Gothic Online

Archaeological Origins of the Goths

Definite archaeological remains of the early Goths are even more elusive than clear literary references. Part of the problem concerns dating: the are many sites which offer possible remains of Gothic culture, but the relevant timeframes are difficult to establish. In general closed archaeological finds (e.g. burial finds) with Roman coins and pottery provide the best sources for dating, but the time lag between production and placement leaves a certain amount of uncertainty. It is therefore easier to establish relative chronology by looking at the development of certain specific types of objects, e.g. brooches, buckles, pots, combs. The simpler forms are considered earlier, the more complex later. Such dating, however, does not apply well to individual objects, rather only to groups of objects. The more objects in a closed area, the more secure the relative chronology.

This still leaves open a crucial issue, namely that a material culture is not the same as an ethnic culture, or even political, social, or linguistic culture. Material items, and technology in general, have the ability to move across socio-ethnic boundaries much quicker than linguistic or ethnic traits. When however archaeologists discover not only continuity of material items, but also of ritual practice, such as burial rites, then this strengthens the argument that the material in question is associated with a somewhat homogenous culture. Keeping these caveats in mind, then, we may discuss the two cultures on which archaeologists have focused in their attempts to find physical traces of the Goths.

Wielbark Culture

The Wielbark culture is named after an area in the north of present-day Poland in which many characteristic remains were discovered. This material culture formed in the middle of 1st century AD in Pomerania on boths sides of the Vistula, which is roughly the area in which Tacitus, Ptolemy, and Strabo place the Goths, and at roughly the same time. An early phase of development lasted for roughly a century. Then followed a second phase which spread over a wider area, first encompassing the northernmost regions of Poland and Mazovia east of the Vistula (c. 160-210), and then extending farther south along the Vistula, San, and Bug rivers into Byelorussia, Volhynia, and northern Ukraine (c. 180-230). This area is where the Chernjakhov culture, discussed below, later developed.

The Wielbark culture is characterized by stone circles found in cemeteries. In trying to align the movement of this culture with the picture presented in the literary record, especially as pertains to the purported Scandinavian origin of the Goths, it is important to find traits common to material cultures both in Scandinavia and on the southern shore of the Baltic, and furthermore among which the Scandinavian finds are the clear antecedents. These stone circles in cemeteries are the only practice found to be earlier in Scandinavia than on the European mainland. They do not, however, appear in the earliest Wielbark cemeteries.

Another trait of the culture is that inhumation and cremation graves are found side by side in Wielbark cemeteries. Surrounding burial sites do not display this two-fold practice, but instead display only cremation burials. A rather peculiar trait is that the members of the Wielbark culture did not bury iron objects, most importantly weapons, with any male dead. By contrast, the surrounding sites, as well as earlier inhabitants of the same areas, did bury iron weapons with the dead. Thus, if this culture does in fact represent the archaeological remains of the Goths, they appear to have broken with the typical Germanic tradition of burying the dead with their weapons. In addition, women's dress, at least in burials, was characterized by a double brooch, one on each shoulder.

The period of the second phase of the Wielbark culture coincides with the Marcomannic wars, c. 150 AD, which caused dramatic changes in the material cultures of present-day Poland. This phase of the Wielbark culture spread into the area of the Przeworsk culture, the area south of Pomerania, between the Notec and Warta rivers, and to Masovia in the southeast. The period 180-300 AD finds not only the expansion of Wielbark culture, but the incorporation of Wielbark traits into other cultures, particularly the Chernjakhov.

Chernjakhov Culture

The Chernjakhov culture began in the middle of the 3rd century. It reached its fullest extent in the 4th century, covering a large area between the Danube and Don, to the north and west of the Black Sea, and to the south and east of the Carpathian mountains. The temporal overlap with the Wielbark culture is also physically accompanied by shared features of material culture, particularly handmade pottery, some types of brooch, and the style of women's dress.

