Although the conversion of the Woden-devoted Frisians was a slow and cumbersome process that only succeeded in depth in the tenth century, Frisia subsequently turned into the richest ecclesiastical area of Europe. Nowhere else on the Isles and the Continent were there this many monasteries and churches packed together. Even though nearly all monasteries haveContinue reading “With a Noose through the Norsemen’s Door”
Category Archives: legends & sagas
Frisia, a Viking Graveyard
Hjoggum vér með hjörvi — ‘we swung our swords’ — as all the stanzas of the twelfth-century epic poem Lay of Kraka begin, the tale of Ragnar Lothbrok’s death. When reading about the famous deeds of great Viking warriors, little attention is given to their moments of failure. Little is written about where and when thoseContinue reading “Frisia, a Viking Graveyard”
Presence of Mind to Ask the Right Question — Hiking the GR20
‘The path will provide,’ is a familiar saying among hikers while on the trail. The flip side of this attitude is you might not have the keenness to recognize an exceptional opportunity. Your mind gets lazy. It is exactly what happened to one of the Frisian bastards during his solo hike through the harsh mountainsContinue reading “Presence of Mind to Ask the Right Question — Hiking the GR20”
Make Way for the Homesick Dead! A Saga From the Swiss Alps
High in the majestic Alps, in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, many men, women, and children have witnessed the dreadful sight of dead Frisians marching home under the cover of darkness. The path they follow is known as The Frisians’ Way, a ghostly route linking the Haslital — the Hasli Valley in the Bernese Oberland — toContinue reading “Make Way for the Homesick Dead! A Saga From the Swiss Alps”
Latið Meg Ei á Frísaland Fordervast! And the Murder of a Bishop
Latið meg ei á Frísaland fordervast! This is the Faroese language, and its translation is: ‘Do not let me perish in Friesland!’ It is a cry of a Faroese young woman when she was being kidnapped by Frisian pirates somewhere in the Middle Ages. The question of this blog post is not about how onContinue reading “Latið Meg Ei á Frísaland Fordervast! And the Murder of a Bishop”
Sailors Escaped from Cyclops, and Saw World’s End
“Why am I late to class? Oh, you’re gonna love this — there was this random cat in our barn this morning, right? Total stranger. And guess what? I stepped right in its poop. Yep. So before I could even think about school, I had to deal with the whole mess — literally scrubbing myContinue reading “Sailors Escaped from Cyclops, and Saw World’s End”
A Theel-Acht. What a Great Idea!
By the middle of the ninth century, the Vikings had carved out a more or less permanent foothold in Frisia, in the pagus ‘territory’ of Nordendi, also known as Norditi. But by the year 884, the Frisians had had enough. They forged swords and axes, raised an army, and drove the Norsemen out once andContinue reading “A Theel-Acht. What a Great Idea!”
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”
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”
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”
Frisia Coast Trail 