At the end of the eighth century, by decree of Charlemagne and under supervision of the wise men Wlemar and Saxmund, customary law of the Frisians was codified. It is the Lex Frisionum. Its jurisdiction was, among other, the land inter Flehum et Sincfalam fluvium ‘between Vlie and Sincfalam river’. The river Flehum flowed intoContinue reading “A Frontier known as Watery Mess: the Coast of Flanders”
Tag Archives: terp
10 words to travel 1,500 years and miles across the Frisian shores
Are these white letters on the wall encrypted gibberish to you? With learning a handful of keywords, you’ll have deciphered them in no time. Even better, tens of thousands of town names will hold no longer any secrets for you. 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”
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 (i.e. pre-university education). The annoyedContinue reading “Wa bin ik, wa bist do en wa bin wy?”
Out of averting the inevitable a community was born
March 25, 2020 today. The COVID-19 pandemic is climbing towards its second peak. Uncertainty of how destructive the pandemic is going to be in the long run. How many family members and loved ones will it take? A phenomenon of chaos and destruction that confronts us with the limitations of an engineered world. Some peopleContinue reading “Out of averting the inevitable a community was born”
Shipwrecked people of the salt marshes
Tidal marshlands and Frisians. A dual entity. The Chauci and the Frisians (Frisii) had learned to adapt to this unprotected, hospitable salty environment. A vast area of treeless, tidal marshlands. No rocks, no wood, not much sweet water, and frequently flooded by the sea. But a place where these tribes prospered nonetheless at the timeContinue reading “Shipwrecked people of the salt marshes”
Groove is in the Hearth
The hearth was in pre- and early-medieval times the holy of holies, the heart of the family. Where you would lay back and groove. Groove on the sound of the endless rains on the thatched roof, or on the sound of the sea water at your feet below. Sloshing against the grassy slopes of yourContinue reading “Groove is in the Hearth”
Ornament of the Gods found in a mound of clay
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 impenetrable land with big rivers, little streams, swamps, peat, bog and damping forests covered with moss. Hygelac’s expedition into Frisia was less fortunate, since he was killed andContinue reading “Ornament of the Gods found in a mound of clay”
Have a Frisians Cocktail
With the coming seasonal festivities at the end of the year, it’s appropriate to serve you a flavorful cocktail. It’s a cocktail from the list ‘Myths of Nations’, namely the ‘Frisians Cocktail’. Its recipe isn’t as old as some people thought it was, or would like it to be, but it’s still a quite reasonableContinue reading “Have a Frisians Cocktail”
Hero of Haarlem: a dragon in disguise?
It was a Yankee by the name Mary Mapes Dodge who wrote ‘Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates. A story of life in Holland’. The book was published in New York in 1865. It is about poor, 15-year-old Hans and his sister Gretel. Gretel wins the Silver Skates. The price for winning an ice skatingContinue reading “Hero of Haarlem: a dragon in disguise?”
One of history’s enlightening hikes, that of Bernlef
This post isn’t about the West-Frisian writer Hendrik Jan Marsman (1937-2012), whose pen-name was Bernlef. Nor is this post about student corporation Bernlef in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. No, this is all about the original. Bard and harp player Bernlef, who lived in Frisia somewhere between 760 and 840. And if youContinue reading “One of history’s enlightening hikes, that of Bernlef”
Frisia Coast Trail 