Someone on Twitter claimed that Oera Linda had been proven to be a 19th century forgery, because
The paper it's been written on was manufactured in 1850, the OLB-language is 19th century-ish and there are witnesses who heard the three men (HaverSchmidt, Verwijs and, obviously Over de Linden) laughing while producing the work.
These three assumed reasons why Oera Linda would be fake will be refuted below:
Its paper was manufactured in 1850
Its language is 19th century-ish
Witnesses heard the three alleged creators laugh while producing the work
1. Paper argument
An apparently ambitious investigation (2006-2011) by a paper-research team, assisted by 7 specialists from various institutions (Tresoar, RUG/KNAW, NFI, RCE, the National Archives and a paper analysis lab) did not lead to publication of final results, as had been announced.
Beforehand they had assumed Jensma was right and that the paper had to be from the 19th century, as that would have been established in 1870s. But the 1870s waterlines argument from that claim was invalid, as medieval Spanish-Arab paper has them too.
And even if the paper would be modern, its content can still be authentic.
Linguist Verwijs wrote to board member Winkler that some parts were easy to translate, but others not at all. This also applies to the well-known Old Frisian texts.
One of the few Old Frisian experts at the time (besides Ottema) De Haan Hettema judged that the Frisian spelling was “much more in line with the older and very regular”. He made no distinction between Old Frisian and Rural or Farmers’ Frisian.
It concerns a third-hand (!) statement, dated 1965 (!), from the housemate of the widow of a grandson of Cornelis Over de Linden (DGG* p. 161). The memories of the grandson are said to date from the summer of 1869: 100 years before the statement.
*DGG: ‘De Gemaskerde God’, Jensma 2004
Verwijs already asked the Provincial Executive for permission to purchase the manuscript in 1867. If someone had insisted on seeing it then, it would not have been ready yet (if witness acc. is correct). Verwijs could not have taken such a risk (if he was co-creator).
There is, among other witness accounts, a first-hand statement from a naval officer who confirms that he had heard about the manuscript as early as 1854, but according to Jensma he must be a liar and participant in the conspiracy. (DGG p. 243).
That's how selective one can be in taking witness accounts seriously.
Compare Jenma's bizarre ‘witness accounts’ about Ottema's alleged suicide motive, recently proven to be a malicious lie (he died of pneumonia):
Momus Criticizes the Gods' Creations, Heemskerck 1561 (section)
There are words in Oera Linda that have been unclear to all translators thus far, from its first defender, J.G. Ottema, to its last opponent, G.T. Jensma. One of these words is the compound SÉ.MOMMA, the first part of which will mean 'sea', although it could also mean 'see'. A significant discovery related to the second part was made yesterday.
[079/04]HARK_HARK THÉR SKIL EN SÉ.MOMMA KÉTHA. “Hark! Hark! A ..... is about to speak!”
SÉ.MOMMA is used in chapter M. which describes the moral decline of Athenia (Athens), after the fall of Seekrops (Cekrops). Chronologically, this chapter follows chapter L2. in which Geart and her men leave Athenia, moving with a fleet of 84 ships to Panj-ab (Indus Valley region), joined by 30 Tyrian ships.
Context of the fragment
Because wealth was much more important than virtue and honor to this spoiled and corrupted brood, one sometimes saw young men who adorned themselves with flamboyant clothing, to the shame of their parents and the maidens, and [079] to the mockery of their kin. If any of our modest elders came to the General Assembly at Athenia and wished to protest about this, a cry would go up: “Hark! Hark! A ..... is about to speak!”
Provisional Dutch translation Ott:
Aangezien rijkdom voor die bedorven en verbasterde soort een veel hogere waarde heeft dan deugd en eer, zag men soms knapen die zichzelf sierden met buitensporige, kostbare kleding — hun ouders en de Maagden beschamend en [079] hun geslacht bespottend. Kwamen onze eenvoudig gebleven ouderen te Athenia op de Algeme Acht om zich daarover te beklagen, dan werd er geroepen: “Hoort, hoort! Een ..... wil iets zeggen!”
Translations thus far
Ottema (1872/ '76) had zeegedrocht, translated by Sandbach (1876) into sea-monster. This interpretation was adopted by Overwijn (1941/ '51), Pierce (1983), Jensma (2006, who noted: "unclear") and Raubenheimer (2011). Of these, only Overwijn ('41) added an explanation:
It is remarkable that we still have words like: "mombakkes" [mask], "onder het mom van" [under the guise of] and the like. "Mombakkes" clearly means "monstrosity-cheekhouse", i.e. "fake face". Likewise, sêmomma = sea-mom = sea-monster.[1]
Wirth (German, 1933) had Seemumme (sea-mom/ -mum). Likewise, De Heer (Dutch, 2008) had zeemamma and Menkens (German, 2013) See-Mumie. These may seem more literal interpretations, but referring to elders that would certainly have included (if not exclusively been) men, they are not satisfactory.
Traces in Old Greek
In search of possibly related words or cognates, I found the following entries in the Old Greek - Dutch dictionary from 1900, which I had used at grammar school in the 1980s. What struck me, is that these words perfectly match the context in which MOMMA was used in the Oera Linda fragment, quoted above.
It also mentioned a god of envy, son of Night (god van de nijd, zoon van de nacht), abbreviated as M. This must be the personified spirit Μῶμος (Momos/ Momus).
Discussion
I have yet to look into how and in what context Momus appears in the relevant Old Greek texts (listed here), but the 16th century painting by Heemskerck, used on the Wikipedia page (a section of which is depicted above), is again striking, because of the contrast between the modestly clothed Momus and the person in flamboyant clothing standing next to him.
