European Kingdoms

Frisian Folk Mothers (Legendary Netherlands) (Low Countries)
c.2400 - 304 BC

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The coastal area of today's upper Netherlands sits between the Scheldt estuaries of the south-west and the mouth of the Weser within the Low Countries. During the region's prehistoric period the Single Grave culture succeeded the Funnelbeaker as a local form of the widespread pastoralist Corded Ware culture.

Then the northern edges of Bell Beaker culture intruded into the region, both in the mid-third millennium BC. This is roughly the start of the period which incorporates the entirely legendary 'Folk Mothers'.

There exist several Frisian chronicles, epic sagas, and myths when it comes to Frisian prehistory. It was in the second half of the fifteenth century AD that a so-called Gesta group of legends surfaced, right around the time at which emerged the first stirrings of Dutch independence.

The assumption has been made that these texts link back to a lost common source which probably was written between 1300-1340 in the Old Frisian language. The Historia Frisae is perhaps closest to that originating source, ending its history in the year 1248 and probably being written down in its known form around the middle of the fifteenth century.

However, the oldest and most important document is the famous but controversial Thet Oera Linda Bok (The Oera Linda Book). Written in Old Frisian it tells the 'history' of the Frisians of Fryasland (Frisia). It relates the story of a matriarchal dynasty of 'Eeremoeders' ('Honourable Mothers' or folk mothers), the mythical first rulers of the Frisians. Its authenticity is most strongly disputed (and see feature link for more on its story).

The book in its earliest manuscript form dates to about 1256. It is written in a distinctive ancient form of Frisian and in equally distinctive runes. It was published in 1867 by Cornelis Over de Linden (the 'Oera Linda' family name in Frisian: the word 'linde' means 'lime tree'), with him stating that it was a family heirloom. Cornelis was an illiterate ship's carpenter, and a freemason.

Principal author(s): Page created: Page last updated:

(Information by William Willems and Peter Kessler, from the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Dr Chantal Conneller at the University of Manchester, Professor Nicky Milner at York University, and the Vale of Pickering Research Trust, from On the Ocean, Pytheas of Massalia (work lost, but frequently quoted by other ancient authors), and from External Links: Science, and The Mesolithic Period in South and Western Britain, G J Wainwright (Doctoral thesis, University of London, 1961), and Creswellian & Federmesser (Oxford Reference), and 'Lost World' beneath the North Sea (Heritage Daily).)

c.2400 BC

This ancient, fabricated history of Frisia in Thet Oera Linda Bok (The Oera Linda Book) has a monotheistic religion two and-a-half millennia before the birth of Christianity but 'only' a little under a millennium before Akhenaten's monotheistic movement in Egypt.

The faked runes and Old Frisian text of Thet Oera Linda Bok which tells an invented creation story for ancient Frisians who never existed

The supreme, perfect, and omnipotent being is Wralda who creates the beginning, Irtha (the earth mother, or Aldland, Atland, 'Old Land'), along with everything else.

Irtha later gives birth to three daughters who became primeval mothers (founders of a matriarchal dynasty) and they in turn produce three human ethnic groups (complete with highly suspicious and highly generalised nineteenth century AD racial labelling): firstly Lyda (meaning 'black') in Africa, then Finda ('yellow') in Asia, and finally Frya ('white') in northern and Western Europe.

? - c.2194 BC

Traditional founder of the Frisian Commonwealth.

c.2193 BC

According to Thet Oera Linda Bok, Frya's children combine intelligence with high morals and good sense. They live in peace and possess a high degree of civilisation without priests or churches. The Fryas excel in self-control and their love of virtue, and realise that life without freedom is meaningless.

As primeval mother, Frya controls the whole of 'Fryasland' bordering the Baltic Sea with settlements in Denmark, and Twiskland ('Tussenland', now in Germany), and along the Rhine.

Shown here is a selection of highly distinctive bell-shaped pots which were created by the Bell Beaker folk between around 2900-1800 BC in Europe and the British Isles

Apparently catastrophe occurs in 2193 BC, with earthquakes and tidal waves ravaging the earth. Frya has just given her 'Tex' to the seventh generation of all her children, this being the 'Text of the First Law', a form of constitution, and has created the 'folk mother' matriarchal system of village governance. Now she 'ascends to the stars', leaving Fasta as the leading folk mother.

2194 - 2145? BC

First folk mother. Former servant.

Folk mother. Based on ancient Greek figure.

Folk mother. Based on ancient Greek figure.

Folk mother. Based on ancient Greek figure.

fl c.2013 BC

Folk mother. Fought against Finno-Ugrics.

c.2013 BC

The story has Minna facing an invasion of Finns from the east. They settle in the formerly-expansive Frisian lands in Scandinavia. Closer to reality this likely refers to Finno-Ugric expansion across northern European Russia and into Estonia and Finland.

The ancient forest at the foot of the southern Ural mountains would have emerged after the end of the most recent ice age - the River Belaia in the southern Urals is shown here - and soon provided a home to the foraging humans who became the proto-Uralics

1631 - 1621 BC

Folk mother.

c.1631 BC

During Rosamond's period as senior folk mother, Frisians in Western Europe revolt against the system and become Celts. In reality this is still about three centuries prior to the rise of the proto-Celtic Urnfield culture, and almost a millennium before the rise of true Celts in the form of the Hallstatt culture.

fl c.1621 BC

Folk mother in Athens.

c.1000 BC

By this stage the Urnfield culture has formed several sub-groups or cultures in an unbroken line between the modern Netherlands to the heel of Italy, from what is now eastern central Poland to the eastern Pyrenees, and from eastern France to western Ukraine.

Britain and the Atlantic coast of Western Europe are still dominated by the Atlantic Bronze Age system, while northern Poland and Germany, and southern Norway and Sweden, are dominated by the Nordic Bronze Age societies.

This map showing Late Bronze Age cultures in Europe displays the widespread expansion of the Urnfield culture and many of its splinter groups, although not the smaller groups who reached Britain, Iberia, and perhaps Scandinavia too (click or tap on map to view full sized)

590 - 589 BC

Last folk mother. Killed during an 'invasion' of Finns.

589 - 306 BC

After Frana, the authority of the folk mothers collapses. A period of division follows, with no clear Frisian rulers apparent. Adela is claimed by Thet Oera Linda Bok as the ancestor of Cornelis Over de Linden who brings to light this fictional work. She refuses the title of folk mother but remains de facto ruler of these mythical Frisians.

589 - 559 BC

De facto ruler. Ancestor of Cornelis Over de Linden.

306 - c.270 BC

Later ruled jointly with the first king of Frisia?

304 BC

As the fictional folk mothers of the 'Early Netherlands' fade from the story, the tribal Frisii gradually emerge into history in the Low Countries in the decades which lead up to the appearance of Roman forces to their immediate south.

Sections of the lower Rhine were cleared by Rome in AD 58 in order to create a buffer zone between the empire and the barbarians on the other side of the Rhine