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”
Tag Archives: archaeology
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”
Porcupines Bore U.S. Bucks. The Birth of Economic Liberalism
On May 5th, 2018, it was exactly two centuries since Karl Marx was born. When the good man published the first volume of Das Kapital in 1867, he was, in fact, about 1,300 years too late to turn the tide. The ship had already sailed — quite literally. Ships of selfish and ruthless Frisian merchantsContinue reading “Porcupines Bore U.S. Bucks. The Birth of Economic Liberalism”
Frisian Mercenaries in the Roman Army. Fighting for Honour and Glory
After the Roman Empire had incorporated a big chunk of the British Isles in the first century, the empire needed a military force to defend their northern limes (‘border’). Like elsewhere, they made use of mercenaries. Many Frisians, (still) living along the coast of present-day the Netherlands, joined the Roman army as mercenaries to fightContinue reading “Frisian Mercenaries in the Roman Army. Fighting for Honour and Glory”
Haute Couture From the Salt Marshes
It was not the city of Parisius (‘Paris’). Nor that of Londinium (‘London’). Believe it or not, the early-medieval center for expensive cloth and chic clothing in the northwest of Europe was the muddy Wadden Sea coast. Here the highly sought-after pallia Fresonica (‘Frisian cloth’) was fabricated and distributed to the wider world. It possessedContinue reading “Haute Couture From the Salt Marshes”
Another Brick in the Wall. A Love-Hate Relationship
Who has not dined at least once in an ’80s Chinese restaurant that carried the name 万里长城 (‘Great Wall of China’)? Certainly, you have been at least once at one of these restaurants for take-away, with the white plastic boxes wrapped in paper sheets, with prawn crackers and a small cup of sambal sauce (‘chiliContinue reading “Another Brick in the Wall. A Love-Hate Relationship”
In Debt to the Beastly Westfrisians
This blog post is about the town of Medemblik — the grande dame of the Westfriesland region in the province of Noord Holland in the Netherlands. A place steeped in legend, said by some to have been the seat of the heathen King Radbod. But more than myths, Medemblik stands at the heart of aContinue reading “In Debt to the Beastly Westfrisians”
Tolkien Pleaded in Favour of King Finn. An Immortalized Royal Tragedy
Around the year 440 (Shippey 2022), a betrayal unfolded on the southern shores of the North Sea — a tragedy not forgotten in north-western Europe, echoing even in distant Bavaria. And it never will be. We are talking about the bloody battle at the citadel of King Finn — or Fin Folcwalding Fresna cynne, asContinue reading “Tolkien Pleaded in Favour of King Finn. An Immortalized Royal Tragedy”
How a Town Drowned Overnight. The Case of Rungholt
Rungholt. A thriving and wealthy town of the archipelago of the Wadden Sea that disappeared in the waves overnight in the year 1362. For six centuries, only legends have told us about what happened to Rungholt. A town submerged in the sea as the wrath of God. According to these medieval legends, you could stillContinue reading “How a Town Drowned Overnight. The Case of Rungholt”
Frisia Coast Trail 