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I am Elemund, son of Beremud, of the Gepid tribe. Before telling you about myself, I would like to talk about my family and how I got here. When I was a child, everyone said that I resembled my grandmother Rosamunda the most. She was a Gepid who lived during the reign of King Ardaric, but she also lived through the period when Attila ruled over all the tribes. I, unfortunately, never got to meet her. She lived to an old age and my family often talked about her wisdom. My father told me that she was buried with great pomp, along with all her valuable possessions. The entire village participated in the event, even the most esteemed members of the tribe, since everyone knew her and valued her advice.
Like all the men in my family, I have fought for my people my whole life. Know that I was no ordinary man! My military career took me alongside my people throughout the vast Gepidic Kingdom, west up to the Tisia River, south to the Savus River, and beyond the Marisia towards the east, all the way to the large mountains.
When I went last time to Sirmium, our capital, I saw many changes. I was surprised that even our King Cunimund minted his own coins, just like the Ostrogoths or the Romans. I was also surprised by how important Arian Christians have become! I heard that they now have their own bishop at Sirmium. To each their own, we, at home, have kept the faith of our parents and we pray to our gods!
Sirmium is the capital of our kingdom now, but it has not always been this way. This ancient Roman city was highly coveted by both the Ostrogoths and the eastern Romans because it was a strategic point. If you had Sirmium, you could control the entire area. Before I was born, the Gepids took hold of it for the first time. Then, for a while, it was taken over by our enemies the Ostrogoths, but now it belongs to us again! This angered the Roman emperor, who sided with the Langobards when they went to war against us. This tribe, known as “long beard”, came from the north and occupied Pannonia, where the Ostrogoths once lived. We fought the Langobards several times, and in the bloodiest battle, we paid with the life of the heir to the throne. The Langobards did not stop even after this victory, and in the end found an ally in the Avars, a savage tribe from the east.
I am far too old for journeys now, but also to participate in war. That is a task that should be taken on by the youth, but I fear that the danger looming over us is so great that I may have to raise the sword one last time.
They’re coming for us!!!!