The Israelite Tribe of
by Yair Davidiy
ASHER AND THE VANDALS
"And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister" and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel" Genesis 46; 17.
Simplified descriptions of British History usually depict Britain as originally populated by "Celts", who were conquered by Anglo-Saxons, who in turn were conquered by Normans of Scandinavian origin. The actual details are far more complicated. The Normans included many native "Bretons" from Celtic Brittany in France and also many adventurers and mercenaries from various other parts of France were in the Norman forces.
The Celts of Britain, according to some authorities, may not have been strictly speaking Celts at all. At all events they were not a homogeneous people but rather very disparate groups culturally and otherwise.
Similarly, the Anglo-Saxon invaders actually consisted of numerous Scandinavian and Northern Tribes amongst whom the VANDALS were quite important.
The historian Procopius reported that the vandals had come from the Sea of Azov area just north of the Black Sea by the River Don. The Vandals in the first century CE had been known as Lygians or Lugii. They had then been located by the Upper Vistula River. They absorbed a Celtic
group in the area who had previously had a highly developed "La Tene" type culture14. This culture had originated in the Scythian area but evolved differently from that of the other Scythian peoples. The Lygian-Vandal tribes were the Boreoi, the Omani, and the Heissi1. These names are similar to those of the sons of Asher (Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, and Beriah) and several factors serve to equate Asher with the Vandals as well as with other entities. The sons of Asher were Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber and Malchiel (Genesis 46;17). The sons of Asher correspond to the Tribes of the Lygian Vandals; Jimnah became the Omani, Isui the Heissi, and Beriah the Boreoi. The Vandals were somehow associated with the region of Vendyssel2 in Jutland in Denmark. They may also be identified as the legendary VANES who had dwelt in Vanaland besides the Don River in southern Scythia and then moved to Scandinavia. The Vanes had first warred and then amalgamated with the Aseir. The Aseir (singular, "As") like the Vanes were to become ancestors to part of the Scandinavians. "AS" in Phoenician Hebrew was a shortened form for ASHER3, and Phoenician-Hebrew appears to have been the dialect employed by the northern Ten Tribes prior to their exile4. The Aseir are also equated by scholars with the Ansis who become the ruling elite among the Goths5. Goths and Vandals spoke the same language and were considered different branches of the same people6. The Vandals had first appeared south of the Burgundians who in turn were south of the Goths on the Baltic coast, east of the Vistula. At that stage the Vandals were led by two leaders, named AMBRI and Assi:7. The name "Ambri" is reminiscent of the Ambri people who, with the Sicambri (Franks), encountered Alexander the Great in Bactria8 and later moved to Northern Europe whence in ca. 109-101 BCE they joined the Cimbri and Teutons in attacking Rome. Their name is recalled in Ambrum, Imbri, and Ymbre of Scandinavia9. They were descendants of Jimna (Yimna) son of Asher.
The name of the second leader of the Vandals was "ASSI" which is the same name as that of the people of "Assi" in Roman Chronicles. These were referred to in Chinese records as WUSUN10. They were recorded as having once conquered the Goths (Yueh-chi) in east Scythia. After that they then moved to the Don River region before migrating northward. They were also known as the Aseir (As). The Aseir were the people of Odin and migrated to Scandinavia.
BERIAH son of ASHER
Pliny (N.H. 4; 14) said that the VANDALS were a federation encompassing the Vandili, Varini, Goths, and Burgundians. The Burgundians were to settle in France and Switzerland and are associated with the Swedish isle of Bornholm11. The Burgundians descended from BERIAH son of ASHER whose name may also be pronounced as Beria(g)h or "Veriag". Similar appellations to Beria(g)h were "Barragos", "Varegu", and "Variag" which names were applied to the Vikings, especially those who penetrated Russia12. A related people were the Varachan Huns13 who were a Tribal component amongst the Khazars in southern Russia. The Varins or "WARINGS" who came with the Angles and Saxons to Britain were to conquer the Celtic Brigantes. The Brigantes were also descended from Beriah. They were located in the northern areas of Roman Britain (i.e. North England), in Gaul, in east Switzerland and in southeast Ireland.
