Merowig

Merowig (fl. c.450, died c. 458) (Latin: Meroveus or Merovius; German: Merowech; Spanish: Meroveo; French: Mérovée, other spellings include Merovech, Merovich, Merwich) is the legendary founder of the Merovingian Dynasty of Frankish Kings. He was King of the Salian Franks in the years after 450. No contemporary record of him exists, and there is little information about him in the later histories of the Franks. Gregory of Tours records him as the possible son of Clodio. He was supposed to have led the Franks in the Battle of Chalons in 451.

According to legend, Merowig was conceived when Clodio's wife encountered a Quinotaur, a sea monster which could change shapes while swimming. Though never stated, it is implied that she was impregnated by it. This legend was related by Fredegar in the seventh century, and may have been known earlier. The legend is probably a back-formation or folk etymology used to explain the Salian Franks' origin as a sea coast dwelling people, and based on the name itself. The "Mero-" or "Mer-" element in the name suggests a sea or ocean (see Old English "mere," Latin "mare," or even the Modern English word "mermaid," etc.). The "Salian" in "Salian Franks" is, in fact, a reference to salt, a reminder of their pre-migration home on the shores of the North Sea.

The "-wig/weg/veus" part of the name could have been seen as a reference to a traveller, trail, or conveyance (see German "weg," Latin "via," or even the Modern English word "way"). By this interpretation, "Merowig," "Mérovée," et al. would simply mean "from the sea." A slight variant of this interpretation would follow through the Old High German/Old Saxon word "wiht," (thing or demon"), related to the now-obsolete English word "wight" (meaning a human or human-like creature). Thus, "Merowig" and its spelling variants could easily have been rationalized by Frankish chroniclers as a reference to a sea-creature of some sort, thereby giving rise to the sea-origin legend -- whatever the original meaning of the name. Merowig was the father of Childeric I who succeeded him.

Reference in popular culture

The legend about Merowig's conception was adapted in 1982 by authors Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh in the 1982 book Holy Blood Holy Grail, as the seed of a new idea. They hypothesized that this "descended from a fish" legend was actually referring to the concept that the Merovingian line had married into the bloodline of Jesus Christ, since the symbol for early Christians had also been a fish. This theory, with no other basis than Lincoln and Leigh's concoction, was further popularized in 2003 via Dan Brown's bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code.

References

Wood, Ian. The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751. London: Longman Group, 1994.
Encyclopædia Britannica
Behind the Da Vinci Code, 2006, History Channel documentary about Henry Lincoln

Year of birth unknown | 458 deaths | Frankish kings

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Reference in popular culture

See also

References