Getica

work by Jordanes

Also known as: “De origine actibusque Getarum”

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June 29, 2026

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The Getica, written by the 6th-century historian Jordanes, is a significant work detailing the history of the Goths. Although Jordanes confused the Goths with the Getae, his work is a primary source for information on the Goths and the Huns.1

The Getica is a summary of a larger history of the Goths by Cassiodorus. Jordanes claims he had limited access to the original text, suggesting he reproduced only the general sense of Cassiodorus's work. The Getica preserves legends about the Goths' origins in Scandinavia and traces their migrations and wars, including the empire of the Ostrogothic king Ermanaric.1

Jordanes's account is particularly valuable for its information on the Huns, drawing from the now-fragmentary work of the historian Priscus. It includes details about Hunnic traditions and the decline of their empire. The Getica is considered Jordanes's more important work compared to his chronicle of Roman history, the Romana. The term "Getic" can also refer to the language of the Getae, which is likely part of the Thraco-Phrygian branch of the Indo-European family.12

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Germanic religion and mythology
Early medieval records
…importance survives from before the Getica, a history of the Goths written by the Gothic historian Jordanes circa 550; it was based on a larger (lost) work of Cassiodorus, which also incorporated the earlier work of Ablavius. The Getica incorporates valuable records of Gothic tradition, the origin of the Goths,…
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…importance survives from before the Getica, a history of the Goths written by the Gothic historian Jordanes circa 550; it was based on a larger (lost) work of Cassiodorus, which also incorporated the earlier work of Ablavius. The Getica incorporates valuable records of Gothic tradition, the origin of the Goths,…
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Jordanes
…commonly referred to as the Getica, was completed in 551. At the time, Jordanes probably lived in a Roman province on the lower Danube River. In the title of the work, Jordanes confuses the Goths with the Getae, a wholly distinct people. Jordanes’ other extant work is the chronicle De…
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…commonly referred to as the Getica, was completed in 551. At the time, Jordanes probably lived in a Roman province on the lower Danube River. In the title of the work, Jordanes confuses the Goths with the Getae, a wholly distinct people. Jordanes’ other extant work is the chronicle De…
Read More