württembergers as well as the
people in the district “Swabia” in the west of the Free State of Bavaria are
living in this territory and call themselves Alemans or Swabians. Also the
place of origin of the later Prussian Kings and last German Kaisers (Hohenzollern)
is a Swabian Territory.
In British
English the German Shepherd is also called “Alsatian Dog”.
The
Württembergers call the Badeners “Gelbfüssler = Yellow feet“. Both fits to
our Aleman: Hecker
Just
as much as it’s important for the Swabians in Bavaria to be no Bavarians,
but Swabians(!), the Swabian identity firmly belongs to the Württembergers
and the Swabians in the former Hohenzollern, even though they once
belonged to Prussia.
All
others today however regard themselves as Alemans.
Complicated? -
Partly weird? - Well, it could be worse, considering that
this is the third millennium in which people live together as Swabians and
Alemans in their home region. - Actually the Swabians/ Alemans are all
still very similar to each other (but better don’t tell this to them …). The
customs and dialects are extremely closely related.
Also
something of the once so admired Suebi seems to have always remained. Since
the rise of the Old Reich until it’s end (1806), the so called
“Vorstreitrecht” was guaranteed to the Swabians. This means that they had the
right to lead military attacks, rushing ahead. Swabians also protected and
bore the “Reichssturmfahne“ (a special war flag) in all battles (since the
time of Charles the Grand at about the year 800) . Later the Swabian emperors
of the Staufen line were the most successful and most respected Kaisers of
the middle ages. The Hohenzollern line built up the Prussian state and the
Habsburg line (originally from today’s Switzerland) made Austria the most
important power in German history.
At about 1500 the traders of the Fugger family reached
new economic dimensions. They did not only become important as creditors of
Kaiser Karl V., but also built the first social housing scheme in
Augsburg. The so called “Fuggerei“ is still inhabited today -
just like some continent, that was named by the Alemanic
cartographer Martin Waldseemüller (from Radolfzell, today’s Baden) in
1507: “America“!!! - Yey!!!
That
the Swabian-Aleman southwest is valiant has it’s advantages, as it is (so to
speak) the heart of German democracy and freedom. Here the direct democracy
of Switzerland arose, here big Peasant revolts occurred centuries before the
revolutions in America and France, here the German parliamentarianism began,
here the Badener Friedrich Hecker fought and it was Swabia where the National Assembly withdrew
to in 1849 as well as the democratic Reich-government in 1920.
The
Swabian Erwin Rommel became the most feared at the same time most
respected German general of World War II. In both World Wars he received the
highest decorations. After the invasion of the allied forces, he intended to
open the western front, in order to prevent senseless dying on both sides and
to keep Germany from further harm. Cruel irony of history: it was the attack
of an allied plane, that severely wounded and stopped him. Rommels Chief of
Staff, General Hans Speidel, was a Württemberger like Rommel and an
important member of the resistance in the Wehrmacht. Also Colonel Claus Count
Schenk von Stauffenberg was a Württemberger. He led the coup d’état of
July 20th 1944 against the nazi-tyranny. Afterwards the war and
the Nazi-crimes caused more fatalities than in the five years of war before!
All this pain would have been avoided.
And
finally: The symbol for the Badish
FIGHT for freedom and an All-German
Republic is until today the “Heckerhut = Hecker hat“,
which’s brim is twisted upwards on the one side and far downwards on the
other side.
(1) Friedrich Hecker, as leader of the
“Heckerzug = Hecker Campaign” in the Badish Uprising (with the Hecker hat)
and as Colonel of the U.S.-Army in the Civil War (2).
(3) Colonel Claus
Count Schenk von Stauffenberg - an intellectual in uniform. He gave his
life for the German honor and wanted to save millions of
people.
The wise Duke of Württemberg “Eberhard im Bart“ (1445-1496) with the
Reichssturmfahne.