More intriguing, perhaps, are the shared cultural practices. As with the Wielbark culture, the Chernjakhov culture left behind cemeteries with mixed inhumation and cremation burials. The majority of Chernjakhov inhumation graves are placed along a north-south line, with the head of the deceased to the north. Also like the Wielbark culture, the Chernjakhov culture did not bury weapons with their male dead. There are however a few cemeteries in Cozia-Iasi, Todireni, and Braniste where the dead were buried with weapons. These weapons may have originated outside the Wielbark culture, though, perhaps in Przeworsk; the other equipment is consonant with the idea of Germanic intruders from the north. They also buried some wheel-made pottery with the dead, as well as some bone combs and iron implements.

The houses of the Chernjakhov culture are of two types. The most numerous are sunken huts. These are usually rectangular, though there are some with a more oval shape. These huts are cut into the ground, some so deep that only roofing would need to be added. The earthen floors are generally between 5 and 16 square meters. The walls were wattle and daub, and each house had a hearth. The other type of houses were surface dwellings. These are often found in the same settlements as the sunken huts. The smaller ones are usually between 6 and 8 square meters, the larger between 11 and 16 square meters. They were divided in two parts, one providing quarters for people, the other for animals.

If the Chernjakhov culture is in fact the continuation of the Wielbark culture, then the shared burial practices, as well as the shared mode of women's dress and the style of other implements, show not only a carryover of material culture, but also a carryover of social customs and beliefs. The Wielbark culture did not nevertheless cease to exist when the Chernjakhov culture began. The latter is therefore unlikely to be the result of a near total migration of the former.

Reading and Textual Analysis

The following passage, Luke 2:41-52, gives an account of an incident in Jesus's boyhood, the only boyhood incident reported in the New Testament. Luke says that Jesus was twelve years old: the Gothic translates twalibwintrus, literally 'twelve winters' (Luke 2.42). Ancient Germanic cultures often used 'winter' as an equivalent of 'year' when reckoning spans of time. Similar constructions occur in both the Old English Beowulf and the Old Saxon Heliand: xii wintra ti:d 'a span of twelve winters' (B.147); gebad wintra worn 'he endured countless winters' (B.264); Huand wit habdun aldres e:r efno tue:ntig uuintro an uncro uueroldi, e:r than qua:mi that uui:b ti mi 'the two of us had an age of about twenty winters in our world when that woman came to me' (H.144-145). Even the Old English translation of this biblical passage has and dha he waes twelf wintre, hy foron to Hierusalem 'and when he was twelve winters (old), they went to Jerusalem'.

This phrase is followed by an example of the Gothic dative absolute: jah bithe: warth twalibwintrus, usgaggandam than im in Iai'rusau'lwma bi biu:htja dultha'is jah ustiuhandam thans dagans, literally 'when he became twelve-years-old, (with) them then going out to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast, and (with them) fulfilling the days...' (Luke 2.42-43). These absolute constructions constitute a substantive and associated participle to give what would be in English a subordinate clause.

Luke 2.49 also begins with an interesting collocation: hwa thatei so:kide:duth mik? The phrase hwa thatei is a compressed phrase 'what is this?', the thata then pointing to what follows, hence the relative marker ei. This phrase has, by the time of the Gothic text, become frozen as a way of saying 'why'. A similar development happened within Latin during the Middle Ages, where quid est quod -- literally 'what is (this, the fact) that...' -- came simply to denote 'why'.

2:41 - jah wratodedun thai birusjos is jera hwammeh in Iairusalem at dulth paska.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- now
• wratodedun -- weak verb class 2; third person plural preterite of <wrato:n> to go, to journey -- went
• thai -- article; nominative plural masculine of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- ...
• birusjos -- strong noun; nominative plural masculine of <birusjo:s> parents -- parents
• is -- personal pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- his
• jera -- strong noun; dative singular neuter of <je:r> year -- year
• hwammeh -- indefinite pronoun; dative singular neuter of <hwazuh> each, every -- every
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- to
• Iairusalem -- indeclinable noun; <Iai'rusale:m> Jerusalem -- Jerusalem
• at -- preposition; <at> at, by, to, with, of -- at
• dulth -- strong noun; dative singular feminine of <dulths> feast -- the feast
• paska -- indeclinable noun; feminine of <paska> Passover -- of the passover

