Barbarian
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Presented by Narindar Chopra
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As per Webster Barbarians are
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(i) : of or relating to a land, culture, or people alien and usually believed to be inferior to another land, culture, or people
(ii) : lacking refinement, learning, or artistic or literary culture

1. The term "Barbarian" is Greek in origin. The Greeks originally levied it at any races who were not of Greek extraction; especially those who threatened Greek civilization and culture. Originally applied to the Persian invaders under Artaxerxes and Darius, the Greeks later referred to the invading peoples of Northern Europe as "barbarians." To the Greeks, the harsh barking sound of the newcomers' speech sounded to them like "bar-bar-bar." Since these strangers from the north did not understand classic Greek, the Greeks believed them to be "illiterate." .
A) Because most of these "strangers" regularly practiced raids upon these civilizations, the term "barbarian" gradually evolved into a pejorative term: a person who was sub-human, uncivilized, and regularly practiced the most vile and inhuman acts imaginable.
B) A glimpse of the dim view concerning the barbarians, taken by the cultural historian Herodotus of Greece, follows:
c) "Barbarians can neither think nor act rationally, theological controversies are Greek to them...Under the assault of their horrible songs the classic meter of the ancient poet goes to pieces...Barbarians are driven by evil spirits; "possessed by demons", who force them to commit the most terrible acts...incapable of living according to written laws and only reluctantly tolerating kings...Their lust for gold is immense, their love of drink boundless. Barbarians are without restraint...Although generally they are considered good-looking, they are given to gross personal hygiene...They run dirty and barefoot, even in the winter...They grease their blond hair with butter and care not that it smells rancid...Their reproductive energy is inexhaustible; the Northern climate of their native land, with its long winter nights favors their fantastic urge to procreate...If a barbarian people is driven back or destroyed, another already emerges from the marshes and forests of Germany...Indeed, there are no new barbarian peoples--descendents of the same tribes keep appearing."
D) Nothing could have been farther from the truth.
E) The life of the barbarian people was very hard; the climate rough. Resources were scarce (thus the need for minimal clothing; running barefoot was often a necessity.) Greasing the hair with butter was a strategic maneuver; an enemy would find it very difficult to grab hold of a barbarian's long luxuriant hair if it was thus oiled. As for the remarks concerning "evil spirits", this was a common tactic used then to produce fear in the hearts of the populace. As far as the barbarian's lust for gold and drink, it was no greater or less than that of the Greeks or Romans. Shall we mention the gluttonous banquets and orgies thrown by these same Grecian and Roman elite, not to mention the depths of depravity and sexual license incurred among such festivities? (These activities included bestiality, child molestation, sado-masochism; most acts of which were unheard of among the barbarian culture).
F) Other than their rather ferocious battle tactics, the barbarians of Iron-Age Northern Europe (N.E.) were fairly civilized--unlike the Huns and Allans--, the N.E. barbarians were pretty much content to keep to themselves and to their own. Raiding forays were made only in direst circumstances when climatic conditions or other natural disasters forced them to look for resources elsewhere. The northern part of Britain was inhabited by barbarians of both Celtic and Pictish origin, which make up the current race of the Scots. To the west were the Franks (later the French), a Germanic race, and the Gauls (also now the French), who were a subset of the Celtic race.
G) History has shown the barbarians to be civilized and far from the uncultured stereotype with which they have been saddled. History has also shown them to be strong family folks, who remained faithful to their mates for life. So how did they get such a bad reputation?
H) First of all, very few of the barbarians could read or write. Therefore, their histories were largely passed by word of mouth, from generation to generation. The Greeks and Romans, however, being very adept at the written record, are the ones who have given us much of the recorded history of the Iron Age. Obviously, they would not have spoken very well of those who helped bring about the fall of their empire!

I) It was, in fact, common practice during the latter parts of the Roman Empire, for Rome to actively recruit young barbarian males for duty in the Roman army, especially patrolling the outer borders.

2. Barbarian Families
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a) Courtship and Marriage
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The standard male-female relationship was the norm in this culture among most of the barbarian tribes.
b) Depending on the sophistication of the tribal culture and the class level of the couple, marriages were either arranged by the parents or were decided by the bride and groom themselves.
c) Monogamy as a marital structure was the norm among the western barbarian people.
d) Children:-
Regardless of class or level of sophistication, barbarians loved and cherished their offspring.
( Presenter is a deep thinker and learned senior.)
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