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they thought it right to be his messmates, and without restraint whoever wished insulted him. 6.14.41 For there are no men more faithless or more unstable than the Heruli. But when the evil deed had been done by them, 6.14.42 they already regretted it. For they said that they were not able to live without a ruler and without a general; at any rate, after much deliberation among themselves, it seemed to them by far the best course to summon someone of the royal family from the island of Thule. What this is I shall presently explain. 6.15.1 When the Heruli, having been defeated in battle by the Langobards, were driven from their ancestral homes, some of them, as has been related by me previously, settled in the lands in Illyricum, but the others decided by no means to cross the Ister River, but established themselves somewhere on the very borders 6.15.2 of the inhabited world; these, at any rate, with many of the royal blood leading them, passed through all the nations of the Sclaveni one after another, and after crossing a great extent of deserted country from there, they came to the so-called Varni. 6.15.3 After these they passed by the nations of the Dani, the barbarians in that region not using violence against them. 6.15.4 And from there they came to the ocean and took ship, and putting in at the island of Thule, they remained there. Thule is an exceedingly large island. For it happens to be more than 6.15.5 ten times the size of Brittania. It lies far distant from it towards the north wind. On this island the land is for the most part deserted, but in the inhabited part thirteen very populous nations are settled; and there are kings over each nation. 6.15.6 Here a sort of wondrous thing happens every year. For the sun, around the summer solstice, for about forty days does not set at all, but is continually visible above the earth all this 6.15.7 time. And not less than six months later, about the winter solstice, the sun for forty days is not seen at all on this island, but an endless night is spread over it; and dejection holds the people there all this time, since they are by no means able to have dealings with one another in the interval. 6.15.8 As for me, although I was eager to go to this island and to become an eyewitness of the things mentioned, it was in no way possible. 6.15.9 I enquired, however, of those who came to us from there how they are able to reckon the measure of the days, since the sun neither rises nor sets there at the proper times. And they told me a true 6.15.10 and credible account. For they say that the sun during those forty days does not set, as has been said, but is visible to the people there, sometimes towards the east, 6.15.11 and sometimes towards the west. So when, returning again and coming to be around the horizon, it arrives at the same place where they had previously seen it rising, they reckon in this way that one day and night has passed. 