42 - jah bithe warth twalibwintrus, usgaggandam than im in Iairusaulwma bi biuhtja dulthais,

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• bithe -- conjunction; <bithe:> while, when, after that, as soon as; then, thereupon -- when
• warth -- strong verb class 3; third person singular preterite of <wai'rthan> to become, to happen -- he was
• twalibwintrus -- adjective; nominative singular masculine of <twalibwintrus> twelve years old -- twelve years old
• usgaggandam -- strong verb class 7; dative plural masculine of present participle of <usgaggan> to go out -- went up # dative absolute
• than -- adverb; <than> then, when -- ...
• im -- personal pronoun; dative plural masculine of <is> he, she, it -- they
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- to
• Iairusaulwma -- strong noun; accusative singular feminine of <Iai'rusau'lwma> Jerusalem -- Jerusalem
• bi -- preposition; <bi> by, about; concerning; around, against; according to, on account of; for; at; after; near -- after
• biuhtja -- strong noun; dative singular neuter of <biu:hti> custom -- the custom
• dulthais -- strong noun; genitive singular feminine of <dulths> feast -- of the feast

43 - jah ustiuhandam thans dagans, miththane gawandidedun sik aftra, gastoth Iesus sa magus in Iairusalem, jah ni wissedun Iosef jah aithei is.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• ustiuhandam -- strong verb class 2; dative plural masculine of present participle of <ustiuhan> to lead out; to complete -- when they had fulfilled # continuing the dative absolute of the preceding verse
• thans -- article; accusative plural masculine of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- the
• dagans -- strong noun; accusative plural masculine of <dags> day -- days
• miththane -- conjunction; <miththanei> while, during, when -- as
• gawandidedun -- weak verb class 1; third person plural preterite of <gawandjan> to bring back, return -- they returned
• sik -- reflexive pronoun; accusative of <sik> himself, herself, oneself -- ...
• aftra -- adverb; <aftra> back, again -- ...
• gastoth -- strong verb class 6; third person singular preterite of <gastandan> to stay -- tarried behind
• Iesus -- strong noun; nominative singular masculine of <Ie:sus> Jesus -- Jesus
• sa -- article; nominative singular masculine of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- the
• magus -- strong noun; nominative singular masculine of <magus> boy, son -- child
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- in
• Iairusalem -- indeclinable noun; <Iai'rusale:m> Jerusalem -- Jerusalem
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• ni -- adverb; <ni> not -- not
• wissedun -- preterite present verb; third person plural preterite of <*witan> to know -- knew... (of it)
• Iosef -- strong noun; nominative singular masculine of <Io:se:f> Joseph -- Joseph
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• aithei -- weak noun; nominative singular feminine of <a'ithei> mother -- mother
• is -- personal pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- his

44 - hugjandona in gasinthjam ina wisan qemun dagis wig jah sokidedun ina in ganithjam jah in kuntham.

• hugjandona -- weak verb class 1; nominative plural neuter of present participle of <hugjan> to think, to suppose -- but... supposing # neuter plural referring to individuals of mixed gender
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- in
• gasinthjam -- weak noun; dative plural masculine of <gasinthja> companion, company -- the company
• ina -- personal pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him
• wisan -- strong verb class 5; infinitive of <wisan> to be -- to have been
• qemun -- strong verb class 4; third person plural preterite of <qiman> to come, arrive -- they... went
• dagis -- strong noun; genitive singular masculine of <dags> day -- a day's
• wig -- strong noun; accusative singular masculine of <wigs> way, road, journey -- journey
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• sokidedun -- weak verb class 1; third person plural preterite of <so:kjan> to seek, ask -- they sought
• ina -- personal pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- among
• ganithjam -- strong noun; dative plural masculine of <ganithjis> kinsman -- their kinsfolk
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- ...
• kuntham -- substantive adjective; dative plural neuter of <kunths> known, acquaintance -- acquaintance

