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The Batwing Doors of north-western Europe
“Is seaport Maasvlakte the gateway of the north-west of Europe? No? Is it Europoort then? No? Is it the Botlek port area? Is it the town...
Hans Faber
Apr 13, 202017 min read


Out of Averting the Inevitable an Unruly Community Was Born
On March 25, 2020, the coronavirus pandemic was climbing towards its second peak. There was uncertainty about how destructive the...
Hans Faber
Mar 25, 202036 min read


Sailors escaped from Cyclops, but saw World's End
"Reason I'm late for class? Well, you know, there was a strange cat in our barn this morning, and I stepped in its poop. Therefore, I...
Hans Faber
Feb 26, 20207 min read


A Theel-Acht. What a great idea!
Halfway through the ninth century, Vikings had established a more or less permanent presence in Frisia, in the pagus  'territory' called...
Hans Faber
Feb 23, 202015 min read


Attingahem Bridge, NY
Brooklyn. Named after the charming village of Breukelen in the Netherlands. Its original Frisian name was Attingahem. With only a twist...
Hans Faber
Feb 16, 202010 min read


Donkey King of the Paulme Game. From Kaatsen to Tennis and Jai-alai
Rex illiteratus est quasi asinus coronatus , ‘a king who cannot read is like a crowned donkey’. Or, if you prefer the literal...
Hans Faber
Feb 11, 202021 min read


Shipwrecked People of the Salt Marshes
Tidal marshlands and Frisians. A dual entity. The Chauci and the Frisians ( Frisii  or Fresones ) had learned to adapt to this...
Hans Faber
Dec 1, 20198 min read


Weladu the Flying Blacksmith. Tracing the Origin of Wayland
Master blacksmith Wayland is well-known from mythology. The blacksmith was kept captive on a small island in the sea and escaped from it...
Hans Faber
Nov 16, 201920 min read


Groove is in the Hearth. Very Superstitious, is the Way
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....
Hans Faber
Oct 25, 201925 min read


Gerddwyr Croeso—hiking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Last year (2019), one of the bastards hiked the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in southwestern Wales ( Cymru ). A 290 kilometres long trail....
Hans Faber
Oct 6, 20198 min read


Magnus’ Choice. The Origins of the Frisian Freedom
According to medieval legends, around the year 800, Charlemagne and Pope Leo came into conflict with the citizens of Rome. The Pope was...
Hans Faber
Sep 23, 201932 min read


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...
Hans Faber
Jul 27, 201916 min read


Another Brick in the Wall. A love-hate relationship
Who has not dined at least once in an '80s Chinese restaurant that carried the name 万里长城  ('Great Wall of China')? Certainly, you have...
Hans Faber
Jul 21, 201911 min read


The Abbey of Egmond and the rise of the Gerulfings
Monk Ecgberht of Ripon was the driving force behind the Christianization of the headstrong heathens of Frisia. From the influential...
Hans Faber
Jul 19, 201945 min read


Giants of Twilight Land. Creatures of the Rim
At the intersection of land and sea, where it is difficult to tell what is land and what is not, life is rough. The corrosive salt of the...
Hans Faber
May 24, 20199 min read
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