Giants

The Book Of Giants - Nephilim

The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, although modern scholars estimate the older sections (mainly in the Book of the Watchers) to date from about 300 BC, and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably to the first century BC. 

The Book of Giants is thought to have been based on the Book of Enoch, concerning the Nephilim, in the Enoch version the offspring of fallen angels. The angels saw the beauty of the daughters of men, married them, and thus fathered giants. The book concerns itself with filling in the details about the giants and their offspring that the Book of Enoch is lacking. 

It is wholly extant only in the Ge'ez language, with Aramaic fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls and a few Greek and Latin fragments. For this and other reasons, the traditional Ethiopian belief is that the original language of the work was Ge'ez, whereas non-Ethiopian scholars tend to assert that it was first written in either Aramaic or Hebrew, composed partially in Aramaic and partially in Hebrew. 

No Hebrew version is known to have survived. It is asserted in the book itself that its author was Enoch, before the Biblical Flood.

The text was also utilised by the community that originally collected the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Giants in Nordic Mythology - Jötunn

Jötunns are Giants in Nordic Mythology, a mythological race that live in Jötunheimr, one of the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. They were banished there by the Æsir who refused them entry to their world, Asgard. The Jötnar frequently interact with the Æsir, as well as the Vanir. They are usually in opposition to, or in competition with them, but also interact with them in a non-hostile manner. Some Jötnar even intermarry with the Æsir and Vanir and many are named as parents or grandparents of Æsir such as Thor and Odin. This very complex relationship between these two comparable races develops most notably in the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, ultimately making it difficult to distinguish them from the more familiar Norse gods.
What similarities there are between the Jötunn and the Book of Giants remains open to interpretation. But for interest, here is a partial reconstruction of the Book Of Giants from the Book of Enoch, reconstructed from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Its discovery at Qumran dates the text's creation to before the 2nd century BCE.

The jötnar Fafner and Fasolt seize Freyja in Arthur Rackham's illustration Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen

Book of Giants -- Reconstructed Texts

A summary statement of the descent of the wicked angels, bringing both knowledge and havoc. Compare Genesis 6:1-2, 4.

1Q23 Frag. 9 + 14 + 15 2[ . . . ] they knew the secrets of [ . . . ] 3[ . . . si]n was great in the earth [ . . . ] 4[ . . . ] and they killed manY [ . . ] 5[ . . . they begat] giants [ . . . ]

The angels exploit the fruifulness of the earth.

4Q531 Frag. 3 2[ . . . everything that the] earth produced [ . . . ] [ . . . ] the great fish [ . . . ] 14[ . . . ] the sky with all that grew [ . . . ] 15[ . . . fruit of] the earth and all kinds of grain and al1 the trees [ . . . ] 16[ . . . ] beasts and reptiles . . . [al]l creeping things of the earth and they observed all [ . . . ] |8[ . . . eve]ry harsh deed and [ . . . ] utterance [ . . . ] l9[ . . . ] male and female, and among humans [ . . . ]

The two hundred angels choose animals on which to perform unnatural acts, including, presumably, humans.

1Q23 Frag. 1 + 6 [ . . . two hundred] 2donkeys, two hundred asses, two hundred . . . rams of the] 3flock, two hundred goats, two hundred [ . . . beast of the] 4field from every animal, from every [bird . . . ] 5[ . . . ] for miscegenation [ . . . ]

The outcome of the demonic corruption was violence, perversion, and a brood of monstrous beings. Compare Genesis 6:4.

4Q531 Frag. 2 [ . . . ] they defiled [ . . . ] 2[ . . . they begot] giants and monsters [ . . . ] 3[ . . . ] they begot, and, behold, all [the earth was corrupted . . . ] 4[ . . . ] with its blood and by the hand of [ . . . ] 5[giant's] which did not suffice for them and [ . . . ] 6[ . . . ] and they were seeking to devour many [ . . . ] 7[ . . . ] 8[ . . . ] the monsters attacked it.
4Q532 Col. 2 Frags. 1 - 6 2[ . . . ] flesh [ . . . ] 3al[l . . . ] monsters [ . . . ] will be [ . . . ] 4[ . . . ] they would arise [ . . . ] lacking in true knowledge [ . . . ] because [ . . . ] 5[ . . . ] the earth [grew corrupt . . . ] mighty [ . . . ] 6[ . . . ] they were considering [ . . . ] 7[ . . . ] from the angels upon [ . . . ] 8[ . . . ] in the end it will perish and die [ . . . ] 9[ . . . ] they caused great corruption in the [earth . . . ] [ . . . this did not] suffice to [ . . . ] "they will be [ . . . ]