45 - jah ni bigitandona ina gawandidedun sik in Iairusalem sokjandona ina.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• ni -- adverb; <ni> not -- not
• bigitandona -- strong verb class 5; nominative plural masculine of present participle of <bigitan> to find, meet -- when they found
• ina -- personal pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him
• gawandidedun -- weak verb class 1; third person plural preterite of <gawandjan> to bring back, return -- they turned back
• sik -- reflexive pronoun; accusative of <sik> himself, herself, oneself -- ...
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- to
• Iairusalem -- indeclinable noun; <Iai'rusale:m> Jerusalem -- Jerusalem
• sokjandona -- weak verb class 1; nominative plural masculine of present participle of <so:kjan> to seek, ask -- having sought
• ina -- personal pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him

46 - jah warth afar dagans thrins, bigetun ina in alh sitandan in midjaim laisarjam jah hausjandan im jah fraihnandan ins.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• warth -- strong verb class 3; third person singular preterite of <wai'rthan> to become, to happen -- it came to pass (that)
• afar -- preposition; <afar> after, according to -- after
• dagans -- strong noun; accusative plural masculine of <dags> day -- days
• thrins -- numeral; accusative plural masculine of <*threis> three -- three
• bigetun -- strong verb class 5; third person plural preterite of <bigitan> to find, meet -- they found
• ina -- personal pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- in
• alh -- strong noun; dative singular feminine of <alhs> temple -- the temple
• sitandan -- strong verb class 5; accusative singular masculine of present participle of <sitan> to sit -- sitting
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- in
• midjaim -- adjective; dative plural masculine of <midjis> middle -- the middle of
• laisarjam -- strong noun; dative plural masculine of <la'isareis> teacher, master -- the doctors
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- both
• hausjandan -- weak verb class 1; accusative singular masculine of present participle of <ha'usjan> to hear, listen -- hearing
• im -- personal pronoun; dative plural masculine of <is> he, she, it -- them
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• fraihnandan -- strong verb class 5; accusative singular masculine of present participle of <frai'hnan> to ask, question -- asking... questions
• ins -- personal pronoun; accusative plural masculine of <is> he, she, it -- them

47 - usgeisnodedun than allai thai hausjandans is ana frodein jah andawaurdjam is.

• usgeisnodedun -- weak verb class 4; third person plural preterite of <usgeisnan> to be amazed, astonished -- were astonished
• than -- conjunction; <than> when, as (long as); then, at that time; but, and, however -- and
• allai -- adjective; nominative plural masculine of <alls> all, every -- all
• thai -- demonstrative adjective; nominative plural masculine of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- that
• hausjandans -- weak verb class 1; nominative plural masculine of present participle of <ha'usjan> to hear, listen -- heard
• is -- personal pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him
• ana -- preposition; <ana> in, on, upon, at, over; to, into; against -- at
• frodein -- weak noun; dative singular feminine of <fro:dei> wisdom, understanding -- understanding
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• andawaurdjam -- strong noun; dative plural neuter of <andawau'rdi> answer -- answers
• is -- personal pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- his

