- Pharamond
Pharamond or Faramund is a legendary early king of the
Franks first referred to in the anonymous 8th centuryCarolingian text "Liber Historiae Francorum ", also known as the "Gesta regnum Francorum". In this work, which is customarily dated to 727, the anonymous author begins by writing of a mythical Trojan origin for theFranks . The emphasis of the "Liber" was upon "construct [ing] a specific past for a particular group of people." [McKitterick, "History and Memory in the Carolingian World", p.8]The story is told of the election of the first Frankish king. ["Liber Historiæ Francorum" 4-5, MGH Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum II, ed. B. Krusch, Hanover, 1888, pp. 245-246] It says that after the death of
Sunno , his brotherMarcomer , leader of theAmpsivarii andChatti , proposed to the Franks that they should have one single king, contrary to their tradition. The "Liber" adds that Pharamond, named as Marchomir's son, was chosen as this first king (thus beginning the tradition of long-haired kings of the Franks), and then states that when he died, his sonChlodio was raised up as the next king. The work says no more of him.Because there is no reference in any source prior to this work [Wood, Ian. The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450-751. 1. Essex, England: Longman Group Limited, 1994. p.37] to this figure named Pharamond, who is placed prior to
Chlodio (that is, before ca. 428), scholars consider him a legendary rather than historical figure. [Wood, "The Merovingian Kingdoms", p. 36.] As a matter of fact in several sources, for exampleGregory of Tours , multiple kings are attested to rule simultaneously in later times. It is thus a dubious matter to assume that, even had Pharamond existed, he was ever recognized as sole king. The first king of the Franks who may have been close to this position wasClovis I , but after his death his empire was divided again amongst his sons who ruled again simultaneously.The myth of Pharamond has led to new legends and romances in later times. In past times this has led to attempts to falsely write Pharamond into Prosper Tiro [Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. ed. Rev. H. H. Milman. Boston: Phillips, Samson, and Company, 1852. Vol. 3, p.314 Ftn.169. 6 vols.] .
Martin Bouquet at a much later date invented an entire history of Pharamond.refPharamond in later culture
A Pharamond appears as the king of France in the Prose "Tristan" and later Arthurian works. A god called Pharamond appears in
Neil Gaiman 's "Sandman" as a provider of transportation for the gods and higher beings. It appears he also has a large amount of control over human transportation as well. He calls himself the last member of his pantheon. Pharamond is also mentioned inWilliam Shakespeare 's "Henry V", Act I, Scene 2, as the originator of theSalic law banning women from succession to the throne ofFrance .Notes
References
*"
Liber Historiae Francorum ", translated by Bernard S. Bachrach. Coronado Press, 1973.
*Gregory of Tours . "Historia Francorum".
*McKitterick, Rosamond. History and Memory in the Carolingian World. 1st Ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
*Wood, Ian. "The Merovingian Kingdoms". Pearson Education, 1994.
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