Amalafrid

This name derives from the Germanic (Gothic) name “Amalafrid,” composed of two elements: “*amal / ama-l” (work, vigor, courage, brave, bold, diligent, Amali dynasty) plus “*friþuz” (peace, tranquility, friendship). The name means “mighty friendship.” 1) Amalafrid was the son of the last Thuringian king Hermanafrid and his wife Amalaberga, daughter of Amalafrida and niece of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great. 2) Amalafrida was the daughter of Theodemir, king of the Ostrogoths, and his wife, Erelieva. She was the sister of Theodoric the Great and mother of Theodahad, both of whom also were kings of the Ostrogoths. The Amali, also called Amals or Amalings, were the leading dynasty of the Goths, a Germanic people who confronted the Roman Empire in its declining years in the west. According to Gothic legend, the Amali were descended from an ancient hero whose deeds earned him the epithet of Amala or “mighty.”