6.15.12 And yet when the time of the nights has come, they reckon the measure of the days by judging always from the courses of the moon and the stars. 6.15.13 And whenever a period of thirty-five days has passed in this long night, some men are sent to the mountain tops—this being a custom of theirs—and seeing the sun somehow from there, they announce to the people below that in five days the sun will shine upon them. 6.15.14 And the whole population celebrates a festival for the good news, and this in the dark. And this is the greatest of the festivals for the people of Thule. 6.15.15 For these islanders seem to me to be always exceedingly afraid, although the same thing happens to them every year, that the sun may at some time completely fail them. 6.15.16 Of the barbarians settled in Thule, one nation only, who are called the Scrithiphini, live a sort of bestial life. For they neither wear clothing nor do they walk shod, nor do they drink wine, nor do they have anything 6.15.17 edible from the earth. For they do not cultivate the land themselves, nor do their women work at anything for them, but the men always, along with the women, pursue only the hunt. 6.15.18 For the forests, which are exceedingly large, and the mountains which rise there, bear for them a great abundance of wild beasts and other animals. 6.15.19 and on flesh

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ξύσσιτοι εἶναι ἠξίουν, καὶ ἀνέδην ὅστις βούλοιτο ἐς 6.14.41 αὐτὸν ὕβριζεν. ἀσυνθετώτεροι γὰρ ἢ ἀσταθμητότεροι Ἐρούλων εἰσὶν ἀνθρώπων οὐδένες. τοῦ δὲ κακοῦ 6.14.42 σφίσιν ἐξειργασμένου μετέμελεν ἤδη. ἔφασκον γὰρ ἄναρχοί τε καὶ ἀστρατήγητοι βιοτεύειν οὐχ οἷοί τε εἶναι· πολλὰ γοῦν σφίσι βουλευσαμένοις ἄμεινον τῷ παντὶ ἔδοξεν εἶναι τῶν τινα γένους τοῦ βασιλείου μεταπέμψασθαι ἐκ Θούλης τῆς νήσου. ὅ τι δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν αὐτίκα δηλώσω. 6.15.1 Ἡνίκα Ἔρουλοι Λαγγοβαρδῶν ἡσσηθέντες τῇ μάχῃ ἐξ ἠθῶν τῶν πατρίων ἀνέστησαν, οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν, ὥσπερ μοι ἔμπροσθεν δεδιήγηται, ᾠκήσαντο ἐς τὰ ἐν Ἰλλυριοῖς χωρία, οἱ δὲ δὴ ἄλλοι Ἴστρον ποταμὸν διαβαίνειν οὐδαμῆ ἔγνωσαν, ἀλλ' ἐς αὐτάς που τὰς ἐσχα6.15.2 τιὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἱδρύσαντο· οὗτοι γοῦν πολλῶν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλείου αἵματος ἡγουμένων σφίσιν ἤμειψαν μὲν τὰ Σκλαβηνῶν ἔθνη ἐφεξῆς ἅπαντα, ἔρημον δὲ χώραν διαβάντες ἐνθένδε πολλὴν ἐς τοὺς Οὐάρνους καλου6.15.3 μένους ἐχώρησαν. μεθ' οὓς δὴ καὶ ∆ανῶν τὰ ἔθνη παρέδραμον οὐ βιαζομένων σφᾶς τῶν τῇδε βαρβάρων. 6.15.4 ἐνθένδε τε ἐς ὠκεανὸν ἀφικόμενοι ἐναυτίλλοντο, Θούλῃ τε προσχόντες τῇ νήσῳ αὐτοῦ ἔμειναν. ἔστι δὲ ἡ Θούλη μεγίστη ἐς ἄγαν. Βρεττανίας γὰρ αὐτὴν πλέον 6.15.5 ἢ δεκαπλασίαν ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. κεῖται δὲ αὐτῆς πολλῷ ἄποθεν πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον. ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νήσῳ γῆ μὲν ἔρημος ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τυγχάνει οὖσα, ἐν χώρᾳ δὲ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἔθνη τριακαίδεκα πολυανθρωπότατα ἵδρυται· βασιλεῖς τέ εἰσι κατὰ ἔθνος ἕκαστον. 