In the year 1500, a girl by the name Tjede Peckes was born in the hamlet of Padingbüttel in the region of Land Wursten on the eastern banks of the River Weser. It was a salt marsh area the Wurstfriesen (‘Wurst-Frisians’) had managed to embank and cultivate. For centuries, they had enjoyed living in aContinue reading “Joan of Arc, an Inspiration for Land Wursten”
Tag Archives: Frisians
To the End Where It All Began: the Ribbon-Like Town of Ribe
Let’s go to the omega. To the end of the Frisia Coast Trail. To Ribe in southern Jutland, Denmark. The oldest town in Scandinavia. A town located on the banks of the Ribe Å. A modest river that flows out into the Wadden Sea stoically slow, opposite the islands of Fanø and Mandø. Ribe startedContinue reading “To the End Where It All Began: the Ribbon-Like Town of Ribe”
Dissolute Elisabeth and Her Devil
In the Middle Age lived a once promiscuous girl named Elisabeth. She had come to repentance, found honourable employ as a maid, and had established herself at the hamlet of Vrieswijc, modern Friezenwijk. This hamlet is located near the scenic village of Heukelum in the region of Batavia (viz. the region of Betuwe) in theContinue reading “Dissolute Elisabeth and Her Devil”
Movie Star Ben-Hur Made Peace With Frisian Raiders
Who does not know the epic movie Ben-Hur, released on the big screen in 1959? A movie in which Hollywood actor and civil rights activist Charlton Heston (1923–2008) played the role of Judah Ben-Hur, for which he was awarded an Oscar. Six years later, Heston played Chrysagon in The War Lord — a much braverContinue reading “Movie Star Ben-Hur Made Peace With Frisian Raiders”
Well, the Thing Is…
The heart of Western democracies is the joint assembly of Parliament, Cabinet, and High Councils of State. Its Celtic-Germanic origin is the thing, also called ting, ding, or þing in other writings. Today, national assemblies in Scandinavian countries still refer to this ancient tradition. For example, the parliaments of the Faroes Løgting, of Greenland Landsting,Continue reading “Well, the Thing Is…”
A Frontier Known as Watery Mess: the Coast of Flanders
At the end of the eighth century, by decree of Charlemagne and under the supervision of the wise men Wlemar and Saxmund, the customary law of the Frisians was codified. It is called the Lex Frisionum. Its jurisdiction included the land between Flehum and Sincfalam, between the rivers Vlie and Sincfalam river. The River FlehumContinue reading “A Frontier Known as Watery Mess: the Coast of Flanders”
10 Words to Travel 1,500 Years and Miles Across the Frisian Shores
Are these white letters on the wall encrypted gibberish to you? By learning a handful of keywords, you’ll have deciphered them in no time. Even better, tens of thousands of town names will hold no secrets for you any longer. Each placename will reveal its unique story to you. You will make a great impressionContinue reading “10 Words to Travel 1,500 Years and Miles Across the Frisian Shores”
A Raider’s Portrait From Appels. The Water World of the Migration Period
In 1934, while dredging the River Scheldt near the village of Appels in the region of Flanders, workers unearthed an extraordinary ship’s figurehead (see featured image above). Dated to around AD 400, scholars generally agree it is Germanic in origin and hails from the southern North Sea coast. Yet, to this day, no people orContinue reading “A Raider’s Portrait From Appels. The Water World of the Migration Period”
Wa Bin Ik, Wa Bist Do en Wa Bin Wy?
“If you don’t care about your own history, you may as well leave the classroom.” Words from the geography teacher at high school Simon Vestdijk in the port town of Harlingen in 1988. We, the two Frisian bastards, were about sixteen years old and in the fifth grade of VWO, that is, pre-university education. TheContinue reading “Wa Bin Ik, Wa Bist Do en Wa Bin Wy?”
More Flying ‘Dutchmen’. Learnings From a Simple Innkeeper in Groningen
On the first of February 2020, one of the Frisian bastards of the Frisia Coast Trail tramped the trail section from the town of Bad Nieuweschans to the small village of Termunten. It is a hike of thirty kilometers along the southern shores of the Dollart Bight. The day before, in the evening, the bastardContinue reading “More Flying ‘Dutchmen’. Learnings From a Simple Innkeeper in Groningen”
Frisia Coast Trail 