The giants begin to be troubled by a series of dreams and visions. Mahway, the titan son of the angel Barakel, reports the first of these dreams to his fellow giants. He sees a tablet being immersed in water. When it emerges, all but three names have been washed away. The dream evidently symbolizes the destruction of all but Noah and his sons by the Flood.

2Q26 [ . . . ] they drenched the tablet in the wa[ter . . . ] 2[ . . . ] the waters went up over the [tablet . . . ] 3[ . . . ] they lifted out the tablet from the water of [ . . . ]

The giant goes to the others and they discuss the dream.

4Q530 Frag.7 [ . . . this vision] is for cursing and sorrow. I am the one who confessed 2[ . . . ] the whole group of the castaways that I shall go to [ . . . ] 3[ . . . the spirits of the sl]ain complaining about their killers and crying out 4[ . . . ] that we shall die together and be made an end of [ . . . ] much and I will be sleeping, and bread 6[ . . . ] for my dwelling; the vision and also [ . . . ] entered into the gathering of the giants 8[ . . . ]
6Q8 [ . . . ] Ohya and he said to Mahway [ . . . ] 2[ . . . ] without trembling. Who showed you all this vision, [my] brother? 3[ . . . ] Barakel, my father, was with me. 4[ . . . ] Before Mahway had finished telling what [he had seen . . . ] 5[ . . . said] to him, Now I have heard wonders! If a barren woman gives birth [ . . . ]
4Q530 Frag. 4 3[There]upon Ohya said to Ha[hya . . . ] 4[ . . . to be destroyed] from upon the earth and [ . . . ] 5[ . . . the ea]rth. When 6[ . . . ] they wept before [the giants . . . ]
4Q530 Frag. 7 3[ . . . ] your strength [ . . . ] 4[ . . . ] 5Thereupon Ohya [said] to Hahya [ . . . ] Then he answered, It is not for 6us, but for Azaiel, for he did [ . . . the children of] angels 7are the giants, and they would not let all their poved ones] be neglected [. . . we have] not been cast down; you have strength [ . . . ]

The giants realize the futility of fighting against the forces of heaven. The first speaker may be Gilgamesh.

4Q531 Frag. 1 3[ . . . I am a] giant, and by the mighty strength of my arm and my own great strength 4[ . . . any]one mortal, and I have made war against them; but I am not [ . . . ] able to stand against them, for my opponents 6[ . . . ] reside in [Heav]en, and they dwell in the holy places. And not 7[ . . . they] are stronger than I. 8[ . . . ] of the wild beast has come, and the wild man they call [me].
9[ . . . ] Then Ohya said to him, I have been forced to have a dream [ . . . ] the sleep of my eyes [vanished], to let me see a vision. Now I know that on [ . . . ] 11-12[ . . . ] Gilgamesh [ . . . ]

Ohya's dream vision is of a tree that is uprooted except for three of its roots; the vision's import is the same as that of the first dream.

6Q8 Frag. 2 1three of its roots [ . . . ] [while] I was [watching,] there came [ . . . they moved the roots into] 3this garden, all of them, and not [ . . . ]

Ohya tries to avoid the implications of the visions. Above he stated that it referred only to the demon Azazel; here he suggests that the destruction isfor the earthly rulers alone.

4Q530 Col. 2 1concerns the death of our souls [ . . . ] and all his comrades, [and Oh]ya told them what Gilgamesh said to him 2[ . . . ] and it was said [ . . . ] "concerning [ . . . ] the leader has cursed the potentates" 3and the giants were glad at his words. Then he turned and left [ . . . ]

More dreams afflict the giants. The details of this vision are obscure, but it bodes ill for the giants. The dreamers speak first to the monsters, then to the giants.

