It is at the inn The Prancing Pony in the village of Bree that the Hobbits hope to be safe from the screeching Nazgûl on their coal-black horses. The Prancing Pony is also where the Hobbits meet Strider, a wanderer who, in fact, is named Aragorn, the future first king of the Reunited Kingdom. Horses,Continue reading “Hengist and Horsa – Frisian horses from overseas founded the Kentish Kingdom”
Tag Archives: legends
The Chronicles of Warnia. When history seems a fantasy story
The fate of tribes and tribe names during the age of the Wandering of Peoples, between the fourth and the sixth centuries, was uncertain. Most ceased to exist. Many Celtic and Germanic peoples disappeared from the scene. Some were defeated by confederations of tribes. Others merged into new tribes. Yet others simply vanished into thinContinue reading “The Chronicles of Warnia. When history seems a fantasy story”
Stavoren. A balancer on a slack rope of religion, trade, land, water, Holland and Frisia
For many turbulent centuries, the town of Stavoren was a tightrope walker before it finally settled as a small harbour at the Lake IJsselmeer. Living in retirement from well-to-do owners of white yachts, sailing boats, and other pleasure vessels. Now it looks back on when Saint Odulf arrived in the ninth century to convert theContinue reading “Stavoren. A balancer on a slack rope of religion, trade, land, water, Holland and Frisia”
How great was Great Pier? (the sequel)
Breaking! Great Pier measured around 2.30 meters in height! This question has been bugging the Frisians for centuries. Now we know. How? Keep reading… Granted. We asked ourselves this very same question in a previous blog post. We explored how great Pier was… as a leader. This time we are asking the same question, butContinue reading “How great was Great Pier? (the sequel)”
How great was Great Pier?
Most Frisians know the name of Great Pier, or ‘Grutte Pier’ in Frisian. But what do we really know about him? Well, all we know for sure is that he was tall. Very tall. Spoiler alert: his name gave away that he was tall, right? If you would ask your friends and family what theyContinue reading “How great was Great Pier?”
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?”
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”
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. Hamlet Friezenwijk is located near the scenic village of Heukelum in the region Batavia (viz. region Betuwe) in province Gelderland, the Netherlands.Continue reading “Dissolute Elisabeth and Her Devil”
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”
Frisia Coast Trail 