“Qui sunt isti Longibarbi ?” – “Who are these long-beards?” and Frea replied, “As thou hast given themthe name, give them also the victory.” They conquered in the battle andwere thenceforth known as Langobardi.
LOMBARDS, or Langobardi, a Suevic people who appear to have inhabited the lower basin of the Elbe and whose name is believed to survive in the modern Bardengau to the south of Hamburg. They are first mentioned in connexion with the year A.D. 5, at which time they were defeated by the Romans under Tiberius, afterwards emperor.In A.D. 9, however, after the destruction of Varus’s army, the Romansgave up their attempt to extend their frontier to the Elbe. At first,with most of the Suevic tribes, they were subject to the hegemony of Maroboduus, king of the Marcomanni, but they revolted from him in his war with Arminius, chief of the Cherusci, in the year 17.We again hear of their interference in the dynastic strife of theCherusci some time after the year 47.
From this time they are notmentioned until the year 165, when a force of Langobardi, in alliancewith the Marcomanni, was defeated by the Romans, apparently on theDanubian frontier. It has been inferred from this incident that theLangobardi had already moved southwards, but the force mentioned mayvery well have been sent from the old home of the tribe, as the variousSuevic peoples seem generally to have preserved some form of politicalunion. From this time onwards we hear no more of them until the end ofthe 5th century.In their own traditions we are told that the Langobardi were originallycalled Winnili and dwelt in an island named Scadinavia (with this storycompare that of the Gothic migration, see Goths).Thence they set out under the leadership of Ibor and Aio, the sons of aprophetess called Gambara, and came into conflict with the Vandals.The leaders of the latter prayed to Wodan for victory, while Gambaraand her sons invoked Frea. Wodan promised to give victory to those whomhe should see in front of him at sunrise. Frea directed the Winnili tobring their women with their hair let down round their faces likebeards and turned Wodan’s couch round so that he faced them. When Wodanawoke at sunrise he saw the host of the Winnili and said, “Qui sunt isti Longibarbi ?” – “Who are these long-beards?” and Frea replied, “As thou hast given themthe name, give them also the victory.” They conquered in the battle andwere thenceforth known as Langobardi. After this they are said to havewandered through regions which cannot now be identified, apparentlybetween the Elbe and the Oder, under legendary kings, the first of whom was Agilmund, the son of Aio.