Thereupon two of them had dreams 4and the sleep of their eye, fled from them, and they arose and came to [ . . . and told] their dreams, and said in the assembly of [their comrades] the monsters 6[ . . . In] my dream I was watching this very night 7[and there was a garden . . . ] gardeners and they were watering 8[ . . . two hundred trees and] large shoots came out of their root 9[ . . . ] all the water, and the fire burned all 10[the garden . . . ] They found the giants to tell them 11[the dream . . . ]

Someone suggests that Enoch be found to interpret the vision.

[ . . . to Enoch] the noted scribe, and he will interpret for us 12the dream. Thereupon his fellow Ohya declared and said to the giants, 13I too had a dream this night, O giants, and, behold, the Ruler of Heaven came down to earth 14[ . . . ] and such is the end of the dream. [Thereupon] all th e giants [and monsters! grew afraid 15and called Mahway. He came to them and the giants pleaded with him and sent him to Enoch 16[the noted scribe]. They said to him, Go [ . . . ] to you that 17[ . . . ] you have heard his voice. And he said to him, He wil1 [ . . . and] interpret the dreams [ . . . ] Col. 3 3[ . . . ] how long the giants have to live. [ . . . ]

After a cosmic journey Mahway comes to Enoch and makes his request.

[ . . . he mounted up in the air] 41ike strong winds, and flew with his hands like ea[gles . . . he left behind] 5the inhabited world and passed over Desolation, the great desert [ . . . ] 6and Enoch saw him and hailed him, and Mahway said to him [ . . . ] 7hither and thither a second time to Mahway [ . . . The giants awaig 8your words, and all the monsters of the earth. If [ . . . ] has been carried [ . . . ] 9from the days of [ . . . ] their [ . . . ] and they will be added [ . . . ] 10[ . . . ] we would know from you their meaning [ . . . ] 11[ . . . two hundred tr]ees that from heaven [came down . . . ]

Enoch sends back a tablet with its grim message of judgment, but with hope for repentance.

4Q530 Frag. 2 The scribe [Enoch . . . ] 2[ . . . ] 3a copy of the second tablet that [Epoch] se[nt . . . ] 4in the very handwriting of Enoch the noted scribe [ . . . In the name of God the great] 5and holy one, to Shemihaza and all [his companions . . . ] 61et it be known to you that not [ . . . ] 7and the things you have done, and that your wives [ . . . ] 8they and their sons and the wives of [their sons . . . ] 9by your licentiousness on the earth, and there has been upon you [ . . . and the land is crying out] 10and complaining about you and the deeds of your children [ . . . ] 11the harm that you have done to it. [ . . . ] 12until Raphael arrives, behold, destruction [is coming, a great flood, and it will destroy all living things] 13and whatever is in the deserts and the seas. And the meaning of the matter [ . . . ] 14upon you for evil. But now, loosen the bonds bi[nding you to evil . . . ] l5and pray.

A fragment apparently detailing a vision that Enoch saw.

4Q531 Frag. 7 3[ . . . great fear] seized me and I fell on my face; I heard his voice [ . . . ] 4[ . . . ] he dwelt among human beings but he did not learn from them [ . . . ]

Sources: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6tunn

http://www.gnosis.org/library/dss/dss_book_of_giants.htm 

The Hospitallers in Prague

The Order of Malta in Prague, The ‘Provincia Germanica’ and the Church of Our Lady beneath the Chain

I was visiting Prague last summer and such visits always serve to develop material for The Elements project, weaving together a fictive story based on some of the most momentous events in the History of Europe. And there, in the middle of the outer district on the far side of the river I stumbled across a relic of history that captivates the imagination, adding to the growing Elements universe.

This concerns a little-known church located at the site of a previous old monastery that served the Knights Hospitallers in the Middle Ages, a place of shelter and refuge by pilgrims and crusaders on the long road through central Europe to Constantinople which today is the church of the Virgin Mary under the Chain and the Grand Priory Palace ((Velkopřevorský palác). 

Established more than eight centuries ago, the Grand Priory of Bohemia is the oldest among all the Grand Priories of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Location

A short walk from the towers of the Charles Bridge in Prague lies Maltese Square and Grand Priory Square. At the northern end of Maltese Square is a statue of St John the Baptist  - part of a fountain erected in 1715 to mark the end of a plague epidemic. 

