Arminius the Liberator: Myth and Ideology
Martin M. Winkler
Abstract
This book deals with the mythical and ideological afterlife of the historical facts concerning Arminius the Cheruscan, commonly called Hermann in German. Arminius inflicted one of their most devastating defeats on the Romans in the year 9 AD, when he destroyed three legions under the command of Quinctilius Varus in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, as it is called generally but inaccurately. The book traces the origin and development of the Arminius myth in antiquity and in nationalist and patriotic appropriations of Arminius-Hermann, primarily but not exclusively in Germany, since the ninet ... More
This book deals with the mythical and ideological afterlife of the historical facts concerning Arminius the Cheruscan, commonly called Hermann in German. Arminius inflicted one of their most devastating defeats on the Romans in the year 9 AD, when he destroyed three legions under the command of Quinctilius Varus in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, as it is called generally but inaccurately. The book traces the origin and development of the Arminius myth in antiquity and in nationalist and patriotic appropriations of Arminius-Hermann, primarily but not exclusively in Germany, since the nineteenth century. The book’s central theme is the variety of ideological uses and political abuses of history and historical myth: Weimar-era nationalism, National Socialism, and the different reactions to the ideological taint of the Arminius-Hermann legend after 1945. The book also examines the chief appearances of Arminius in literature, art, and visual media from the nineteenth century until today. Special emphasis is on the representation of Arminius in the era of mass media in Europe and in the United States: painting, theater, and, most extensively, cinema, television, and computer videos.
Keywords:
Teutoburg Forest,
Weimar Germany,
National Socialism,
historical myth,
nationalism,
right-wing ideologies,
historical films,
television docudramas,
historical novels,
digital videos
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190252915 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: November 2015 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190252915.001.0001 |
