Near a terp called Fallward, close to the village of Wremen in the region of Land Wursten, archaeologists uncovered a remarkable site that opens a rare window onto life during the Migration Period — the world of the so-called ‘Old Saxons’ who once inhabited the tidal marshes of the Wadden Sea at the mouth ofContinue reading “The Deer Hunter of Fallward, and His Throne of the Marsh”
Author Archives: hans faber
A Collection of Frisian Forenames of the First Millennium
Despite the fact that some Frisian forenames still find their way into modern name-giving, like Bente, Dirk, Doutzen, Eske, Femke/Famke, Fenna, Finn, Froukje, Gemma, Hauk, Hiske, Jildou, Jitske, Sjoerd, Tammo, Treintje, Ubbo, etc., on the whole, authentic Frisian names are losing ground. It is a shame because the name-giving culture of Frisia is actually extremelyContinue reading “A Collection of Frisian Forenames of the First Millennium”
Scratching Runes Was Not Much Different From Spraying Tags
Carving runes into combs and stones is basically the same as spraying tags on subway cars and bicycle tunnels, including the Bansky Tunnel (see featured image above) in London. Those who create runes or graffiti are called writers. More precisely, rune writers and graffiti writers. The word graffiti stems from the Italian word graffio, whichContinue reading “Scratching Runes Was Not Much Different From Spraying Tags”
Golden Calves, or Bursting Udders on Bony Legs?
Beauty is the best guarantee for quality and success. At least, this is how farmers in the province of Friesland thought of dairy cattle for (too) long. The better the exterieur (‘exterior’) of a cow, the better its milk yield. Velvety hide, size, expressive head, straight back, strong legs, sharply defined black and white spottedContinue reading “Golden Calves, or Bursting Udders on Bony Legs?”
When the Gate of Hell Opened at the Golden Necklace
When you enter the province of Friesland from the west by car, crossing the Afsluitdijk (‘closure dam’) and continuing along the A7 motorway, you will pass a viaduct named Okkehel. If your destination is the nearby port of Harlingen, you may also spot the bright green sloops of the rowing club Okke Hel in itsContinue reading “When the Gate of Hell Opened at the Golden Necklace”
A Dutch King Once Yelled: “Je Suis Frison, et Je Suis Plus Têtu Que Vous!”
In our recent blog post Barbarians Riding to the Capital to Claim Rights on Farmland, we recounted the famous story of the two Frisian kings who travelled to Rome 2,000 years ago to seek an audience with Emperor Nero. In this blog post, the roles are reversed. Nearly two centuries ago, a delegate from RomeContinue reading “A Dutch King Once Yelled: “Je Suis Frison, et Je Suis Plus Têtu Que Vous!””
Barbarians Riding to the Capital to Claim Rights on Farmland
This is not a blog post about the current agriculture and nitrogen debates between the government in Brussels and farmers in Flanders, Germany, and the Netherlands. Not about farmers driving to The Hague capital with their tractors. No, this is the two-millennia-old story of two Frisian kings who travelled all the way to Rome, theContinue reading “Barbarians Riding to the Capital to Claim Rights on Farmland”
A Croaking Ode to the Haubarg by the Eiderstedter Nachtigall
Haubargs. Cathedral-like farmsteads with hipped roofs soaring up to twenty meters high, icons of the Eiderstedt peninsula in the region of Nordfriesland. These monumental farms embody the peak of the friesische Großhäuser building tradition — yet also its end. This tradition, characteristic of the marshlands along the southern North Sea coast from Amsterdam to Husum, flourishedContinue reading “A Croaking Ode to the Haubarg by the Eiderstedter Nachtigall”
What Killed the Radio Star? The Frisian Claim to Radio Fame
The Second World War. Despite a clear warning from the German Wehrmacht to buzz off, the nosy and inquisitive Hanso Idzerda returned to the crash site of a V2 rocket on Parkweg Road in Scheveningen — not far from his own home. Ignoring the warning, he was caught a second time by a Wehrmacht patrol.Continue reading “What Killed the Radio Star? The Frisian Claim to Radio Fame”
The Many Faces of Friesland, Including That of a Coast Trail Bastard
8 May 2021. Visual artist and photographer Arie Bruinsma approached one of the Frisian bastards. He explained that he and his wife, Cynthia, were working on a new project entitled It Gesicht fan Fryslân (‘the face of Friesland’). The project would bring together 111 portraits of well-known, lesser-known, and unknown Frisians, each accompanied by aContinue reading “The Many Faces of Friesland, Including That of a Coast Trail Bastard”