The Vandals Become "Africans"
From the Vistula Region in present-day Eastern Poland the Vandals had moved south and for a time were subject to the Romans in Pannonia (Hungary). In the 400's CE the Vandals participated in the invasion of Roman Gaul and then penetrated Spain where Andalusia (Vandalusia) still bears their name. In 429 CE the Vandals, under their king Geiseric, crossed the Straits of Gibraltar into North Africa. From North Africa the Vandals raided and plundered the city of Rome (Italy) in 445 CE. A tradition states that in their raid on Rome the Vandals "liberated" treasures taken from the Temple in Jerusalem that the Romans had destroyed in 66 CE. These treasures included the "Menorah" (candle stick). Some of the treasures were retaken by the Byzantines and may have been "liberated" again later by the Goths. The possibility also exists that some of the Temple treasures went with the Vandals to Ireland and then to Britain. They may still be concealed somewhere in the British Isles! The Byzantines in 533 CE crushed the last vestiges of the Vandal African kingdom though most of the Vandals appear to have left the province of North Africa previously. At all events after their defeat, Procopius records that the entire Vandal nation took ship and sailed away. In the Vandal period North Africa via Spain had been invaded by other related groups such as the "Massagetae" (probably Nephtalites), Suebi, Franks, and others and these must have joined the Vandals and moved with them to Ireland and from there to Britain.
Geoffrey of Monmouth reported that 160,000 "Africans" from Ireland joined the Saxons in invading Britain. These so called "Africans" were Vandals and kindred bands.
Sons of Asher
The Vandal presence in Britain is also evidenced from other areas.
The Romans after 277 CE had encouraged Alamans, Burgundians, and Vandals to settle in Britain and ultimately it is believed that these settlers assisted the Anglo-Saxons in invading Britain in the 450's. Bede mentions the Rugini amongst the Anglo-Saxon forces16. The Rugini were a Vandal group. The Rugini on the continent were known to have been in the host of Attilla the Hun. The isle of Rugen in the Baltic is named after them and this isle was once a Vandal centre17; there is also a Rogaland in Norway18. [A small portion of this tribe settled temporarily in part of Austria19. They later moved out and today most Austrians belong to the Indo-Germanic and Slavonic elements that were "native" to Europe]. The names Rugini, Roga, and Rugen in connection with the Vandals derive from Rohgah son of Shomer son of Heber son of Beriah son of Asher (1-Chr. 7; 30-34). Another group of Vandals were the Varini or Warings.
The VARINI had been allocated to the VANDALI group by Pliny together with Vandili, Goths, and Burgundians. The Varini in England were known as Warings and appear together with the Angles20. The royal clan of the Warings was the Billings22. Also on the Continent, Angles and Warings were associated in the German Province of Thuringia. The British Province of Brigantia was conquered by the Angles who contained a substantial Vandal and Varini component. The exact proportion of different peoples amongst the Anglo-Saxon invaders is unclear. East Anglia, for instance, was settled by Angles in the 450's but already in the 500's its kings were supposed to have come from Sweden22 and presumably had brought Gothic or Swedish warriors with them.
Beriah or Beria(g)h, son of Asher, gave his name to the people of Bergio who were reported by Jordanes in Scandinavia, to the Varag-Huns among the Khazars, to the Variag or Varangian-Vikings, to the Warings, to the Burgundians, and to the Brigantes. The Brigantes were conquered by Angles and Vandal-Warings who occupied the area of Northumberland in
northern England. In Northumberland the native "Celtic" inhabitants quickly merged freely with the invaders.23 This union had been preceded on the continent when the Vandals absorbed a Celtic entity in Poland. Later, when the Vikings invaded England the kingdom of Northumberland was "moved" somewhat northward into Lowland Scotland and renamed "Bernicia" after its original Brigante inhabitants24. Beriah, from whom the Brigantes and Burgundians descend, had two sons (Numbers 26; 45) Heber (Cheber) and Malchiel. The name Heber is also pronounceable as "Cheber" and means friend or companion. Heber of Asher gave rise to the Lygae and nearby Lugi which peoples formed the basis in Europe upon which the Vandal Federation built itself. The names Lygae and Lugi are derived from a root implying "Union" or "Alliance" e.g. Middle English "Ligg", modern "League". "HEBER" in Hebrew has the same meaning of "union" and "joining". Heber (of Asher) may also be recalled in the people named after "Caber". The appellation "CABER" occurs in an account of early British history, which states that Britain was first populated by the sons of Bruttus who, from Troy in Anatolia, reached Britain via Italy. Bruttus had three sons, Albion who received Scotland, Locris who took what later became known as England, and CABER who was given Wales25. We have identified Asher primarily with part of Scotland but Wales and Scotland had much in common. The Lowland Scots and the northern Welsh in some respects may be considered almost the same people. The northern Welsh are fair whereas those of the south are darker.
