In this blog post, we will argue that the Frisian lands might just as well be called the United Frisian Emirates. Granted, there are a few superficial differences with the modern United Arab Emirates. The Emiratis have camels and goats; the Frisians have cows and sheep. Their climate is hot and dry; the Frisians’ isContinue reading “The United Frisian Emirates and Black Peat. How Holland Became Dutch”
Category Archives: history
We’ll Drive Our Ships to New Land
In the series Myths of Nations, we disclose to you this time that the Frisians, in fact, did not come from India, as the old legends tell us. A bummer, we know. And, what is proven yet again in this blog post, we should listen more often to Led Zeppelin. In particular, to their ImmigrantContinue reading “We’ll Drive Our Ships to New Land”
Have a Frisians’ Cocktail! A Rich Composition
With the upcoming seasonal festivities at the end of the year, it is appropriate to serve you a flavourful cocktail. It is a cocktail from the list ‘Myths of Nations’, namely the Frisians’ Cocktail. Its recipe is not as old as some people thought it was, or would like it to be, but it isContinue reading “Have a Frisians’ Cocktail! A Rich Composition”
Weladu the Flying Blacksmith. Tracing the Origin of Wayland
Master blacksmith Wayland is well known from Germanic mythology. According to legend, he was imprisoned on a small island at sea but escaped using wings of his own making. Saxons, Anglo-Saxons, Norwegians, Icelanders, Goths — in fact nearly all early Germanic peoples — preserved stories or artifacts relating to Wayland. Even the Franks did. AllContinue reading “Weladu the Flying Blacksmith. Tracing the Origin of Wayland”
You killed a Man? That’ll Be One Weregeld in Total, Please
Frisia in the High Middle Ages — a region stretching from the (former) River Vlie — located between the Wadden Sea islands of Vlieland and Terschelling in the Netherlands — all the way to the River Weser in Germany. It included areas such as Butjadingen and Land Wursten. The title of this blog post comesContinue reading “You killed a Man? That’ll Be One Weregeld in Total, Please”
Take a Virtual Hike Through Zuid Holland and Utrecht
This blog post is a virtual hike. Grab a coffee and go 200 kilometers per hour. When ploughing through piles of research on where the Frisians roamed, we stumbled upon interesting Frisian place names. A few weeks ago (September 2018), we, the two Frisian bastards, took another hike. We walked a track of 31 kmContinue reading “Take a Virtual Hike Through Zuid Holland and Utrecht”
Liudger, the First Frisian Apostle
Liudger succeeded where other evangelists failed. He finally managed to convert the pagan Frisians to Christianity, because he “spoke their language”. Did he really? A very thorough study from theologian Hinne Wagenaar reveals quite a startling truth about this Frisian apostle. Some time ago I stumbled upon an article from Hinne Wagenaar, called “Liudger, apostleContinue reading “Liudger, the First Frisian Apostle”
One of History’s Most Enlightening Hikes: That of Bernlef and Ludger
This blog post is not about the Westfrisian writer Hendrik Jan Marsman (1937–2012), better known by his pen name Bernlef. Nor is it about the student association F.F.J. Bernlef in the town of Groningen, the Netherlands. No — this is about the original Bernlef, the bard and harp player who lived in Frisia sometime betweenContinue reading “One of History’s Most Enlightening Hikes: That of Bernlef and Ludger”
Burn Beacon Burn. A Coastal Inferno – Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland or North Frisia. The western coast and islands of the region of Schleswig. Stretching from the Danish town Tønder in the north to the River Eider in the south, it is a broad strip of land by the sea, together with fifteen islands and Hallig-islands in front of it. It is here where aContinue reading “Burn Beacon Burn. A Coastal Inferno – Nordfriesland”
Is Magna Frisia Fact or Fiction?
Here are some maps that help you locate the Frisians in the Early Middle Ages (AD 500-800). We combined old maps, archaeological finds, old scriptures, and historical research. In one of our previous blog posts we pinpointed several locations where the 5 Frisian kings set foot. In this blog post we focus on the FrisianContinue reading “Is Magna Frisia Fact or Fiction?”
Frisia Coast Trail 