At the northern end of Grand Priory Square is the former seat of the Grand Prior. And here lies the Church of Our Lady Beneath the Chain, announced by the two great towers dating from the time when this was a fortified priory: The church of the Czech Grand Priory of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta – and next to it, the outer walls of the Grand Priory Palace with the oldest and most memorable sycamore in Prague - the Beethoven sycamore. According to legend, the composer sat under this tree during his visit to Prague in 1796.

History

During more than 800 years of its existence the building has came through many rebuildings according to all the main architectural styles. 

The priory was founded after the return of the Bohemian knights from the 2nd crusade in 1180, turning the land on the far banks of the river close to the centre of Prague into a fortress.

Founded in the 12th century, the church is the oldest in the area called ‘The Little Quarter’ - presented to the Knights of St John by King Vladislav II. 

‘Vladislav's enthusiasm, like the Second Crusade as a whole, produced no result in Outremer. Instead, the project was formulated of introducing the Hospital as a religious order intohis principality. This was an innovation; the Hospital had not previously committed itself to extending its European possessions, and the new province of Bohemia under a resident Hospitaller prior was the first such creation since the earliest days of the order. The first foundation of the new province, that of the Order's convent in Prague, proceeded along conventional lines.Vladislav's chancellor and his nephew were entrusted with the task of collation. The dedication of the Hospitallers' church in Prague has been placed in 1156.’ 

(Smith 94)

The original church was built after 1158, in the centre of the Knights' old heavily fortified monastery, which guarded the approach to the old Judith Bridge, precursor of the Charles Bridge. The church's name refers to the chain used during the Middle Ages to close the monastery gatehouse.

when a commandry of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem settled below the castle near Judith Bridge. The three-aisle Romanesque basilica was completed in 1182.

From 1156 to 1159, the Knights Hospitaller received land south of the bishop’s court, near the bridgehead of the former Judith Bridge. The origin of the name of the church refers to the former Judith Bridge and the chain on the bridge tower gate. Apparently, the chain was stretched from this site in the Lesser Town all the way across the Vltava River to the Old Town so as to prevent boats from passing though Prague without paying the toll.

‘The first involvement of the Hungarian monarchy in the crusading movement came about with the Hospital acting as intermediary (the reference, occasionally cited, to a Hungarian Templar official from the 1140s is a misdating for the 1240s). These contacts might be compared with those already described in the case of the Czech ruler, Vladislav, the Hospital's role being that of a combination of chaperone, cicerone and factotum. A letter to the Master of the Hospital from Bela III, dated between 1163 and 1169, recorded the transfer of 10 000 besants through a royal servant and a Hospitaller, Bernard. The money was to be used to purchase property in the Holy Land, though not in any region under threat from the Turks. The revenues of the property were to be enjoyed by the Hospital, unless the duke and his wife should make a pilgrimage, in which case they would enjoy the revenues for their lifetime or until their departure from the Holy Land, after which the property would revert to the Hospital'suse: no son or heir should have any enjoyment of the revenues, but, if any came to the Holy Land, they were to be equipped with horses and arms from the Hospital's stores.’ 

(Smith 94)

A Gothic presbytery was added in the 13th century, but in the following century the original Romanesque church was demolished. A new portico was built with a pair of massive square towers but the work was abandoned and the old nave became a courtyard between the towers and the church. The church was given a baroque facelift in 1640 by Carlo Lurago. The high altar  features a painting depicting the Virgin Mary and St John the Baptist coming to the aid of the Knights of Malta in the famous naval battle at Lepanto in 1571.

After 1314, the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem obtained funds by selling off the property of the defunct Knights Templar. The Romanesque church was knocked down and construction started on a grand Gothic three-aisle basilica that was likely carried out by Peter Parler's workshop. Remnants from the older building have been preserved on the right-hand side of what is now the courtyard. Out of the original plans, only the choir and sacristy were built; the western prism tower was started but never completed. The church was rebuilt in Baroque style in the course of the 17th century.

The Grand Priory Palace

After 1420 the former Romanesque style was rebuilt in the gothic style, the renaissance makeover came after 1610 and finally, after 1725, the baroque rebuilding, which is excellently preserved till nowadays. The most notable features of the Palace include the piano nobile with the Grand Prior´s chamber and the main Knight´s Hall, where the knights met. In all rooms there are paintings of Czech, German and Italian baroque masters.

