hans faber

Rats with Wings, or Masters of the Sky

Over the past few years, we have written about the tall, strange-looking people who live in that twilight zone between sea and land — the coastal strip along the southern shores of the North Sea. Lately, however, the repetitive long-calls alerted us to a blind spot: we forgot all about the iconic animal of thatContinue reading “Rats with Wings, or Masters of the Sky”

Shipwrecked People of the Salt Marshes

Tidal marshlands and Frisians, a dual entity. The Chauci and the Frisians — referred to by the Romans as Frisii or Fresones — had learned to adapt to an unprotected yet strangely hospitable salty world: a vast, treeless expanse of tidal marshlands. No rocks, no forests, scarce fresh water, and regularly flooded by a cold,Continue reading “Shipwrecked People of the Salt Marshes”

Attingahem Bridge, NY

Brooklyn. Named after the charming village of Breukelen in the Netherlands. Its original Frisian name was Attingahem. With only a twist of history, the borough of Brooklyn would have been named Attingahem today, and the Brooklyn Bridge, therefore, Attingahem Bridge. The streets of Brooklyn, the set of movies like The Warriors (’79), The French ConnectionContinue reading “Attingahem Bridge, NY”

Donkey King of the Paulme Game. From Kaatsen to Tennis and Jai-alai

Rex illiteratus est quasi asinus coronatus, ‘a king who cannot read is like a crowned donkey’. Or, if you prefer the literal translation, ‘an illiterate king is like a crowned arse’. These are almost thousand-year-old diplomatic words of Bishop John of Salisbury (ca. 1120-1180), expressing the notion that kings and other rulers, in general, shouldContinue reading “Donkey King of the Paulme Game. From Kaatsen to Tennis and Jai-alai”

Magnus’ Choice. The Origins of the Frisian Freedom

According to medieval legend, around the year 800, Charlemagne and Pope Leo clashed with the citizens of Rome. The Pope was attacked and forced to flee the city. It was an army of ‘naked’ Frisians, led by Magnus, that stormed back in, retaking the citadel and the Urbs Aeterna — the Eternal City. In gratitude,Continue reading “Magnus’ Choice. The Origins of the Frisian Freedom”

Groove is in the Hearth. Very Superstitious, is the Way

The hearth was, in pre- and early medieval times, the Holy of Holies. The heart of the family. Where you would lay back and groove. Groove on the sound of the endless rain on the thatched roof, or on the sound of seawater at your feet below. Splashing against the grassy slopes of your houseContinue reading “Groove is in the Hearth. Very Superstitious, is the Way”

Ornament of the Gods Found in a Pile of Clay. The Brísingamen of Wijnaldum

In the year 516, King Hygelac of the Geats, a tribe in — probably — the southeast of Sweden, raided Frisia. Back then, this part of the Netherlands was an impenetrable land with big rivers, little streams, swamps, peat bogs, and damp forests covered with moss and mould. Hygelac’s expedition into Frisia was less fortunate,Continue reading “Ornament of the Gods Found in a Pile of Clay. The Brísingamen of Wijnaldum”

Croeso Gerddwyr — Hiking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path

Last year (2019), one of the Frisian bastards hiked the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in southwestern Wales (Cymru), a 290-kilometre-long trail. As every walker knows, hiking, pilgrimage, and spiritual peace are one and the same thing. After nine days of walking, the coast path takes you to the homeland of Saint David, Wales’s patron saint. SaintContinue reading “Croeso Gerddwyr — Hiking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path”

The Abbey of Egmond and the Rise of the Gerulfing Dynasty

The monk Ecgberht of Ripon was the driving force behind the Christianization of the defiant heathens of Frisia. From the influential monastery of Rath Melsigi in Ireland, he launched wave after wave of monks, priests, and other clergy toward the Frisian coast. Among his spiritual soldiers were the monks Willibrord and Adalbert. After receiving theirContinue reading “The Abbey of Egmond and the Rise of the Gerulfing Dynasty”

Giants of Twilight Land. Creatures of the Rim

At the intersection of land and sea — where it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins — life is harsh. The corrosive salt of the sea is ruinous to most land species, which explains the formerly near-treeless, flat, and monotonous tidal marshlands of Frisia. Conversely, most aquatic life cannot handleContinue reading “Giants of Twilight Land. Creatures of the Rim”