The Saxons were a Germanic speaking people from Northern Europe. It appears that "Saxon" is an a name imposed by outsiders as a reflection of their traditional usage of a single edged sword or knife known as a "seax". Part of the Saxon group migrated to Britain in the Dark Ages where they settled and became known as the Anglo-Saxons after merging with other Germanic settlers including the Angles. Other Saxons remained in greater Germany where they continued to influence and merge with their neighbours for centuries.