48 - jah gasaihwandans ina sildaleikidedun, jah qath du imma so aithei is: magau, hwa gatawides uns swa? sai, sa atta theins jah ik winnandona sokidedum thuk.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• gasaihwandans -- strong verb class 5; nominative plural masculine of present participle of <gasai'hwan> to see -- when they saw
• ina -- personal pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him
• sildaleikidedun -- weak verb class 1; third person plural preterite of <sildaleikjan> to wonder, to marvel -- they were amazed
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• qath -- strong verb class 5; third person singular preterite of <qithan> to say, speak -- said
• du -- preposition; <du> to, towards; against; in -- unto
• imma -- personal pronoun; dative singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- him
• so -- article; nominative singular feminine of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- ...
• aithei -- weak noun; nominative singular feminine of <a'ithei> mother -- mother
• is -- personal pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- his
• magau -- strong noun; vocative singular masculine of <magus> boy, son -- son
• hwa -- interrogative adverb; <hwa> why -- why
• gatawides -- weak verb class 1; second person singular preterite of <gata'ujan> to do, make -- hast thou... dealt
• uns -- personal pronoun; dative plural of <ik> I -- with us
• swa -- adverb; <swa> so, thus, as -- thus
• sai -- interjection; <sa'i> lo, behold -- behold
• sa -- article; nominative singular masculine of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- ...
• atta -- weak noun; nominative singular masculine of <atta> father -- father
• theins -- possessive adjective; nominative singular masculine of <theins> thy, thine, your, yours -- thy
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• ik -- personal pronoun; nominative singular of <ik> I -- I
• winnandona -- strong verb class 3; nominative plural neuter of present participle of <winnan> to suffer -- sorrowing # neuter plural referring to individuals of mixed gender
• sokidedum -- weak verb class 1; first person plural preterite of <so:kjan> to seek, ask -- have sought
• thuk -- personal pronoun; accusative singular of <thu> thou, you -- thee

49 - jah qath du im: hwa thatei sokideduth mik? niu wisseduth thatei in thaim attins meinis skulda wisan?

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• qath -- strong verb class 5; third person singular preterite of <qithan> to say, speak -- he said
• du -- preposition; <du> to, towards; against; in -- unto
• im -- personal pronoun; dative plural masculine of <is> he, she, it -- them
• hwa thatei -- interrogative pronoun; nominative singular neuter of <hwas> who, what + relative pronoun; nominative singular neuter of <saei> who, he who, which -- how (is it) that
• sokideduth -- weak verb class 1; second person plural preterite of <so:kjan> to seek, ask -- ye sought
• mik -- personal pronoun; accusative singular of <ik> I -- me
• niu -- adverb; <ni> not + interrogative particle; <-u> (interrogative particle, attached enclitically to first word of its clause) -- not
• wisseduth -- preterite present verb; second person plural preterite of <*witan> to know -- wist ye
• thatei -- conjunction; <thatei> that, because, if -- that
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- about
• thaim -- demonstrative pronoun; dative plural neuter of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- business
• attins -- weak noun; genitive singular masculine of <atta> father -- Father's
• meinis -- possessive adjective; genitive singular masculine of <meins> my, mine -- my
• skulda -- preterite present verb; first person singular preterite of <*skulan> to owe, be obliged -- I must
• wisan -- strong verb class 5; infinitive of <wisan> to be -- be

50 - jah ija ni frothun thamma waurda thatei rodida du im.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• ija -- personal pronoun; nominative plural neuter of <ita> it -- they # neuter plural referring to individuals of mixed gender
• ni -- adverb; <ni> not -- not
• frothun -- strong verb class 6; third person plural preterite of <frathjan> to understand -- understood
• thamma -- article; dative singular neuter of <sa> this, that; he, she, it; the -- the
• waurda -- strong noun; dative singular neuter of <wau'rd> word -- saying
• thatei -- relative pronoun; nominative singular neuter of <saei> who, he who, which -- which
• rodida -- weak verb class 1; third person singular preterite of <ro:djan> to speak -- he spake
• du -- preposition; <du> to, towards; against; in -- unto
• im -- personal pronoun; dative plural masculine of <is> he, she, it -- them # or neuter, following ija

