Tacitus on the German Tribes: http://www.i-friesland.com/Tacitus_tribes.htm
Fennians
Whether amongst the Sarmatians or the Germans I ought to account the Peucinians, the Venedians, and the Fennians, is what I cannot determine; though the Peucinians, whom some call Basstarnians, speak the same language with the Germans, use the same attire, build like them, and live like them, in that dirtiness and sloth so common to all. Somewhat they are corrupted into the fashion of the Sarmatians by the inter-marriages of the principal sort with that nation: from whence the Venedians have derived very many of their customs and a great resemblance. For they are continually traversing and infesting with robberies all the forests and mountains lying between the Peucinians and Fennians. Yet they are rather reckoned amongst the Germans, for that they have fixed houses, and carry shields, and prefer travelling on foot, and excel in swiftness. Usages these, all widely differing from those of the Sarmatians, who live on horseback and dwell in waggons. In wonderful savageness live the nation of the Fennians, and in beastly poverty, destitute of arms, of horses, and of homes; their food, the common herbs; their apparel, skins; their bed, the earth; their only hope in their arrows, which for want of iron they point with bones. Their common support they have from the chase, women as well as men; for with these the former wander up and down, and crave a portion of the prey. Nor other shelter have they even for their babes, against the violence of tempests and ravening beasts, than to cover them with the branches of trees twisted together; this a reception for the old men, and hither resort the young. Such a condition they judge more happy than the painful occupation of cultivating the ground, than the labour of rearing houses, than the agitations of hope and fear attending the defence of their own property or the seizing that of others. Secure against the designs of men, secure against the malignity of the Gods, they have accomplished a thing of infinite difficulty; that to them nothing remains even to be wished.
What further accounts we have are fabulous: as that the Hellusians and Oxiones have the countenances and aspect of men, with the bodies and limbs of savage beasts. This, as a thing about which I have no certain information, I shall leave untouched.
Full Version: Tacitus and Sasquatch?
Interesting find! Thanks for posting.
No offense intended at all, but are you saying that bigfoot belongs to, or is, one of these tribes?
interesting new thread 
I just think its interesting that he describes a variety of people groups, from tribes "with the bodies and limbs of savage beasts" through simple stone age forest dwellers, through simple stone or iron age pastoral hamlet farmers, and horse and wagon-living migrants, to Celts who lived in complex societies, with cities, monarchies, law systems etc.
This is another instance of bigfoot-like beings being described in the classical literature of thousands of years ago, long before the PG film, say. There's even something Neanderthalish about the description of the women hunting too, and foraging or begging off the hunt, rather than keeping home at the hearth as most stone-age modern human females do.
This is another instance of bigfoot-like beings being described in the classical literature of thousands of years ago, long before the PG film, say. There's even something Neanderthalish about the description of the women hunting too, and foraging or begging off the hunt, rather than keeping home at the hearth as most stone-age modern human females do.
QUOTE(vilnoori @ Oct 20 2009, 11:13 PM) 
Tacitus on the German Tribes: http://www.i-friesland.com/Tacitus_tribes.htm
Fennians
Whether amongst the Sarmatians or the Germans I ought to account the Peucinians, the Venedians, and the Fennians, is what I cannot determine; though the Peucinians, whom some call Basstarnians, speak the same language with the Germans, use the same attire, build like them, and live like them, in that dirtiness and sloth so common to all. Somewhat they are corrupted into the fashion of the Sarmatians by the inter-marriages of the principal sort with that nation: from whence the Venedians have derived very many of their customs and a great resemblance. For they are continually traversing and infesting with robberies all the forests and mountains lying between the Peucinians and Fennians. Yet they are rather reckoned amongst the Germans, for that they have fixed houses, and carry shields, and prefer travelling on foot, and excel in swiftness. Usages these, all widely differing from those of the Sarmatians, who live on horseback and dwell in waggons. In wonderful savageness live the nation of the Fennians, and in beastly poverty, destitute of arms, of horses, and of homes; their food, the common herbs; their apparel, skins; their bed, the earth; their only hope in their arrows, which for want of iron they point with bones. Their common support they have from the chase, women as well as men; for with these the former wander up and down, and crave a portion of the prey. Nor other shelter have they even for their babes, against the violence of tempests and ravening beasts, than to cover them with the branches of trees twisted together; this a reception for the old men, and hither resort the young. Such a condition they judge more happy than the painful occupation of cultivating the ground, than the labour of rearing houses, than the agitations of hope and fear attending the defence of their own property or the seizing that of others. Secure against the designs of men, secure against the malignity of the Gods, they have accomplished a thing of infinite difficulty; that to them nothing remains even to be wished.
What further accounts we have are fabulous: as that the Hellusians and Oxiones have the countenances and aspect of men, with the bodies and limbs of savage beasts. This, as a thing about which I have no certain information, I shall leave untouched.
