CelticBard

Why did Barbarians (Celts, Germans, Dacians, Scythians, Huns, etc.) become the Boogymen for Greek and Roman Civilization, but the image of steel armored troopers did not become boogymen for Barbarian tribes?

Lord_Cronus

The word barbarian come from the greek "barbaros" which means non-Greek. I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to ask in your question though.

Commander

He wants to know why Romans feared the Barbarians... and why the Barbarians did not fear the romans.

When you see the image of a barbarian you see a lawless man who fears nothing. Someone who eats meat without cooking it. Someone with a painted face and tattoos. The Romans had images of barbarians living in the woods and showing no mercy. It kind of looks like a boogy man.

The barbarians however did not see the Romans as boogymen because they were more civilized. They had formations and cities and laws. They were fierce warriors but not necessarily scary looking

Does that answer your questions?

CelticBard

Barbaros actually describes the bleeting of sheep.

Lord_Cronus

barbarian, barbaryn (older spelling)
1. Etymologically, a foreigner, one whose language and customs differ from the speaker's.
2. Historically: one who is not a Greek; then one living outside the pale of the Roman empire and its civilization, applied especially to the northern nations that overthrew them; followed by one who existed outside the realm of Christian civilization.
3. A rude, wild, uncivilized person.
4. An uncultured person, or one who has no sympathy with literary culture.
5. Applied by nations, generally depreciatively, to foreigners; thus at various times and with various speakers or writers: non-Hellenic, non-Roman (most usual), non-Christian.
From Greek βάρβαρος barbaros, "non-Greek, foreign, barbarous," from an Indo-European imitative base barb, "to stammer, stutter; and unintelligible." The Greeks were quoted as saying that foreigners sounded as if they were saying, "Barbar, Barbar," which was, for the Greeks, unintelligible.

And.....

http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/gr...cgi?number=915

CelticBard

Yes, but read the line that says they sounded as if they were saying barbar barbar, does that not sound like baaah baaah baaah, sheep.

rexrar

In my opinion the roman troopers was boogymen enough for Celts, Germans, Dacians, Scythians, Huns, etc., but barbarians did not write this down.

Sargon of Akkad

Agreed. I expect that the Romans were a very real boogyman to the barbarians.

sturm

Maybe because barabarians (those that were mentioned in the first post) were warlike people, what they did was war. While greeks and romans citizens were living a life in the cities, maybe having farm and leading a peaceful life (at least as peaceful as it could be for those years), then when the empire was in crisis moments, when it was divided and weakened, barbarians started attacking and tormenting those people. Burning, looting, killing. Spreading terror and fear troughout the roman citizens.
We should remamber that romans even though great soldiers, very advanced for the times, great builders were people too, they also had fears.

corrocamino

I still fear the barbarians -- they vote here!