51 - jah iddja mith im jah qam in Nazaraith, jah was ufhausjands im; jah aithei is gafastaida tho waurda alla in hairtin seinamma.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• iddja -- weak verb class 1; third person singular preterite of <gaggan> to come, go -- he went (down)
• mith -- preposition; <mith> with, among, together with, through, by, near -- with
• im -- personal pronoun; dative plural masculine of <is> he, she, it -- them
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• qam -- strong verb class 4; third person singular preterite of <qiman> to come, arrive -- came
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- to
• Nazaraith -- indeclinable noun; <Nazarai'th> Nazareth -- Nazareth
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• was -- strong verb class 5; third person singular preterite of <wisan> to be -- was
• ufhausjands -- weak verb class 1; nominative singular masculine of present participle of <ufha'usjan> to obey, to be obedient -- subject
• im -- personal pronoun; dative plural masculine of <is> he, she, it -- unto them
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- but
• aithei -- weak noun; nominative singular feminine of <a'ithei> mother -- mother
• is -- personal pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <is> he, she, it -- his
• gafastaida -- weak verb class 3; third person singular preterite of <gafastan> to keep, hold fast -- kept
• tho -- demonstrative pronoun; accusative plural neuter of <thata> this, that -- these
• waurda -- strong noun; accusative plural neuter of <wau'rd> word -- sayings
• alla -- adjective; accusative plural neuter of <alls> all, every -- all
• in -- preposition; <in> into, towards; on account of; in, among, by -- in
• hairtin -- weak noun; dative singular neuter of <hai'rto:> heart -- heart
• seinamma -- possessive adjective; dative singular neuter of <*seins> one's own -- her

52 - jah Iesus thaih frodein jah wahstau jah anstai at guda jah mannam.

• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• Iesus -- strong noun; nominative singular masculine of <Ie:sus> Jesus -- Jesus
• thaih -- strong verb class 1; third person singular preterite of <theihan> to thrive, to prosper -- increased
• frodein -- weak noun; dative singular feminine of <fro:dei> wisdom, understanding -- in wisdom
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• wahstau -- strong noun; dative singular masculine of <wahstus> size, stature -- stature
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• anstai -- strong noun; dative singular feminine of <ansts> grace, favor -- in favor
• at -- preposition; <at> at, by, to, with, of -- with
• guda -- strong noun; dative singular masculine of <guth> God -- God
• jah -- conjunction; <jah> and, also -- and
• mannam -- weak noun; dative plural masculine of <manna> man -- man

Lesson Text

^2:41 jah wratodedun thai birusjos is jera hwammeh in Iairusalem at dulth paska. ⁴² jah bithe warth twalibwintrus, usgaggandam than im in Iairusaulwma bi biuhtja dulthais, ⁴³ jah ustiuhandam thans dagans, miththane gawandidedun sik aftra, gastoth Iesus sa magus in Iairusalem, jah ni wissedun Iosef jah aithei is. ⁴⁴ hugjandona in gasinthjam ina wisan qemun dagis wig jah sokidedun ina in ganithjam jah in kuntham. ⁴⁵ jah ni bigitandona ina gawandidedun sik in Iairusalem sokjandona ina. ⁴⁶ jah warth afar dagans thrins, bigetun ina in alh sitandan in midjaim laisarjam jah hausjandan im jah fraihnandan ins. ⁴⁷ usgeisnodedun than allai thai hausjandans is ana frodein jah andawaurdjam is. ⁴⁸ jah gasaihwandans ina sildaleikidedun, jah qath du imma so aithei is: magau, hwa gatawides uns swa? sai, sa atta theins jah ik winnandona sokidedum thuk. ⁴⁹ jah qath du im: hwa thatei sokideduth mik? niu wisseduth thatei in thaim attins meinis skulda wisan? ⁵⁰ jah ija ni frothun thamma waurda thatei rodida du im. ⁵¹ jah iddja mith im jah qam in Nazaraith, jah was ufhausjands im; jah aithei is gafastaida tho waurda alla in hairtin seinamma. ⁵² jah Iesus thaih frodein jah wahstau jah anstai at guda jah mannam.