The history of the Order of Malta in Prague ‘Provincia Germanica’

The Order is commemorated in several place names in the Little Quarter at the west end of the famous Charles Bridge. In spite of adversities encountered during the French revolution and during the  Napoleonic wars that followed, the Bohemian Grand Priory survived down to the 20th century, arguably the most testing century of its long existence.

The ‘provincia germanica’ of the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers was probably founded in 1616. In the early 1770s it covered almost the whole of Central Europe. Today’s Bohemian province consists of eight monasteries (Prague, Nové Město nad Metují, Kuks, Brno, Prostějov, Valtice, Letovice and Vizovice). 

During World War I the Order operated a hospital train which circulated throughout Europe treating the casualties of war. Over 27000 operations were conducted in the field.

In 1938 the (independent) Grand Priory of Austria was formed as a consequence of the Anschluß of Austria by Hitler. During the Nazi occupation of Bohemia the activities of the Order were banned and its properties were confiscated. Although the Order's activities were suppressed by the Nazis, the Regent Schwarzenberg used his political influence to ensure the survival of the order.

Following the war, the socialist state did not return the properties confiscated by the Nazis but instead nationalized them.  A minimum level of activity was tolerated by the communists until 1950, when the Order, together with other Church orders, was dissolved and banned. The majority of the Order's members went into exile. A small group of knights remained in Bohemia and continued the Order's charitable and hospitaller activities with the support of their confreres abroad. They were headed by Prince Charles Schwarzenberg (1911-1986) as Regent of the Grand Priory of Bohemia, who untiringly defended the right of the Grand Priory to survive. In 1981 Fra Charles Paar was elected Grand Prior in exile.

Following the Velvet Revolution in 1989 the Order immediately resumed its activities. New members were inducted and the first steps were taken towards securing the return of the Order's buildings in Prague, namely the Grand Prior's Palace and the Church of Our Lady Under the Chain. Finally, Maltese Help was formed as the relief  organization of the Order in the Czech Republic.

In 1991 the Order established diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic. The Order's embassy today stands next to the Church of Our Lady Under the Chain.  Thus, once again the eight-pointed cross serves as a symbol of assistance and comfort for those suffering in body or spirit.

References

The Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta 

homepage on http://smom-za.org/smom.htm

Bohemia: http://smom-za.org/bohemia.htm

(Smith 94)

Paul Vincent Smith. Crusade and Society in Eastern Europe: The Hospital and the Temple in Poland and Pomerania 1145 - 1370

PhD thesis, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, 1994.

http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1317564/1/249043.pdf

prague.eu

http://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/462/church-of-our-lady-beneath-the-chain-kostel-panny-marie-pod-retezem

http://www.prague.eu/en/object/places/1814/the-grand-priory-palace-velkoprevorsky-palac

Witchhunts

The Witchhunts Of The Thirty Years War

Witch-hunts (1626-1631)

Among the other great social traumas abetted by the war was a major outbreak of witchcraft persecutions. This violent wave of witch-hunting first erupted in the territories of Franconia during the time of *the Danish Intervention.

The hardship and turmoil the conflict had produced among the general population enabled the hysteria to spread quickly to other parts of Germany. Residents of areas that had been devastated not only by the conflict itself, but also by the numerous crop failures, famines and epidemics that accompanied it, were quick to attribute these calamities to supernatural causes.

In this tumultuous and highly volatile environment allegations of witchcraft against neighbors and fellow citizens flourished. The sheer volume of trials and executions during this time would mark the period as the peak of the European witch-hunting phenomenon.

The persecutions began in the Bishopric of Würzburg, then under the leadership of Prince-Bishop Phillip Adolf von Ehrenberg. An ardent devotee of the Counter-Reformation, Ehrenberg was eager to consolidate Catholic political authority in the territories he administered. Beginning in 1626, Ehrenberg staged numerous mass trials for witchcraft in which all levels of society (including the nobility and the clergy) found themselves targeted in a relentless series of purges.

By 1630, 219 men, women and children had been burned at the stake in the city of Würzburg itself while an estimated 900 people are believed to have been put to death in the rural areas of the province.