Cheber (Heber) is also recalled in the Chabione Franks who, together with the Eruli (Ariel of Gad), are mentioned as invading Gaul in 289 CE.
THE ROYAL SCYTHS AND MALCHIEL
The second son of Beriah, son of Asher, was named Malchiel.
"MALCHIEL" means "My King is God" and contains the element of royalty. It was the tendency for theonomic ("god" component) parts of names to be dropped and in this case that would mean leaving the signification of "KING" alone. The Aseir whom we have seen to have belonged to the Tribe of Asher were reported both east of the Caspian and also in the region of the Don River. Similarly, the Royal Scythes are believed to have been in both areas since, east of the Caspian, they are equated with the Se-Wang (in Chinese) or (to westerners) "Sakaraukae"26. The Sakaraukae are also known as Saraucae. They were recalled east of the Caspian together with the Asii and were part of the Sacae forces. The name given them by the Chinese has the connotation of "Sacae-Kings", i.e. Royal Scythes27. The Royal Scythes by the Don River were known as Skuthae Basiloi and they migrated to Scandinavia which was known as "Basilia"28 and "Scathinavia"29 (Scyth land) after them. The Aseir who had been in the same area together with the Vanes were also believed to have gone north towards the Scandinavian area. It follows that the Royal Scythes had included part of the Tribe of Asher with the clan of Malchiel in its ranks.
Tribal Identification: Asher - 2
ASHER AND SIDON
Regarding the Varini whom Pliny included amongst the Vandali peoples and who were closely associated with the Angles, it should be noticed that in Bactria they had been known as Varni and were situated south of the Auglai (Angloi). From Bactria the Varni apparently moved
firstly to the Carpathian region of southeast Europe where they neighboured the Sidini and were referred to by Pliny as Varini. From the Carpathians the Varini advanced northward where Ptolemy recorded them under the name Viruni besides the Saxones, Teutonarii, and Angilli. To their east were the Sidini who bordered the Vandal-Omani and Lugi, south of whom were a similarly named people called Sidones. Further east, by the Gothic-Guthones (Gythones) and Phinni, were the Sudini. From the above it may be observed that groups associated with the Vandals whom we have identified with ASHER and especially with the Virini sub-section of the Vandals were to several times be in the neighborhood of another people called Sidini, Sidone, or Sudini. In the Land of Israel the Tribe of ASHER had received its territorial portion which encompassed the famous Phoenician city of Great Sidon (Joshua 19;28). Part of the Tribe of Asher appears to have participated in Phoenician "Sidonian" culture and mercantile activities and this fact together with geographical proximity in the past may explain the apparent "Sidonian" connexion, which was exemplified by the Sidini, Sidone, and Sudini accompaniment. In the LAND OF ISRAEL the Tribes of Asher, Issachar, and Zebulon had adjoined each other. This closeness was to be repeated in their places of exile.
OTHER DESCENDANTS OF ASHER.