Translation

From the King James version:

^2:41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. ⁴³ And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. ⁴⁴ But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. ⁴⁵ And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. ⁴⁶ And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. ⁴⁸ And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. ⁴⁹ And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? ⁵⁰ And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. ⁵¹ And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Grammar

6. Sound Rules

6.1. Rules Characterizing Germanic: Grimm's and Verner's Laws

The most conspicuous sound shift affecting the Germanic languages is Grimm's Law. According to this rule, the following sound correspondences obtain between Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Germanic:

In addition

Certain discrepancies in the correspondences appear upon closer inspection of the data. In particular, one frequently finds that the Germanic voiceless spirants (f, th, x, xw) and s become voiced:

Many of these counterexamples are explained by Verner's Law. This states that the voiceless spirants remain when initial, or when immediately preceded by the PIE accent. For example, *t > th in PIE *bhre'H-ter > Gothic brothar, but *t > dh in PIE *pH-te'r > fadar [fadhar]. Note in this last example that initial *p > f, with no voicing.

Consider the following examples:

Note in the instance of Latin commu:nis and Gothic gama'ins that Verner's Law applies to proclitics. The example of Sanskrit bha'rase and Gothic bai'raza illustrates that the accent must be on the vowel immediately preceding the consonant for Grimm's Law to apply.

6.2. Rules Characterizing Gothic

Among the ancient Germanic languages Gothic is uniquely conservative in terms of phonology. As will be seen in the section on the weak preterite, the dental suffix retains a fuller expression than in languages such as Old English or Old Norse. Gothic also preserves a situation which precedes regular umlaut due to i in a following syllable. For example, compare Gothic altheis 'old' and althiza 'older' to Old English eald and ieldra, respectively; similarly compare PGmc. *gastiz > Goth. gasts to Old Norse gestr.

Gothic does, however, show some important sound changes. Some of the more notable examples appear below.

6.2.1 Initial *fl-

Initial *fl- > thl- in syllables ending in h /x/. Compare Old Saxon and Old High German fliohan 'flee' to Gothic thliuhan. The same may also occur in stems ending in q /kw/: for example, Gothic thlaqus 'putting out leaves, tender' with possible relation to Old High German flah 'flat', Latin placidus ('flat, even' and hence) 'gentle, quiet'. The change *fl- > thl- does not occur in stems with other final consonants. For example, compare Gothic flo:dus to Old English and Old Saxon flo:d 'flood, stream'.

6.2.2 Final -s

As mentioned in Section 3.1, final -s > zero before (short vowel) + (consonantal r). For example, wai'r + -s > wai'r 'man'; similarly bau'r 'son', anthar 'second', unsar 'our'. Compare dags 'day', gasts 'guest', akrs 'field', swe:rs 'honored', skeirs 'clear', G bro:thrs 'of a brother'.

Additionally, -s > zero before stem-final s. For example, runs + -s > runs 'a running'. Compare accusative runs, showing the s is part of the stem, not the nominative ending.

6.3. Sound Changes in Gothic Strong Preterites

Several sound changes occur frequently when consonants become final in the past tense or combine with the second person singular past tense ending -t. These are collected here for reference.

• Final b > f after a vowel or diphthong in the 1st and 3rd person singular, e.g. gadaban 'be fitting' yields gado:f.
• Final d > th after a vowel or diphthong in the 1st and 3rd person singular, e.g. bidjan 'entreat' yields bath.
• b > f before -t in the 2nd person singular, e.g. giban 'give' yields gaft.
• d > s before -t in the 2nd person singular, e.g. anabiudan 'command' yields anaba'ust.
• t > s before -t in the 2nd person singular, e.g. bigitan 'find' yields bigast.
• th > s before -t in the 2nd person singular, e.g. qithan 'say' yields qast.

7. Strong Declension

7.1. i-Stems

Several nouns have stems ending in i. As mentioned above, this does not lead to regular umlaut of the root vowel as it does in other Germanic languages such as Old Norse and Old English. The nouns gards 'court', staths 'place', and gasts 'guest' illustrate the masculine forms of the i-declension; ansts 'grace', fahe:ths 'joy', and qe:ns 'woman' illustrate the feminine forms. Recall that ei is the Gothic spelling of [i:].

