THE HUMAN SPECIES. 305 



The Ostrogcths were associates of Attila, whose name was held 

 among them in high honor, for we find it repeated in the list 

 of Swedish kings. It is conspicuous in the oldest German 

 Heldenbuch, and the Goths or the Lombards brought it into 

 Italy, where Azzo and Azzolino, mutations of Atzel, the Teu- 

 tonic form of the name, are prominent, chiefly among the 

 Ghibeline nobles, as is naturally to be expected in civil contests 

 between the northern and Italian races. 



The early alliance of the Finnic stem with the Gothic nations, 

 besides the community of proper names, is still more evident in 

 the mythical list of their progenitors, where the denominations 

 of Geat and Finn are recognized by all the nations of the 

 north-west, including the pagan Saxons of the east coast of 

 England, who, in the poem of Beowulf, denominate themselves 

 Geats, not Saxons.* On the north of the Baltic, reminiscen- 

 ces of the juxtaposition of the dwarf and giant races are abun- 

 dant. Their contests and intermarriages are recorded in sagas, 

 in several cases recompositions of more ancient documents, 

 though passing at last into mythi, in a land where Laplanders 

 still exist ; and the conquering race in the southern portion is 

 even now a stalwart people. What they were in rude antiq- 

 uity is often historically marked ; and very recently a letter 

 from Professor Nielson announced to the Royal Academy of 

 Stockholm the discovery of enormous human bones, accom- 

 panied by flint arrows, bone spear-heads, and the remains of 

 horses, stags, elks, and bears. 



THE BASQUES. 



From: the foregoing remarks, we believe ourselves justified 

 to claim the Basque, Esquara, or Vascon people, to be the 

 most southern of the Finnic stem in Europe. Coming up the 



* See the important preface to Beowulf, in the excellent version of the 

 original, by tbe learned John H. Kemble, edit. 1837. 



26* 