The Tribe of Asher thus appeared to have been strongly represented in the VANDAL nation. The Lygian-Vandal tribes corresponded in nomenclature with the sons of Asher: Boreoi equalled Beriah, the Omani came from Yimnah, and the Heissi were "Isui", or "Ishuah" sons of Asher. The Vandals had been represented in mythology by the VANE people of Vanaland. These were located besides the Don River. They were partners of the Aseir whose name is a form for "ASHER". The Aseir migrated to Scandinavia where too, the Vandals were recalled in the name Vendyssel. Yimnah, son of Asher, was to be found in the AMBRI who, from Bactria, moved northward where they were known as Ambrones and were partners to the Teutons and Cimbri. Beriah, son of Asher, was found in the Burgundians, in the Brigantes, in the Varangian-Vikings, in the Bergio of Scandinavia, and in the Varachan-Huns amongst the Khazars. The name Beriah may also be rendered as "BERIA(G)H".
Many Vandals probably entered Britain in the Anglo-Saxon invasions. The 160,000 "Africans" who, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, came from Ireland were more than likely, of Vandal and related Israelite Northern origin. The Angli conquerors of Northumbria were partnered by the Varini who were also a Vandal group as were the Rugini who participated in the Anglo-Saxon forces. The Varini were associable with the Sidoni, Sidini, or Seduni whose name is derived from the city of Phoenician SIDON which in Bibilical times was encompassed by the territory of Asher. Heber (Cheber) son of Beriah son of Asher was represented by Caber who, according to tradition, settled Celtic Wales. Heber was also found in the Lugi-Ligi ("league" = union) of Vandal origin and too amongst the Chabiones who invaded Gaul together with the Eruli. The Eruli (Heruli) belonged to Arieli from the Tribe of Gad and according to Gibbon were classifiable as a Vandal sub-tribe. On the whole, Asher predominated in northern England and Lowland Scotland.
THE FAMILY TREE OF ASHER
ASHER = Aseir (ancestors of Scandinavians, came from Scythia). Asii (Scythia), Ansis (leading family of Goths and of Khazars); Aorsi (Scythia), Asianoi (Scythia, east of Caspian).
Clans of Asher:
¨ Jimnah = Omanoi (Vandal group, Lowland Scotland, England).
¨ Jesui = Heissi (Vandal group, Lowland Scotland, England).
¨ Beriah (Beria-g-h) = Brigantes (Celtic-Britain, Ireland, Gaul, Switzerland); Brigands (branch of Brigantes); Brygges (Brigantes of Britain and of Phrygia in Anatolia, i.e. ancient Turkey); Boreoi (Vandal group); Barragos, Variag, Varangians (Vikings in Russia); Varachan (Khazar group in Russia of probable Viking extraction); Warings (Scandinavian group in
¨ Heber (Chever) = Caber (Wales), Chabiones (Franks), Ligi and Lygi [= Celtic groups absorbed by Vandals, both their names may derive form a word-root meaning "Union" (e.g. "league") which is also the meaning in Hebrew of the name "Heber"].
¨ Malchiel ("Malchiel", i.e. "God is King") = Royal Scythes, Basiloi (Khazars), Basilia (Scandinavia), Sakaraukae (in east Scythia).
An Israeli stamp depicts the traditional symbol of the Tribe of Asher. This was an olive tree. Asher was eventually to be found mainly in northern England and Scotland where they intermixed with descendants of Joseph. Asher was also important in Scandinavia. Moses bless Asher, "Let Asher be blessed with children: let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil" (Deuteronomy 33;24). By "oil" it is understood that olive oil was intended. An American petroleum expert however understood it to mean petroleum and began to search off the north coast of Israel in the area adjacent to the former territory of Asher. Petrolem has been found in the North Sea area between Scotland and Norway. These are regions associated by us with Asher. Is this a coincidence?
Procopius Gibbon, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", ch.5
"A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE OF MANNERS, COMPLEXION, RELIGION, AND LANGUAGE SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THE VANDALS AND GOTHS WERE ORIGINALLY ONE GREAT PEOPLE. The latter appear to have been divided into Ostrogoths, Visigoths, and Gepidae. The distinction among the Vandals was more strongly marked by the independent names of Heruli, Burgundians, Lombards, and a variety of petty states, many of which, in a future age, expanded themselves into powerful monarchies".