Note that, because of the lack of umlaut, the singular forms of masculine i-stems parallel those of the a-stems. Feminine abstract nouns in -o:ns and -a'ins, derived from verbs of the second and third weak conjugation, decline like ansts. For example, latho:ns 'invitation' from latho:n 'to invite', mito:ns 'a thought' from mito:n 'to think over', baua'ins 'a dwelling' from bauan 'to inhabit', liba'ins 'life' from liban 'to live'.

Some nouns which belong to the i-declension in Gothic belong to the a-declension in sister languages. For example, compare Gothic gards to the Old Norse a-stem gardhr, but Goth. gasts and ON gestr are both i-declension. By contrast, Gothic qe:ns appears both as i-stem in the Eddic form kvaen and as the o:n-stem kona (G pl. kvenna) in Old Norse.

The masculine noun na'us 'corpse' has plural forms N. naweis and A. nawins. The feminine noun ha'ims 'village' follows the declension of ansts in the singular, but follows the o:-stem giba in the plural (see Section 3.2). Feminine abstract nouns in -eins follow the declension of ansts, except for N pl. -o:s and G pl. -o:. The forms of the masculine na'us 'corpse' and of the feminine ha'ims 'village' and la'iseins 'doctrine' are given below.

7.2. u-Stems

The u-stem nouns appear in all genders, though there are few remnants of neuter forms. The masculine sunus 'son', feminine handus 'hand', and neuter fai'hu 'cattle' illustrate the declension.

Some scribes write N sg. suna'us beside sunus, D sg. sunu beside suna'u, and V sg. suna'u beside sunu. The neuter noun filu 'much' falls under this declension, with G sg. fila'us used adverbially with comparatives in the sense 'very'.

8. Personal Pronouns

Because of the rich morphology of the Gothic verb, subject pronouns are generally unnecessary. They are used only for emphasis. In addition to singular and plural, the first and second person pronouns also distinguish a dual number, e.g. wit 'we two', igqara 'of you two'.

8.1. First and Second Person Pronouns

The forms of the Gothic first and second person pronouns are as follows.

Note that the first person plural A uns and D unsis often interchange with one another. The oblique forms fill the role of first and second person reflexive pronouns, so that e.g. Modern English 'I hit myself' would be more literally in Gothic 'I hit me'.

8.2. Third Person Pronouns

The third person pronoun is built from a stem i-. Unlike the first and second person pronouns, these do not serve as reflexives. Instead the forms sik, seina, sis serve as reflexives. Though the forms are singular, they serve as reflexives for all genders and numbers. Thus the reflexive of is in the accusative is sik 'himself', and likewise the reflexive of neut. N pl. ija in the accusative is sik 'themselves'. The forms of the third person pronoun and the reflexive are given below.

9. Weak Verb Conjugation

Weak verbs form a category separate from strong verbs. Whereas vowel gradation (ablaut) characterizes strong verbs (cf. Modern English sing-sang-sung-song), this is not so for weak verbs. Rather the addition of a dental suffix -d- in the past tense characterizes weak verbs (cf. Modern English arrive-arrived). This dental suffix is appended to the verbal stem, before the addition of personal endings. The dental suffix is found not only in finite verbal forms, but also in the past participle (cf. Modern English 'That problem, addressed by Einstein, was the beginning of modern quantum theory').

9.1. Weak Verb Classes

Gothic has four classes of weak verbs. These classes are distinguished by the vowel which precedes the dental suffix, and the presence or absence of a nasal appended to the stem: -i-, -o:-, -a'i-, -no:-. These correlate with different forms of the infinitive. The following chart lists examples of the Gothic weak verb classes.

9.2. Active Paradigm

The class i verb nasjan 'save' illustrates the active forms of the weak verb.

All present forms derive from the infinitive, minus the -an ending. All past forms contain the dental suffix. Note that all finite preterite forms, except for the singular indicative, contain the suffix -de:d- rather than simply -d-.

9.3. Mediopassive Paradigm

As with the strong verbs, the morphological mediopassive has only present forms. The forms of nasjan 'save' illustrate the paradigm.