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Ermanaric, King of the Ostrogoths.
A Historical Sketch.

FW Nietzsche
Naumburg a/S.
July 3, 1861.

Excerpt from:
Nietzsche's Writings as a Student.
Translation Copyright 2012, The Nietzsche Channel.

Since the last summer vacation, I have made plans to glorify in a dramatic poem the famous saga of the death of the king of the Ostrogoths, Ermanaric. However, since I myself did not feel mature enough for this plan, was even familiar with the most ancient history and customs of the Goths only in their most general outline, I thus of necessity had to look around for the sources of writings from which to cull its material and more detailed instruction. The result of this study lies before me—not a tragedy, but a dry treatise. Meanwhile, I hope that the interesting parts of the material, the uniformity of the style and execution will at least conceal some of this. First and foremost, therefore, a few remarks about Gothic primeval history mainly taken from the remarkable book of Jornandes.¹ At what time Germans came from Asia is completely shrouded in darkness. It's certain that they first came to Scandinavia (Scanzia), from where they poured down into the south and up into the north. That's why Jornandes calls Scanzia the cradle and workshop of the nation and explains, surely after an ancient song, how the Goths also emigrated from this isle under King Berich and landed with their ships at the place named after themselves, Gothiscanzia.² They then went down the Vistula southward through Scythia and [....]

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