When you enter by car the province of Friesland from the west via the Afsluitdijk ‘closure dam’ and continue on the A7 Hwy, you will pass a viaduct carrying the name Okkehel. If your destination is the port of Harlingen, also in the area, you might spot in its harbour bright green sloops of theContinue reading “When the Gate of Hell opened at the Golden Necklace”
Category Archives: legends & sagas
Who’s afraid of Voracious Woolf?
Who’s afraid of Jóða Fenris ‘the offspring of Fenrir’? Afraid of hund hrynsævar hræva ‘the hound of the roaring sea corpses’? Who, today, is afraid of the wolf? The dark creature that has lived for so long in the shadowy forests of the east, is on the rise again in Europe. Almost two centuries haveContinue reading “Who’s afraid of Voracious Woolf?”
A Frisian warlord who ruled in Brittany, until his wife cheated on him
Where the English Channel and the Celtic Sea meet, is where the ships of the Frisian brothers Corsold and Coarchion roamed, raided and ruled in the early sixth century. For a while they even had their own kingdom in Brittany. Breton legends tell that the village of Kersaout ‘Corseul’ was the residence of dux Corsold.Continue reading “A Frisian warlord who ruled in Brittany, until his wife cheated on him “
Late Little Prayers at the Lorelei Rock
On the west bank of the mighty River Rhine, halfway between the cities Koblenz and Mainz, lies the town of Sankt Goar. Named after Saint Goar of Aquitaine who retreated here in the sixth century. Diagonally across the river stands the famous and mystical Lorelei Rock: steep, and over 130 meters high. A whisper rockContinue reading “Late Little Prayers at the Lorelei Rock”
Don’t believe everything they say about sweet Cunera
Imagine. One day your husband brings home a young unmarried woman. A virgin even. He simply takes her into your house, openly shows affection for her, and who knows what else. That’s not all. He also gives the young maiden full access to your pantry and savings account, which she, for crying out loud, startsContinue reading “Don’t believe everything they say about sweet Cunera”
Walfrid, You’ll Never Walk Alone.
This post isn’t about Aindreas Ó Céirín (1840-1915), better known as Brother Walfrid from Ireland and who founded the Scottish football club Celtic. No, this post is about the original. The Frisian named Walfrid. Who was murdered by a bunch of roaming Vikings in the late tenth century. These atrocities took place in the villageContinue reading “Walfrid, You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Like Father, Unlike Son
The Battle of Tours in 732 was a turning point in the wars against the Umayyad Caliphate. The Caliphate was one of the biggest empires in history, but it lost this battle. At the confluence of the rivers Clain and Vienne, the Franks, led by statesman maior domo Charles Martel, only just managed to defeatContinue reading “Like Father, Unlike Son”
Yet Another Wayward Archipelago
The peoples of islands and archipelagos don’t let others dictate how to live their lives. One of those archipelagos that meets these criteria as well is the Wadden Sea. For centuries, it’s from here that sea explorers, tax evaders, sturdy Arctic whalers, self-righteous women, pirates, privateers, and other vagabonds came from. An archipelago which theContinue reading “Yet Another Wayward Archipelago”
With a Noose through the Norsemen’s Door
Although the conversion was a slow and cumbersome process and only succeeded in-depth in the tenth century, Frisia subsequently turned into the richest ecclesiastical area of Europe. Nowhere else in Europe were there so many monasteries and churches packed together. Even though nearly all monasteries have been dismantled with the advent of Protestantism, to thisContinue reading “With a Noose through the Norsemen’s Door”
Frisia, a Viking Graveyard
When reading about the famous deeds of great Viking warriors, not much attention is given to the moments of failure. Not much is written about where and when the glorious men, and women, died. As it turns out, the coast of Frisia is one big Viking graveyard. It’s here, in the (still) smelly blue mud,Continue reading “Frisia, a Viking Graveyard”
Frisia Coast Trail 