6.15.6 ἐνταῦθα γίνεταί τι ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος θαυμάσιον οἷον. ὁ γὰρ ἥλιος ἀμφὶ θερινὰς μὲν τροπὰς μάλιστα ἐς ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα οὐδαμῆ δύει, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς πάντα τοῦ6.15.7 τον τὸν χρόνον ὑπὲρ γῆς φαίνεται. μησὶ δὲ οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ ἓξ ὕστερον ἀμφὶ τὰς χειμερινάς που τροπὰς ἥλιος μὲν ἐς ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα τῆς νήσου ταύτης οὐδαμῆ φαίνεται, νὺξ δὲ αὐτῆς ἀπέραντος κατακέχυται· κατήφειά τε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἔχει πάντα τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον τοὺς τῇδε ἀνθρώπους, ἐπεὶ ἀλλήλοις ἐπιμίγνυσθαι 6.15.8 μεταξὺ οὐδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ ἔχουσιν. ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐς ταύτην ἰέναι τὴν νῆσον τῶν τε εἰρημένων αὐτόπτῃ γενέσθαι, καίπερ γλιχομένῳ, τρόπῳ οὐδενὶ ξυνηνέχθη. 6.15.9 τῶν μέντοι ἐς ἡμᾶς ἐνθένδε ἀφικομένων ἐπυνθανόμην ὅπη ποτὲ οἷοί τέ εἰσι τῶν ἡμερῶν λογίζεσθαι τὸ μέτρον οὔτε ἀνίσχοντος οὔτε δύοντος τοῖς καθήκουσι χρόνοις ἐνταῦθα ἡλίου. οἵπερ ἐμοὶ λόγον ἀληθῆ τε 6.15.10 καὶ πιστὸν ἔφρασαν. τὸν γὰρ ἥλιόν φασι τὰς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἐκείνας οὐ δύειν μὲν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, φαίνεσθαι δὲ τοῖς ταύτῃ ἀνθρώποις πὴ μὲν πρὸς ἕω, 6.15.11 πὴ δὲ πρὸς ἑσπέραν. ἐπειδὰν οὖν ἐπανιὼν αὖθις ἀμφὶ τὸν ὁρίζοντά τε γινόμενος ἐς τὸν αὐτὸν ἀφίκηται χῶρον, οὗπερ αὐτὸν ἀνίσχοντα τὰ πρότερα ἑώρων, ἡμέραν οὕτω καὶ νύκτα μίαν παρῳχηκέναι διαριθμοῦν6.15.12 ται. καὶ ἡνίκα μέντοι ὁ τῶν νυκτῶν χρόνος ἀφίκηται, τῆς τε σελήνης τῶν τε ἄστρων ἀεὶ τοῖς δρόμοις τεκ6.15.13 μηριούμενοι τὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν λογίζονται μέτρον. ὁπηνίκα δὲ πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα ἡμερῶν χρόνος τῇ μακρᾷ ταύτῃ διαδράμοι νυκτὶ, στέλλονταί τινες ἐς τῶν ὀρῶν τὰς ὑπερβολὰς, εἰθισμένον αὐτοῖς τοῦτό γε, τόν τε ἥλιον ἀμηγέπη ἐνθένδε ὁρῶντες ἀπαγγέλλουσι τοῖς κάτω ἀνθρώποις, ὅτι δὴ πέντε ἡμερῶν ἥλιος αὐτοὺς 6.15.14 καταλάμψοι. οἱ δὲ πανδημεὶ πανηγυρίζουσιν εὐαγγέλια 6.15.14 καὶ ταῦτα ἐν σκότῳ. αὕτη τε Θουλίταις ἡ μεγίστη 6.15.15 τῶν ἑορτῶν ἐστι. δοκοῦσι γάρ μοι περιδεεῖς ἀεὶ γίνεσθαι οἱ νησιῶται οὗτοι, καίπερ ταὐτὸ συμβαῖνον σφίσιν ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος, μή ποτε αὐτοὺς ἐπιλείποι τὸ παράπαν ὁ ἥλιος. 6.15.16 Τῶν δὲ ἱδρυμένων ἐν Θούλῃ βαρβάρων ἓν μόνον ἔθνος, οἳ Σκριθίφινοι ἐπικαλοῦνται, θηριώδη τινὰ βιοτὴν ἔχουσιν. οὔτε γὰρ ἱμάτια ἐνδιδύσκονται οὔτε ὑποδεδεμένοι βαδίζουσιν οὔτε οἶνον πίνουσιν οὔτε τι 6.15.17 ἐδώδιμον ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἔχουσιν. οὔτε γὰρ αὐτοὶ γῆν γεωργοῦσιν οὔτε τι αὐτοῖς αἱ γυναῖκες ἐργάζονται, ἀλλὰ ἄνδρες ἀεὶ ξὺν ταῖς γυναιξὶ τὴν θήραν μόνην 6.15.18 ἐπιτηδεύουσι. θηρίων τε γὰρ καὶ ἄλλων ζῴων μέγα τι χρῆμα αἵ τε ὗλαι αὐτοῖς φέρουσι, μεγάλαι ὑπερφυῶς 6.15.19 οὖσαι, καὶ τὰ ὄρη, ἃ ταύτῃ ἀνέχει. καὶ κρέασι