Well, The Goth is on the run... It has a theme, it has an argument, it has lots of stories and History and so on...
Please meet the starring, Alarīkz (Visigothic language, usually transcripted Alareiks; Alaricus in Latin). Despite bad propaganda by the Romans, an overall decent kind of guy. You don't believe me? Follow me through the book, and I'll show you... :-)
Now that we are introducing characters, please meet the Narrator, Presbyter Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. He will be telling Alaric's story. Voices will be him, and Alaric's through yours truly, the Suffering Writer.
The novel is divided into Days. Days are, conversely, divided into IONs (Items Of Narration, explained before in this blog, please search the archives).
"Day I" recollection starts by accounting the crossing of the Danube ca. 376CE.
Now I have a problem. I know Alaric, I know his linneage (Balti) but I don't know his father's name! How can I go on without Alaric's father's name?
Searches have proven, so far, unfructuous. I'll dig my books, but if any of you know, just let me know... :-)
Travelling weekend as well, I'll let you know when I'm back...
Kallisti!
PS- virtual no-award to the knowledgeable one who can tell me without using search engines or wikipedia and similar resources, why my narrator's name sounds familiar, if it does, of course... One week! I'll tell you next week if nobody does first... :-)
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tempvs fvgit et verba volant sed scripta manent... abovt history, writing, classics, and historical fiction
7 comments:
I haven't found the name of Alaric's father anywhere, either. The sources are such a mess, they don't even agree on Athaulf (who plays a role in my book as well) who is either Alaric's brother or brother in law, and there's no name for Alaric's wife anywhere. I settled for brother in law, tucked the lady into the obscurity of the wagons, and have a little squabble about Athaulf not being of Alaric's bloodline, obscure though it is. *grin*
I checked my Bury and found nothing. I then checked my copy of
Jordanes History of the Goths, what I got was this "The contempt of the Goths for the Romans soon increased, and for fear that their valor would be destroyed by a long peace, they appointed Alaric King over them. He was of famous stock, and his nobility was second only to that of the Amali, for he came of the family of Balthi, who because of their daring valor had long ago recieved among their race the name Baltha, that is 'the Bold'". (26)
The only thing I can suggest is that you check Osorius' Seven Books of History Against The Pagans, which was written c. 420 C.E., and is considered reliable about contemporay events. It may say something about Alaric's ancestry. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of it to check but I'll see what can do and get back to you.
Pierre
Gabrielle, Pierre, thanks for your help...
I have the overall structure on my head, but it's taking me what seems ages to get into the meat, so to speak.
I'll be switching back and forth between Inaros and Alaric, while I read more --sources are always scarce, uh?--, and some of them I have only gotten in Latin, so far... :-P
thanks for all!
Prestyter Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus? Well the name sounds suspiciously similar to the name of the father of the Emperor Nero, or do you mean the Emperor Nero?
Pierre
Pierre, you got it! :-)
I was referring to Emperor Nero, nod, and I was even going earlier than him, because an ally to Iulius Caesar's was also called L. Domitius Ahenobarbus, while a Cn. (Cnaeus) Domitius Ahenobarbus was pontifex maximus at the times of Marius and Sulla, which is one of my favorite periods of the Republic...
Nero's father was also Cn.
My presbyter (would they be called pater at the time as later time priests?) is a far descent of a noble family from one of the big gens of Rome...
Besides, pater Lucius sounds really cool, uh? (vulgar Latin 2nd declension vocative would have probably collaped into the nominative, like already had happened to the others in the past by then)
hehe... :-)
And Pierre wins the no-Award!!! Congrats! :-)
Thanks for all . . . ;-)
Geez, if you had said it's not Alaric's time, I'd found the Ahenobarbus of Marius/Sulla immediately - I have read First Man of Roma after all. ;-)
Okay, mea culpa... I have also read First Man... as well (actually all of the books but the last, translating from Spanish title, which it's not always a fidedigna one: Caesar's Horses, and which I will attack soon, I guess).
no-Award goes to Gabrielle as well!!! Congrats... ;-)
Hehe... I think it's a little wink to the knowledgeable reader, and it's a great name, don't you think?
thanks and laters! (lots of things to do and doubts to solve as I move ahead...)
Kallisti!
PS- of course, not as good as Publius Lilius Frugius, my own Roman name, but then he's from one of the great gentes, and much, much older... I am considering applying for Nova Roma citizenship, and which gentes would I apply to? Probably gens Lucilia, but who knows? Also, if there's no patrician branch I would have to create one, as I am descendant of Anjou nobility in France... (hehe) but I digress...
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