Fennians
Whether amongst the Sarmatians or the Germans I ought to account the Peucinians, the Venedians, and the Fennians, is what I cannot determine; though the Peucinians, whom some call Basstarnians, speak the same language with the Germans, use the same attire, build like them, and live like them, in that dirtiness and sloth so common to all. Somewhat they are corrupted into the fashion of the Sarmatians by the inter-marriages of the principal sort with that nation: from whence the Venedians have derived very many of their customs and a great resemblance. For they are continually traversing and infesting with robberies all the forests and mountains lying between the Peucinians and Fennians. Yet they are rather reckoned amongst the Germans, for that they have fixed houses, and carry shields, and prefer travelling on foot, and excel in swiftness. Usages these, all widely differing from those of the Sarmatians, who live on horseback and dwell in waggons. In wonderful savageness live the nation of the Fennians, and in beastly poverty, destitute of arms, of horses, and of homes; their food, the common herbs; their apparel, skins; their bed, the earth; their only hope in their arrows, which for want of iron they point with bones. Their common support they have from the chase, women as well as men; for with these the former wander up and down, and crave a portion of the prey. Nor other shelter have they even for their babes, against the violence of tempests and ravening beasts, than to cover them with the branches of trees twisted together; this a reception for the old men, and hither resort the young. Such a condition they judge more happy than the painful occupation of cultivating the ground, than the labour of rearing houses, than the agitations of hope and fear attending the defence of their own property or the seizing that of others. Secure against the designs of men, secure against the malignity of the Gods, they have accomplished a thing of infinite difficulty; that to them nothing remains even to be wished.
What further accounts we have are fabulous: as that the Hellusians and Oxiones have the countenances and aspect of men, with the bodies and limbs of savage beasts. This, as a thing about which I have no certain information, I shall leave untouched.
Hi Vilnoori. I think you're suggesting the possibility of Tacitus describing some "Wudewasa" (european wildman) tribe or Neanderthaloids. At that time, there was for sure many "germanic tribes" living in Central and East Europe, I will suggest maybe life was hard, specially for poor peasants and slaves (we have to remember these were pre-medieval times). What it the fennians just were the poorest tribe of all? Or they were some kind of aborigine europeans, some outcasts, some kind of "pariahs" (pariah is the lowest social class in India, the "untouchables")? May sound harsh, but I think these were the poorest of all tribes and the others had no trade with them.
Interesting. Any connection to the "Fenian" men of Irish mythology? They were more like superheroes than wild men . . .
I know nothing about the Irish Fenians, can you elaborate, Saskeptic? Links?
I wonder if there is an etymological connection to the word "fen". Interesting read for those who are curious about the various kinds of wetlands ecosystems...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fen
It makes sense, doesn't it, considering one of the terms for sasquatch is "Swamp Ape?" From that Wiki article:
QUOTE
The word "fen" is derived from Old English fenn and is considered to have proto-Germanic origins, since it has cognates in Gothic (fani), Old Frisian (fenne), Dutch (veen) and German (Fenn(e), Venn, Vehn, Feen, Fehn).
I googled "Finnian".Evidently they're the ancestors of the Lapps and Sami inhabiting Scandanavia today. The Romans looked down on them because they were hunter gatherer's imho.I bet the ancient "Finnians" were probably healthier than the average Roman on average due to their better diet.
vilnoori,
Very interesting information. The Fennians sound like paleolithic people existing amidst Bronze Age / Iron Age cultures. A primative Homo sapiens sapiens or perhaps H. sapiens neandertalensis would make the most sense for them. The latter would explain the lack of metal, presumably. The Hellusians and Oxiones sound more plausibly to be about an archaic hominid, but its pretty thin ice. I love that quote: "This, as a thing about which I have no certain information, I shall leave untouched."
Thanks,
PF
Very interesting information. The Fennians sound like paleolithic people existing amidst Bronze Age / Iron Age cultures. A primative Homo sapiens sapiens or perhaps H. sapiens neandertalensis would make the most sense for them. The latter would explain the lack of metal, presumably. The Hellusians and Oxiones sound more plausibly to be about an archaic hominid, but its pretty thin ice. I love that quote: "This, as a thing about which I have no certain information, I shall leave untouched."
Thanks,
PF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenni "Such a condition they judge more happy than the painful occupation of cultivating the ground, than the labour of rearing houses, than the agitations of hope and fear attending the defense of their own property or the seizing that of others. Secure against the designs of men, secure against the malignity of the Gods, they have accomplished a thing of infinite difficulty; that to them nothing remains even to be wished."
Fennians=SAMI
Fennians=SAMI
Some have thought Grendel from Beowulf may be a similar creature to BF. I can't find the refrence, but found this on Wiki (I know, not a great source to quote): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grendel
Some scholars have linked Grendel's descent from Cain to the monsters and giants of The Cain Tradition.[2]
Seamus Heaney, in his translation of Beowulf, writes in lines 1351–1355 that Grendel is vaguely human in shape, though much larger:
... the other, warped
in the shape of a man, moves beyond the pale
bigger than any man, an unnatural birth
called Grendel by the country people
in former days.[3]
Some scholars have linked Grendel's descent from Cain to the monsters and giants of The Cain Tradition.[2]
Seamus Heaney, in his translation of Beowulf, writes in lines 1351–1355 that Grendel is vaguely human in shape, though much larger:
... the other, warped
in the shape of a man, moves beyond the pale
bigger than any man, an unnatural birth
called Grendel by the country people
in former days.[3]
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