paganism | frisia-coast-trail

Odin’s Ravens ruled over the southern shores. Not the Hammer of Thor

Hans Faber

Jun 920 min read

Odin’s Ravens ruled over the southern shores. Not the Hammer of Thor

When re-enactors bring to life early-medieval Frisia, you regularly see them wearing a little iron hammer on a leather cord around their...

Barbarians riding to the Capital to claim rights on farmland

Hans Faber

Aug 16, 202317 min read

Barbarians riding to the Capital to claim rights on farmland

This is not a blog post about the current agriculture and nitrogen debates between the government in Brussels and farmers in Flanders,...

Filmstar Ben-Hur made peace with Frisian raiders

Hans Faber

Feb 19, 20227 min read

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...

Hans Faber

Nov 21, 202013 min read

The Killing Fields, of the Celts

About 2,000 years ago, a tragedy unfolded. A sixteen-year-old girl, who had suffered from scoliosis during her young life, was killed....

Rowing souls of the dead to Britain: the ferryman of Solleveld

Hans Faber

Nov 15, 202014 min read

Rowing souls of the dead to Britain: the ferryman of Solleveld

In 2004, a unique discovery was made at the early-medieval grave field of Solleveld, just south of the city of The Hague: a boat grave....

Hans Faber

Oct 30, 20204 min read

Notre dame of Grou

The 'First Lady' of the village of Grou in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands, also named Grytsje of Grou. Archaeologists found...

Hans Faber

Jun 17, 202020 min read

Make way for the homesick dead!

High up in the Swiss Alps, in the region of Bernese Oberland, many men, women, and children have experienced the great horror of dead...

Weladu the Flying Blacksmith. Tracing the Origin of Wayland

Hans Faber

Nov 16, 201920 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...

Groove is in the Hearth. Very Superstitious is the Way

Hans Faber

Oct 25, 201922 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....

The Abbey of Egmond and the rise of the Gerulfings

Hans Faber

Jul 19, 201942 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...

Frans Riemersma

Oct 27, 20188 min read

Liudger, the first Frisian apostle

Liudger succeeded where other evangelists failed. He finally managed to convert the pagan Frisians to Christianity, because he “spoke...

One of history’s most enlightening hikes. That of Bernlef

Hans Faber

Jul 1, 201833 min read

One of history’s most enlightening hikes. That of Bernlef

This blog post isn't about the West-Frisian writer Hendrik Jan Marsman (1937-2012), whose pen name was Bernlef. Nor is this blog post...

Finally, King Redbad made his point in the European Commission - via Facebook

Frans Riemersma

Jun 9, 20186 min read

Finally, King Redbad made his point in the European Commission - via Facebook

“I can not live without the company of my forefathers”, Redbad said in an interview in 718. In 2018 this sentence caused turmoil in the...

Frans Riemersma

Dec 28, 201710 min read

The biography of Aldgisl, unplugged

Ever heart of Aldgisl? Even if you did, you probably have a hard time separating fact from fiction. For a fact it is the first king of...

Hans Faber

Oct 29, 20176 min read

A terp for Choquequirao

Why in heaven’s name should a terp be constructed in the Andes? To be more precise, the location for this terp is at the remote,...

Walcheren Island. Once Sodom and Gomorrah of the North Sea

Hans Faber

Sep 24, 201728 min read

Walcheren Island. Once Sodom and Gomorrah of the North Sea

In contrast to the Sunday's rest of today, for centuries the island of Walcheren was a pagan retreat and safe haven for the Vikings with...

Celtic-Frisian heritage: there's no dealing with Wheels of Fortune

Hans Faber

Aug 22, 20178 min read

Celtic-Frisian heritage: there's no dealing with Wheels of Fortune

Exactly a year ago Hans van der Togt, a former Dutch television presenter of the game show Wheel of Fortune, told in the talk show Pauw abou

Hans Faber

Apr 17, 20179 min read

How to bury your mother-in-law

Your mother-in-law probably chased your tail during life. When she dies, do not think you are free at last. If you're looking for advice...

Frisia Coast Trail.com

The 1,000 mile coastal hike for people with fear of heights
and interest in 2,500 years of living on the sharp edge of land and sea