Germanic Myth

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Germanic Myth is a simplified, idealized image of the Germanic tribes who lived north of Rome in ancient times. It draws on Tacitus's Germania, a 1st-century account that praises Germanic culture as a contrast to Roman decadence. Tacitus used this praise to encourage Romans to improve their behavior. Later scholars, such as Heinrich von Treitschke, promoted the myth by presenting the Teutonic Knights as a blend of fierce warriors, strict rulers, devout monks, and capable statesmen, a shining example of German manners (Gesittung). In German thinking, myth and history often blend, with the idea of volk or a volkish essence describing a powerful inner quality that helps the German people triumph in conflict.