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…”
Tag Archives: Old Frisian Law
You killed a Man? That’ll Be One Weregeld in Total, Please
Frisia in the High Middle Ages — a region stretching from the (former) River Vlie — located between the Wadden Sea islands of Vlieland and Terschelling in the Netherlands — all the way to the River Weser in Germany. It included areas such as Butjadingen and Land Wursten. The title of this blog post comesContinue reading “You killed a Man? That’ll Be One Weregeld in Total, Please”
One of History’s Most Enlightening Hikes: That of Bernlef and Ludger
This blog post is not about the Westfrisian writer Hendrik Jan Marsman (1937–2012), better known by his pen name Bernlef. Nor is it about the student association F.F.J. Bernlef in the town of Groningen, the Netherlands. No — this is about the original Bernlef, the bard and harp player who lived in Frisia sometime betweenContinue reading “One of History’s Most Enlightening Hikes: That of Bernlef and Ludger”
Burn Beacon Burn. A Coastal Inferno – Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland or North Frisia. The western coast and islands of the region of Schleswig. Stretching from the Danish town Tønder in the north to the River Eider in the south, it is a broad strip of land by the sea, together with fifteen islands and Hallig-islands in front of it. It is here where aContinue reading “Burn Beacon Burn. A Coastal Inferno – Nordfriesland”
Foreign Fighters Returning From Viking Warbands
From 2012 onward, about 5,000 foreign fighters from various European countries travelled to the Levant to join the fighting. Six years later, roughly fifteen percent had died in combat. Others remained in the Middle East — imprisoned or drifting toward new conflict zones as terrorist groups lost ground. But some returned home. This wave ofContinue reading “Foreign Fighters Returning From Viking Warbands”
The Treaty of the Upstalsboom. Why Solidarity Is Not the Core of a Collective
At the time of writing this blog post (2018), many supranational organizations, whether governmental or judicial, are struggling with their legitimacy and survival; it is almost becoming tedious. Take, for example, the European Union with a humiliating Brexit and its seemingly endless debates on urgent monetary and migration policy reforms. Consider the International Criminal CourtContinue reading “The Treaty of the Upstalsboom. Why Solidarity Is Not the Core of a Collective”
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”
Women of Frisia: Free and Unbound?
Below the green and black image of Saskia Holleman, the reincarnation of Mata Hari, her fellow citizen. Saskia was born in 1945 in the town of Leeuwarden in the province of Friesland, standing stark naked in the milky grasslands with a Friesian Holland cow. It is a pamphlet from the former Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP)Continue reading “Women of Frisia: Free and Unbound?”
Lodging Etiquette in Ostfriesland. Land of the First Legally Blondes
Imagine you are hiking the Frisia Coast Trail in northwest Germany. After a long day of walking and searching for shelter, you try your luck at a private home. Before the owner agrees to let you stay the night, you may first be asked to show your silver. And, as if pressing an early versionContinue reading “Lodging Etiquette in Ostfriesland. Land of the First Legally Blondes”
Medieval Migration Law. A Matter of Liability
Hwasa thene vthemeda husath ieftha howath ieftha oppa sinne werf set, sa skel hi thes wachtia, hwetsa hi deth. Who receives a foreigner in his house or in his court or seats on his yard, shall be responsible for all that he does. This is codified law from around 1250, known as the Brookmerbrief. LiterallyContinue reading “Medieval Migration Law. A Matter of Liability”
Frisia Coast Trail 