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”
Tag Archives: paganism
When the Gate of Hell opened at the Golden Necklace
When you enter by car the province of Friesland from the west via the Afsluitdijk ‘closure dam’ and continue on the A7 Hwy, you will pass a viaduct carrying the name Okkehel. If your destination is the port of Harlingen, also in the area, you might spot in its harbour bright green sloops of theContinue reading “When the Gate of Hell opened at the Golden Necklace”
Barbarians riding to the Capital to claim rights on farmland
This is not a post about the current agriculture and nitrogen debates between the government in Brussels and farmers in Flanders, Germany and the Netherlands. Not about farmers driving to The Hague capital with their tractors. No, this is the two-millennia-old story of two Frisian kings who travelled all the way to Rome, the capitalContinue reading “Barbarians riding to the Capital to claim rights on farmland”
Late Little Prayers at the Lorelei Rock
On the west bank of the mighty River Rhine, halfway between the cities Koblenz and Mainz, lies the town of Sankt Goar. Named after Saint Goar of Aquitaine who retreated here in the sixth century. Diagonally across the river stands the famous and mystical Lorelei Rock: steep, and over 130 meters high. A whisper rockContinue reading “Late Little Prayers at the Lorelei Rock”
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”
Filmstar Ben-Hur made peace with Frisian raiders
Who doesn’t know the epic movie Ben-Hur released on the white screen in 1959? A movie in which masculine Hollywood actor, and civil rights activist, Charlton Heston played the role of Judah Ben-Hur. And for which he was awarded an Oscar. Six years later, Heston played the role of Chrysagon in the movie The WarContinue reading “Filmstar 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, ðing, 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 GreenlandContinue reading “Well, the Thing is…”
With a Noose through the Norsemen’s Door
Although the conversion was a slow and cumbersome process and only succeeded in-depth in the tenth century, Frisia subsequently turned into the richest ecclesiastical area of Europe. Nowhere else in Europe were there so many monasteries and churches packed together. Even though nearly all monasteries have been dismantled with the advent of Protestantism, to thisContinue reading “With a Noose through the Norsemen’s Door”
A Wadden Sea Guide and His Twelve Disciples
For those outdoor enthusiasts who consider hiking the mud flats of the Wadden Sea, it is essential to know that this is not just a worldly journey but a spiritual one. The entire Frisian Coast is, in a way, a spiritual belt, protecting the southern coast of the North Sea against northern darkness, according toContinue reading “A Wadden Sea Guide and His Twelve Disciples”
The Killing Fields, of the Celts
About 2,000 years ago, a tragedy unfolded. A sixteen-year-old girl, who suffered from scoliosis during her young life, was killed. Her red hair was shaved off on one side, she was stabbed at the base of her neck on the right shoulder, and strangled with a woollen rope. The rope was still around her neck.Continue reading “The Killing Fields, of the Celts”
Frisia Coast Trail 