MEROVECH

'Merovech' (Latin: ''Meroveus'' or ''Merovius''; German: ''Merowig''; French: ''Mérovée'', Salian: ''Merovech'') is the legendary founder of the Merovingian dynasty of the Salian Franks, that later became the dominant Frankish tribe.
There is little information about him in the later histories of the Franks. Gregory of Tours only names him once as the father of Childeric I while putting doubt on his descendency from Clodio.^[1] Many admit today that this formulation finds its explanation in a legend reported by Fredegar.^[2] The Chronicle of Fredegar interpolated on this reference by Gregory by adding Merovech was the son of the queen, Clodio's wife; but his father was a sea-god, bistea Neptuni.^[3] No other historical evidence exists that Merovech ever lived. Some researchers have noted that Merovech, the Frankish chieftain, may have been the namesake of a certain god or demigod honored by the Franks prior to their conversion to Christianity. It has been suggested Merovech refers to or is reminiscent to the Dutch river Merwede^[4], nowadays part of the Rhine-Meus-Scheldt delta but historically a main subsidiary of the Rhine, in the neighbourhood of which the Salian Franks once dwelled according to Roman historians. Another theory ^[5] considers this legend to be the creation of a mythological past needed to back up the fast-rising Frankish rule in Western Europe.
The first Frankish royal dynasty called themselves Merovingians in his honour.

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Reference in popular culture

Notes

References

Reference in popular culture

The legend about Merowig's conception was adapted in 1982 by authors Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh in their book ''Holy Blood Holy Grail'', as the seed of a new idea. They hypothesized that this "descended from a fish" legend was actually referring to the concept that the Merovingian line had married into the bloodline of Jesus Christ, since the symbol for early Christians had also been a fish. This theory, with no other basis than Lincoln and Leigh's concoction, was further popularized in 2003 via Dan Brown's bestselling novel, ''The Da Vinci Code''.^[6][7]

Notes

1. Gregory of Tours - The History of the Franks, II.9
2. Christian SETTIPANI - Addenda to Les Ancêtres de Charlemagne, 1990 [1]
3. Pseudo-Fredegar, Hist. III, 9
4. Emil Rückert: Oberon von Mons und die Pipine von Nivella; Weidmann'sche Buchhandlung, Leipzig, Germany, 1836
5. see M. Todd's, "The early Germans"
6. ''Behind the Da Vinci Code'', 2006, History Channel documentary about Henry Lincoln
7. ''Holy Blood Holy Grail'', Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln, 1982

References

★ Wood, Ian. ''The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751''. London: Longman Group, 1994.

★ Todd, M. ''The early Germans''