Amelung - Amelunke
Amelung: A Germanic tribe or dynasty.(1)
(1) German American Names by George F. Jones, Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland. Pages 41 and 65.
The name Amelang or Amalungi is one of ancient royal families, mighty kings and fierce queens, there can be no doubt. Not merely Gothic royalty but "the highest nobility" within the so-called "barbarian" world of Roman times.1 It is most certain that the name, Amelung, comes from a Germanic tribe or dynasty.2 The surname is derived from the ancient tribal name Amal, (pl. Amali) and is the genealogia Ostragotharum, the family of the Ostragoths. The Amal clan was revered among the Ostragoths who assigned divine charisma to their leaders, acclaiming the Amali as Aesir, or of the old Nordic ruling dynasty of Gods. 3
Early Amal history is both complex and rich in legend. Dietrich von Bern better known in English as Theodoric of Verona, perhaps most famous of the Ostrogothic kings, traced the family origins to Scandanavia. Cassiodorus said that King Berig led the Goths "long ago" from the island of Scandza and as soon as they set foot on land they named their landfall Gothiscandza. From there the Amali marched on settlements along the coastline, making war on the inhabitants and driving them from the land. Theodoric tells us that the Amali made the long trek through central Europe by way of eastern Pomerania and the Vistula to the Black Sea, from there to Panonia and Moesia, and finally to Italy. The long, arduous journey, beginning around the time of the birth of Christ, lasted more than a half a millennium.
- History of the Goths, by Herwig Wolfram, Copyright (c) 1988 by the Regents of the University of California.
- German American Names, by George F. Jones, Copyright 1990, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, Maryland, Pages 41 and 65.
- History of the Goths, by Herwig Wolfram, Copyright (c) 1988 by the Regents of the University of California.
