Early-Medieval Frisian Mythology | 600-1300 AD (Lecture 2023)

The Frisians were a Germanic-speaking people living in the coastal area of the Netherlands and Germany. Before the conversion to Christianity, a long process beginning after the Frankish Conquest of Frisia, the Frisians worshipped a series of gods, likely closely related to the Norse gods known from Icelandic Mythology like Odin, Thor, Frey and others. Unlike the Eddas, there is no large collection of mythology from Frisia. But is there any Frisian Mythology remaining?
This video is taken from a section of a talk I gave at the Pre-Christian Student Conference in Oslo in November 2023. Full video here:
• Pre-Christian Paganism...
Interested in finding out more? We will be hosting another Oslo Student Conference on Pre-Christian Religions in the North in Oslo on the 10th of April 2024. Follow our Facebook Page for more information:
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[@historywithhilbert146]

Hi all! Thank you for watching the video! If you're interested in watching the full lecture you can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGXGZZptd8ahidE

[@EnlightenedPigeon]

I was doing some research on 8th century Frisia myself for a class on early medieval history, and the lack of primary sources we have for Frisia around this period makes me very sad.

[@historywithhilbert146]

Are you still working on your project? I'm happy to point you in the direction of what resources we have. Send me an email at: [e-mail]

[@EnlightenedPigeon]

@@historywithhilbert146 I handed the assignment in last week, unfortunately. I did have some very helpful teachers who pointed me in right directions though. Thank you for the kind offer nonetheless!

[@mikeblei6870]

Again a great video Hilbert. Thank you

[@erlinggaratun6726]

Very nice, Hilbert. And about time, too! Fosetiland interests me, because in my ancient west-norwegian dialect, as well as in south coast norwegian (Farsund), the old word for arse is 'fo', so foseti literally still means 'to sit on your arse', like I imagine the munks on heligoland did a lot.

[@talitek]

Super interesting, Hilbert! Will there ever be any more content like this on medieval Frisia? There's so little accessible information out there but it's fascinating.

[@arveduim8024]

Super Insightful! Helps me prepare for my first lecture in the coming months!

[@historywithhilbert146]

What will your lecture be covering?

[@arveduim8024]

@@historywithhilbert146 Roman rump states and cultural influence after 476. A fellow student is looking at Soissons and I'm doing Nepos' Dalmatian state! Thanks for asking!

[@mp-yo4zc]

thank you history dad for my grandmother was north frisian thank you my ancestry yes i enjoy frisian videos thank you

[@JB-pk8vm]

It’s eery to read old Frisian and how it messes with my Germanic languages in my head but it is quite readable

[@lordInquisitor]

Its odd as a native afrikaans speaker how familiar the old frisian words are.

[@alanl.4252]

Love your history videos, amazing work man!

[@ecurewitz]

Very interesting. Thank you

[@InnerMomentum]

Great

[@timboulder]

Cool

[@ThomasBoyd-yf5wm]

Cool.

[@Jobe-13]

This is very cool

[@ThomasBoyd-tx1yt]

Awesome. Brilliant content. Well said

[@historywithhilbert146]

Thank you! We're hosting another student conference on the same topic in April in Norway.

[@TroyDowVanZandt]

Re Boniface, most of the sources I’ve come across hold that the felling of the oak was merely a pretense, and that his principal offense was trying to introduce Christianity into Frisia-the religion of the Frisians’ archenemies the Franks. As for appropriating pagan real estate, you see a similar pattern with dates and seasons-for example, Christmas covers up Yule.

[@TheCompendre]

Very interesting talk in my opinion. Do you have any idea whether the pagan Frisians would venerate the springs and shrines as a holy site to a particular pagan god or that these sites would have a spiritual significance of their own without them being attributed to a specific deity?

[@levyludeke2945]

yes yes yes!!!

[@bevanthistlethwaite3123]

Hilbert - have you done anything on Nehalennia or any other of the Frisian deities - I also wondered if its considered whether a connection has been drawn between the Indo-European Hal, Holy and Salt given the common phonologies and the association between Hal, the Ocean, and coastal place name associations in the Greek world such as Halkidiki and Halys on the Black Sea as well as the salt mines of Hallstatt Austria. Some time ago I also read that there is evidence of Frisian foederati at the Housesteads Fort on Hadrians wall in the form of Frisian pottery, as well as the worship of Frisian deities there although I cant recollect or now find the name of the deities involved.

[@bevanthistlethwaite3123]

p.s. They were possibly the Alaisiagae

[@talideon]

The importance of holy wells can't be emphasised enough: they're also a major part of Irish mythology, where they have several different roles. Some are seen as places of healing "madness" (and happen to coincide with places with higher concentrations is lithium salts), others are seen as portals where knowledge literally bubbles across the veil. These latter ones tend to be places if higher carbonation. They were similarly coopted by Christians. No doubt Ireland and Frisia are far from unique in this regard.

[@dirckthedork-knight1201]

Lol Redbad was quite the classist

[@colonelblastpack169]

I always just figured you sat behind a laptop and read a script. looks like you're freestyling

[@dutchman7623]

Knowledge makes freestyling possible...

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello Hilbert. Very interesting. I enjoyed watching at the time, but nice to see it again. It sounds like Frisian folk are as stubborn as folk in Northern England. You can just imagine "We di'n't need your God afore, so I reckon we still do'o't. Bloomin God botherers 'ere again. Heaven wi' yon lot. I'd sooner be heathen".

[@MrEnaric]

Aye, right so! Do nae fash with yon Christ, we follow the auld roads! Groetnis út Fryslân myn freon!

[@kilgen28]

Thank you for your learned lecture. You showed a source that says human sacrifice is “demonic.” This possibly comes from an author who knows Christianity. But my question from a previous lecture remains. What is the historical origin of human sacrifice in pre-Christian old Norse culture and ontology? And what is the historical origin of the old Norse tree of life? I am thinking from a biblical perspective, as is probably evident.

[@saba1030]

Helgoland didn't get smaller because of the Brits, trying to destroy the island, the explosions only left craters on the island. The "new years flood in 1721" is the reason for todays Helgoland = split into two pieces = the "mainland" and the "dune"... Greetings from the Waterkant 👋

[@chadterry8012]

Ian? Hop? Brass Facts? James is creating the biggest cross-over event since the Avengers.

[@alansmithee8831]

Hilbert. I just saw Bruce from a certain Scottish channel has two tickets for his birthday tour on offer, after a cancelation. It looks like a chance to take your girlfriend on a busman's holiday?

[@RevAnakin]

Christianity, ruining most archeology for centuries 😢