letter of bishop Meinhard von Bamberg, as well as the Annals of Quedlinburg, 'Amulungum'/'Amelung' ("the Amelung") is used to refer to Dietrich himself. This shows that the family's legacy was remembered in oral tradition far into the Middle Ages, long after any stories about Amal himself had ceased to circulate. Cassiodorus' Origo Gothica describes the Goths moving to the Black Sea, where they split into two factions, the Amali, who would later become the Ostrogoths, and the Balthi, who become the Visigoths. Both the Amali and the Balthi are recalled as families of "kings and heroes." However, even before Cassiodorus' time, the tradition of the Amal appeared to be still popular. This is shown in the naming of the royals, like Theodoric's daughters, Ostrogotho and Amalasuintha, and his sister, Amalafrida, who were all given Amal names. Legacy At least two prominent noble families claimed descent from Amali: the Billungs, Dukes of Saxony, also known as the Amelungs or von Ömlingen, and the Solovjovs, Barons of the Russian Empire from 1727 (in German sources, known as the von Solowhoff or Solowhoff von Greutungen). The Solovjovs specifically claimed Ermanaric as their ancestor. The name of the 6th-century Visigothic king Amalaric - meaning "Amal ruler," though he actually belonged to the Balt dynasty - was the source of the continental toponyms of North and South America, via the Italian variant "Amerigo." In popular culture The Amali appear as the "Amaling" dynasty in the grand strategy game Crusader Kings 2. See also Attilid dynasty Balt dynasty Amali Rulers Ermanaric, king of the Greuthungi, ca 370 Sigeric, king of the Visigoths, 415 Theodemir, king of the Ostrogoths, until 474 Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, 474–526 Athalaric, king of the Ostrogoths, 526–534 Theodahad, king of the Ostrogoths, 534–536 Genealogy See also The Origin and Deeds of the Goths (Getica) Vadamerca References Sources Jones, Arnold. Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Cambridge at the University Press, 1971. Amali dynasty European dynasties Gothic families Ostrogoths