Robert, there is another explanation and to me a more likely one: Tacitus reports a German tribe by the name : Nemeti. Tacitus and Jordanes Can we use Roman writers as sources to Germanic and Nordic culture? Maybe earlier generations have taken the books too literally since we have no original sources from Germania. Maybe it is time for sceptical analysis to see what it is about ... (Thuringians) [42] Nemeti, Vangini, Tribokes on the shores of Rhine ... http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~catshaman/essays/0jord.htm http://www.catshaman.com/0worldO/0jord.htm Tatjana