The Ambrones

The Ambrones were part of a Germanic tribal alliance of Cimbri, Teutons and Ambrones that, according to Greek and Roman sources, migrated to the south-east before 100 BCE. Their original homeland could have been an area known as Amrun/Oomrang which was in the North Frisian Islands on the German North Sea. The Old English work Widsith mentions them as the Ymbre ruled over by Sceafhere, which would make them of the Ingwaeones having the same Divine Ancestor - Ingwe - as the English Tribes. 

• Ambrones,
• Ambri,
• Ymbre,
• Umbrians,
• Sigambrians (Sig-Ambrians).
• Ligurians.

The Ligurians are mentioned here because when the Ambrones moved through Gaul towards Rome, and with the Cimbri and Teutons attacked the Romans, these two peoples recognised each other as close kin. The Ligurians were tribal members in the Roman Legions. The name 'Ligurians' may well answer one of the problems we have here over the pre-Roman Germanic Tribes here in these islands. 

We find areas such a 'Northumbria' (North-Umbria) or 'Northumberland' (North -Umberland' without these being explained by historians. There is also the area known as the 'Humber' and also 'Humberstone' in Leicester. The German himbra means 'farmer' if this has any significance. The name that the Welsh gave to what is now England is Lloegres, and the people Lloegrians, which is very close to Ligurians. This would explain why a Welsh text exclaims that the Lloegrians and the Coriniad fought with the invading Anglo-Saxons against the Britons. The Coriniad are the Coritani whose capital was Leicester, they were said in the Mabinogian to be a Germanic Tribe. 

Tacitus mentions a tribal alliance called the 'Lugia', and the 'Lugs' were thought to have been Vandals. The Irish 'Lugh' may well be the origin of this tribe, and whether they were akin to the Ligurians we do not know. On the subject of the famous Germanic Tribe called the Vandals they were led by a pair of 'twins' called Ambri and Assi - coincidence? One account tells that Ambri and Sigambri encountered Alexandra the Great in Bactria, but I cannot confirm this I am afraid. 

Cumbria has always been seen as relating to the 'Cymru', the Welsh, but the Cimbri would be nearer to this name, although Wales was once called 'Cambria', although again this is not the same as 'Cymru'. The Cymru were said to have come from the 'Summerlands', thought to be around the Crimean area, so they may well have brought back with them some 'foreign' influences. In the Old Testament they may have been the 'House of Omri' (Bit Khymru in Assyrian) which ruled over Israel, perhaps explaining the Red Dragon found under a synagogue there. We should note that 'Cumbria' is a later name for 'Cumberland', which could have been 'Humberland'. 

There is an area of Denmark called Himmerland which may be derived from the same roots as 'Humber', and there the Gundestrup Cauldron was found; Strabo described such a sacrificial cauldron of the Cimbri who were linked to the Ambrones. What we have to remember is that Roman and Celtic influence on the Germanic Tongue has made it possible to interchange the letters 'h' and 'c', as well as other sounds, so 'Cimbri' and '(H)Ambri' may well have been once one and the same. We have the two sounds 'Sigambri' and 'Sicambri' too, so the 'g' and 'c' cane be interchanged. This letter-change occurred with the 'Gangani' who became the 'Concani' when they moved from Ireland to Wales. 

The Sigambrian Franks were ruled by the Merovingian Kings who, we have shown before, seem to have been the famous Wolsunga Tribe of Germania. On the banks of the River Morava in Bohemia were found dozens of burial mounds, one with a set of Golden Bees, reminiscent of the 'bees' associated with the Merovingian Kings. The 'Fleur-de-lys' has been seen as a 'bee' by some scholars. Of interest here is a Cimbric King called Boiorix which is said to be 'Celtic' but the '-rix' is from Gaul and the name means 'Ruler of the Boio' who were later 'Bohemians'. The name has been picked up when the Cimbri moved southwards through Gaul into Italy. The Aduaticii, a Belgic Tribe, were said to have been of Cimbric origins. 

The Ambiani occupied an area of Belgica in Northern Gaul, but they also occupied an area here in Britain. They were obviously of the confederation known as the Belgae. Julius Caesar tells us -

'The inland part of Britain is inhabited by tribes declared in their own tradition to be indigenous to the island, the maritime part by tribes that migrated at an earlier time from Belgica to seek booty by invasion...nearly all these maritime tribes are called by the names of the lands from which they immigrated when they came to Britain. After their arrival they remained there and began to till the soil.'

De Bello Gallic 5:12.

Assuming that 'Belgica' was Gaul, and thus 'Celtic' this is where the 'Celtic Invasion' idea stems from. These, we now know, to be predominately Germanic Tribes. Cassius Dio says -

'The Belgae, who dwelt near the Rhine in many mixed tribes and extended even to the coast opposite Britain...'

The similarity between the name 'Ambrones' and 'Amber' should not be overlooked, even when this has not been considered by historians. This may be a 'coincidence' but we should not rule out a link between the two. 

The Belgae seem to be the 'missing link' when it comes to the presence of Germanic Tribes here in England before the Romans arrived, and that they were Woden-Born seems more than likely now. Typical of the language of these Belgic Tribes is the 'nn' found in the Goddess Arduinna, most likely cognate to the Norse Idunn. She is a Huntress, bearing a bow and riding a Boar, and her presence here in England can be seen in the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire. In fact William Shakepeare's mother's maiden name was 'Arden', an ancient Warwickshire surname.

On the subject of the Sigambrian Franks their descent from Merovee, Meroveus  or Merovich suggests a link to the River Morava in Bohemia. That they were ruled by the Wolsunga Royal Line seems likely through their King Dagobert who was lanced through the eye by his godson in the Forest of Woevres; the Royal Merovingian residence was at Stenay. 'Woevres' is a name linked to the snake or serpent, most likely the 'viper' or 'adder'; it may also be linked to the term 'wyvern'; the Old French wivre means 'viper'. Dagobert was murdered in a hunting incident on December 23rd 679 near Steney-sur-Meuse in the Ardennes, named after Arduinna. He was the son of Sigibert III; the term 'Sigi' may be linked to the sire of the Wolsungas.