Concurrent with the events in Würzburg, Prince-Bishop Johann von Dornheim would embark upon a similar series of large-scale witch trials in the nearby territory of Bamberg.

A specially designed Malefizhaus (witch house) was erected containing a torture chamber whose walls were adorned with Bible verses, in which to interrogate the accused.

The Bamberg witch trials would drag on for five years and claimed between 300 and 600 lives, among them Dorothea Flock and the city's long-time Bürgermeister (mayor) Johannes Junius.

Meanwhile, in Upper Bavaria, 274 suspected witches were put to the torch in the Bishopric of Eichstatt in 1629 while another 50 perished in the adjacent Duchy of Palaitinate-Neuburg that same year.

Elsewhere the persecutions arrived in the wake of the early Imperial military successes. The witch hunts would expand into Baden following its reconquest by Tilly, while the defeat of Protestantism in the Palatinate opened the way for their eventual spread to the Rhineland.

The Rhenish electorates of Mainz and Trier would both witness mass-burnings of suspected witches during this time. In Cologne, that territory's Prince-Archbishop, Ferdinand of Bavaria, presided over a particularly infamous series of witchcraft trials that included the controversial prosecution of Katharina Henot, who was burned at the stake in 1627.

During this time the witch-hunts also continued their unchecked growth, as new and increased incidents of alleged witchcraft began surfacing in the territories of Westphalia.

The witch-hunts reached their peak around the time of the Edict of Restitution in 1629 and much of the remaining institutional and popular enthusiasm for them faded in the aftermath of Sweden's entry into the war the following year. However, in Würzburg the persecutions would continue until the death of Ehrenberg in July, 1631.

The excesses of this period would inspire the Jesuit scholar and poet Friedrich Spee (himself a former "witch confessor") to author his scathing legal and moral condemnation of the witch trials, the Cautio Criminalis. This influential work would later be credited with bringing an end to the practice of witch-burning in some areas of Germany and its gradual abolition throughout Europe.

Links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War#Witch-hunts_.281626-1631.29

The Legend of Thoth: At-hothes

'Destruction of Atlantis' by Kostas Nikellis (Kosv01 ) on Deviant Art

The Arab legend concerning the architect of the great pyramids at Giza is mentioned as being Thaut (Thoth to the Greeks equated with the Greek god Hermes), the patron god of wisdom, medicine, literature, the list goes, including hieroglyphic writing, so in fact, he is the partron god of knowledge. Both Thoth and Hermes were gods of writing and of magic in their respective cultures. The Greek god of interpretive communication was combined with the Egyptian god of wisdom as a patron of astrology and alchemy.

Statue of Hemon - Wikicommons

How this relates to Pharaoh Khufu’s vizier, Hemon (or Hemiunu) is evident in inscriptions on Heomon’s tomb which is located close to Khufu's pyramid. Here within is his most unusual and extremely well-preserved seated statue, notable for an unusual degree of realism. The features, unlike most other Egyptian sculpture was only lightly stylized, clearly based on his actual appearance being quite round or ‘flabby’.

Located within his serdab, he is cited as being one of five members of ‘the house of Thoth’: 

hereditary prince, count, sealer of the king of Lower Egypt 

(jrj-pat HAtj-a xtmw-bjtj), 

greatest of the five of the House of Thoth 

(sA nswt n XT=f tAjtj sAb TAtj wr djw pr-DHwtj)

It is told in legend he arrived in Egypt following the deluge when it destroyed his home rumored to have been somewhere ‘in the distant West.’ At-hothes Western origins have suggested could stem from Atlantean origins, evident in the ‘At’ to the beginning of his name, defining him as an Atlantean deity. As Vizier he succeeded Kanefer, his uncle, and his father Nefermaat, so he may well have been the son of a migrating family.

'Gate Of Atlantis' by Kostas Nikellis (Kosv01 ) on Deviant Art

Spearheads Of The Goths

A time of the migration of a tribe vast in number whotravelled south from their homelands in present day Sweden and the Baltic coast, a tribe of warriors who had a not so insignificant impact on the Roman and Byzantine empires. A warrior cult that also returned back to their homelands taking with them something of the culture of Rome and Asian peoples back with them. 

