Filimer

Who is Filimer?

Filimer was an early Gothic king, according to Jordanes.

He was the son of Gadareiks and the fifth generation since Berig settled with his people in Gothiscandza. When the Gothic nation had multiplied Filimer decided to move his people to Scythia where they defeated the Sarmatians. They then named their new territory Oium, meaning "in the waterlands". This migration would have taken place about 230 years before Jordanes wrote his "Origin of the Goths".

The archaeological record shows that the population of the Gothic Wielbark culture had indeed moved and settled in the Ukraine and mixed with the previous populations of the Zarubintsy culture, where they formed the Chernyakhov culture. This cultural movement is identified as the migration of the Goths from Gothiscandza to Oium, but not all scholars find the evidence compelling.

Jordanes also relates that Filimer expelled the völvas, who were called Aliorumnas. These völvas were condemned to seek refuge far away and procreated the Huns.

The Danish scholar Christensen has suggested that the name Filimer was made up by Cassiodorus, a suggestion that was favourably received among historians.