Field Marshall
Erwin Rommel with the “Pour le Mérite“ (WW I) and the “Ritterkreuz des
Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten = Knight Cross of
the Iron Cross with oak leave, swords and brilliants“ (WW II)
This
shall however not cause the impression, that Swabians would be especially
martial. Rather the Swabians tend to trivialize almost everything. Than words
get a “le“ at the end in Swabian.
- For example “Heckerle“.
- The Swiss make it similar: For
example “Heckerli“. - They are said to be especially slow. Maybe
this is the reason, why the Swiss are using an old Reichsbanner until today,
which vanished in the rest of Germany already in the Middle-Ages ...
For
all that it’s more than remarkable, how democracy and customs are connected
among the Swiss. People don’t just go to the polls. Some votes are like
fests, with “Trachten = costumes“ and rapiers, with which one shows one’s
decision. - Just great! Sad is only, that women weren’t allowed to vote for
a looong time, but on the other hand: How could one expect men, who are
afraid of a rolling pin at home, to give women a rapier in public?! ...
Famous
is the Saga about the courageous freedom fighter Wilhelm Tell, who gets forced to shoot at an apple on his son’s head.
The figure of the hunter, who has to shoot in the direction of his own son
already existed as Egill in older Germanic Sagas.
What’s
most of all making up the greatness of the Swabians/ Alemans and their
present (silent) ”world fame“, is their enormous inventive genius:
Swabians/
Alemans invented the zeppelin, the motorboat, the car, the motorcycle, the
Swiss-Army-Knife, the newspaper, the typewriter, the computer, the bicycle,
the jet-plane, the astronomic telescope, solar energy plants, the theory of
relativity, the Teddy bear and the soft toy animals in general!
This
list should not be regarded as complete, but it already shows that the modern
world and most of all the modern America would be unimaginable without the
Swabians/ Alemans.
Johann Keppler
(1) invented the astronomic telescope and discovered the laws of planetary
movement, which are named for him.
The “mother“ of all soft toy animals:
Margarethe Steiff (2). Tied to the wheelchair, she founded a company as a
woman in a for this “unsuitable“ time and marked the childhood of billions of
people in the most wonderful way!
- Her bear received the name
“Teddy“ in America, because these bears “conquered“ the land shortly after
President Theodor “Teddy“ Roosevelt had avoided to shoot a little bear during
a hunt. - Probably the exported soft toys of Steiff make the Swabians
until today the biggest group of German immigrants to America ...
... on the other
hand this is probably relative ... –
The head behind the theory of relativity: Albert Einstein (3)
Typical
for the Black Forrest in Baden and Württemberg is the “Kuckucksuhr = cuckoo clock“. It was however most of all
an export, because (just like today’s Swabian products) it was once
absolute “hightech“. - The most far reaching swabian export is
however the “Ode an die Freude = Ode to Joy“, which’s text was written by the
Swabian poet Friedrich Schiller and which Ludwig van Beethoven turned
into the world famous part of his 9th Symphony. Having searched
for the most valuable cultural goods of mankind, it was shot into the
width of space by NASA, to perhaps show an extraterrestrial civilisation the
greatness of human mind. - Oh yes, the Swabians! If they weren’t just
as modest as thrifty, one would have long ago build them memorials
that one doesn’t shoot away from earth as far as possible ...
(1) Friedrich
Schiller - Epitome of the freedom-loving Swabian. The ”Ode an die Freude
= Ode to joy“ was actually named ”Ode an die Freiheit = Ode to Freedom“.
(2) The
philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- (3) Revolutionist and poet: Georg Herwegh - (4) The poet
Friedrich Hölderlin
Apart
from the old “Schwabenland = Swabia“ there is also a “Neuschwabenland = New
Swabia“. It is located at the coast of the Antarctic. If one moves one’s finger from Swabia straight south, one gets there
exactly.
One more Swabian invention: The
“Brezel = pretzel“ - unofficial tribe symbol ... -
and of course somehow also a kind of “Swabian knot“ ...
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