Trojan genealogy of Nennius facts for kids
The Trojan Genealogy of Nennius is a special family tree found in a book called Historia Brittonum, written by a monk named Nennius. This genealogy was created to connect ancient Greek mythology with Christian beliefs. It traces the family lines of important figures like Aeneas from Troy, Brutus of Britain, and Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome.
This type of family tree, which explains how famous people or places came to be, is called a "foundation genealogy." You can find similar stories in old Irish, Welsh, Saxon, and even Roman writings.
Contents
How the Genealogy Starts
Like many early Christian family trees, Nennius's genealogy begins with God and goes through Noah. The first part of the line, from God to Noah, comes from the Book of Genesis in the Bible.
Connecting to Ancient Heroes
After Noah, the family tree splits to show different branches of humanity. Nennius's genealogy connects to Japheth, one of Noah's sons. It then traces the family line of Hisicion, who was the father of Brutus of Britain. Interestingly, Hisicion's family line connects to Javan (another son of Japheth) on both his mother's and father's sides.
Hisicion's Father's Side
This is the family line from Hisicion's father:
- Javan
- Jobath
- Bath
- Hisrau
- Esraa
- Ra
- Aber
- Ooth
- Ethec
- Aurthack
- Ecthactur
- Mair
- Semion
- Boibus
- Thoi
- Ogomuin
- Fethuir, who married Rhea Silvia
- Alanus
- Hisicion
- Brutus
Hisicion's Mother's Side (The Trojan Connection)
This is the family line from Hisicion's mother, which includes the famous Trojan heroes:
- Javan
- Elisha
- Dardanus
- Tros, from whom the city of Troy gets its name.
- Anchises
- Aeneas
- Ascanius
- Numa Pompilius
- Rhea Silvia, Numa's daughter and mother of Romulus and Remus.
- Alanus
- Hisicion
- Brutus
Differences from Other Stories
It's important to know that these family lines don't perfectly match other historical accounts. For example, Geoffrey of Monmouth, another famous historian, wrote that Ascanius was Brutus's grandfather, which is different from Nennius's version.
Why Was This Genealogy Created?
Historians believe that this genealogy might have started as an early British origin story, perhaps around the first century CE. It helped people understand their past and connect themselves to famous ancient heroes.
Professor Tim Murray notes that this Trojan origin story was widely accepted for a long time. It wasn't until the 16th century, when Polydore Vergil, a historian during the early Tudor dynasty, began to question it.
Where Did Alanus and Hisicion Come From?
The connection between Alanus, Hisicion (sometimes called Hisitio), and Brutus (Britto) comes from an old text called the Frankish Table of Nations. This text, in turn, was influenced by Tacitus's book Germania. It seems that "Alanus" is a changed version of Tacitus's "Mannus," and "Hisicion" was a name created in the Frankish Table to explain the ancestor of a group of people called the Istvaeones.