This is all Wikipedia has to say about the Kovel Spearhead:

The head of a lance, found in 1858 Suszyczno 30 km from Kovel, Ukraine, dated to the early 3rd century. The spearhead measures 15.5 cm with a maximal length of 3.0 cm. Both sides of the leaf were inlaid with silver symbols. The inscription notably runs right to left, reading tilarids, interpreted as "thither rider", the name either of a warrior, or of the spear itself. It is identified as East Germanic (Gothic) because of the nominative -s (in contrast to Proto-Norse -z). The t and d are closer to the Latin alphabet than to the classical Elder Futhark

 TᛁᛚᚨᚱᛁDᛊ

An 1880 casting of the spearhead is exhibited in Berlin, an 1884 casting in Warsaw. The original was looted by Nazi archaeologists from its Polish owner in 1939 and it was lost altogether at the end of WWII.

Characteristics

The crescent form on one side of the spear head is a magical symbol, picked up by the Goths in their wanderings south. They brought them home to their people. Such a mark is called a tamga, inlaid in silver featuring crescent-shapes and arrow symbols thought to have been picked up by the Goths when coming into contact with people on the Black Sea. The use of such symbols in the Kragehul spearhead, similar, though not identical to the Kovel spearhead uncovered at the Kragehul bog near Flemløse in Denmark. 

The runes on the Kovel spearhead read 'thither -rider'. The correct translation in Danish — favorssomeone or something that is going somewhere. Til means to, rid is the Danish root, like English, for ride - rids would be taken for riding, horses being the only source of transport for most in those days. A better translation is travelling towards ... placing emphasis on the action to the object: the runic inscription describe’s the spears trajectory.

Of other spearheads, Koebler's dictionary mentions the Moos spear head in Appendx 4 in the "East Germanic" section: GAOIS = *gaujis? 'barker'. (The interpretation of Krause according to the Kiel Runenprojekt).  Compare Old Icelandic geyja 'bark, mock'. The inscriptions on the Kragehul spearhead are of a different nature and read:

‘I am called the Herul Muha, Ansugisal’s (son). I cry a roar resoundingly, I invoke hail in the spear.’ 

(Macleod and Rees: Runic Amulets p 78)

The magical use of the spear in the warrior cult is well known in Germanic tradition. Hurling a spear into or over the enemy before a battle was a way of giving them to Odin, sacrificing them to the God of battle. As the Voluspá says: Odin had shot his spear over the host. (Rune Lore, Edred Thorsson, Weiser)

The Heruli could very well be a tribe of the Ostrogoths who migrated back to their homelands travelling across the Danish Isles back to what in time would be called Gothia. However, it is also the swastika tamgas that draw attention. No doubt this is what attracted interest in the spearhead. As well as the concentric circles  - this could be interpreted as a sun symbol. Or - as the shield pattern of the Heruli seniores, a Late Roman military unit composed of Heruli warriors. 

The Kovel spearhead had been in the Ukraine, looted from a private Polish collection by SS-Untersturmführer Peter Paulsen, a member of the Nazi SS group called the Ahnenerbe, meaning literally 'ancestors inheritance'. The official mission of the Ahnenerbe was to unearth "new evidence of the accomplishments and deeds of Germanic ancestors using exact scientific methods." The Ahnenerbe later conducted experiments and launched voyages in an attempt to prove that prehistoric and mythological Nordic populations had once ruled the world. 

Paulsen had been assigned to Poland after the German invasion in 1939. Reinhard Heydrich, then head of RSHA, sent Paulsen back to Kraków in order to seize additional museum collections and it could well be that this included the Kovel spearhead. 

So what happened to it?

The spearhead was taken to the Ahnenerbe’s headquarters at Dahlem, Berlin. After that nothing is known, so it seems likely that is was appropriated by perhaps even Himmler himelf and taken to Wewelsburg? It has never been seen since.  

Spearhead of Dahmsdorf-Müncheberg

A similar spearhead is the spearhead of Dahmsdorf-Müncheberg inscribed with ranja 

ᚱᚨᚾᛃᚨ

(Ulfilan rannja, meaning "router".) This displays similar methods of silver inlay and tamgas including the crescent moon and others of unknown origin. As with the Kovel spearhead, a swastika is used as a decorative motif, together with the three-armed spiral or trifos inscription. Both represent the forces of nature often associated with the sun.