If SÉ.MOMMA was made up by Verwijs and/or Haverschmidt (or any other alleged 19th century mystifier), it would be subtle and genious beyond belief.
Note
[1] Original Dutch in Overwijn (1941) Het Oera Linda Boek, p. 83:
Merkwaardig is het, dat wij nog steeds woorden als: "mombakkes" (= mom-bakhuis = mom-wanghuis), "onder het mom van" e.d. bezitten. Bij "mombakkes" ziet men duidelijk de betekenis van "gedrocht-wanghuis", d.i. "namaakgezicht" aan den dag komen. Zoo ook "sêmomma = zee-mom = zeegedrocht.
Hettema (1832) seems to have been the last Old Frisian dictionary that had the word Harlinga (translated as bondgenoten: allies), referring to Wiarda (1786), who spelled Harlingen, referring to a quote of unclear origin: Ws gemene Vrienden en Harlingen (he translates: our communal friends and allies).
Oera Linda has ÁTHA* for allies, suggesting this was what Athens (ÁTHENJA, used 14 times) was named after (seech. L2).
*plural ÁTHAwas used 5 times (quasi-dative ÁTHUMtwice), singular ÁTHE 6 times, compound ÁTHSKIP (allience) 5 times and male name ÁTHARIK (ally-rich) once.
HARLINGA is used twice, in the context of conflict and its meaning seems to be less formal than ally: comrades-in-arms? (Dutch: strijdmakker, wapenbroeder?):
HJA WRDON HJARA HARLINGA
[050/13] VSA WÉIBRITNE WRDON VRDELGEN JEFTA HJA WRDON HJARA HARLINGA.
ch. J. our dispersed people were either destroyed or joined their ranks.
(lit.: they became their comrades-in-arms)
Ottema 1872: ... of zij werden hunne bondgenooten (allies)
Sandbach 1876: ... or made slaves
[071/08] WILST THUS VSA HARLINGA BILÍWA. SÁ MOT J THINA SLÁVONA FRY LÉTA.
ch. L2.Thus, if you wish that we should fight together, you must set your slaves free.
(lit.: to remain our comrades-in-arms)
Ottema 1872: ... wilt gij dus onze bondgenooten (allies) blijven
Sandbach 1876: ... to remain our allies
scene from War of the Spanish Succession 1707
HARLINGA seems related to HÉR (army), from which several other words are derived (e.g. HÉRMAN, HÉRTOGA), compare:
hæria (Old Swedish) - to attack with an army, to destroy
herja (Old Norse) - to go harrying or freebooting, (transitive, with accusative:) to despoil, waste
If the word HARLINGA would still exist in Dutch, it would now be heerling.
Possibly related: Heruli/ Heruls (wikipedia: probably an honorific military title): HÊRLJUD?, Dutch: heerlui/ heerlieden?
The origin of the place name Harlingen is unknown:
Harlingen was first mentioned in 1228 as Herlinge (...) The name Harlingen is probably derived from the estate Harlinga. In 1311 "Harlingen" appeared in English port registers.
If, when its name originated, it meant something like allies, and if Oera Linda's explanation of Athens is correct, that would mean both port towns have something in common.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) in 1888 wrote Der Antichrist, of which only parts were published in 1895. A specific part, written on September 30, Gesetz wider das Christenthum ('Law or Decree against Christianity'), was not published until 1961.
Three elements of it remind of Oera Linda, one of them in particular. Together they raise the quenstion if Nietzsche may have been inspired by the 1875 German edition of Historische Skizzen auf Grundlage von Thet Oera Linda Bok (original Dutch published anonymously in 1874 by A.J. Vitringa, translated by Hermann Otto).
The 'decree' is dated by Nietzsche: am 30. September 1888 der falschen Zeitrechnung ('according to the false timeline').
It is very much anti-priesthood, e.g. The priest is the most vicious type of person: he teaches anti-nature. Priests are not to be reasoned with, they are to be locked up. (...) [they] should be ostracised, starved, driven into every type of desert.
Most striking is the third article: The execrable location where Christianity brooded over its basilisk eggs should be razed to the ground (...) Poisonous snakes should be bred on top of it. ('Man soll giftige Schlangen auf ihr züchten.')
The third article in Nietzsche's handwriting (source)
That toxic plants (or animals) would grow on places where something bad happened (or was buried) is reminiscent of the following fragments:
Anyone who robs another of his freedom, even if the other were in debt to him, I would parade with collar and leash like a slave girl — though I advise you to burn his corpse and that of his mother in a barren place. Thereafter, bury their ashes fifty feet deep, so not a single blade of grass might grow upon them. For such grass would kill your most precious animals. (Otto: denn solches Gras würde euer bestes Vieh tödten)
The navigators should take his mother and all his relatives to a distant island and there scatter his ashes, so that no poisonous herbs(FENINIGE KRÛDON) may sprout from them here.
Then shall the blood of the wicked flow over thy body, O Earth, but you must not drink of it. In the end, the toxic vermin (FENINIGE KWIK) shall feast upon it and perish.
Fragments 5d and 11b don't seem to have been part of Otto's (and Vitringa's) publication, but the Dutch or English translation may have been accessible as well in Germany.
Dat Friso de stichter zoude geweest zijn kan ik niet aannemen. Dit behoort mijns inziens onder de fabelen en vertelsels der oudewijven, welke in zeker tijdstip de overhand op het gezond verstand hadden. Bij mij is het de taal van een volk en de liggin van het land, welke de naamsoorsprong kunnen aangeven. Dat nu het Oudfriesch, met het oud Saksisch zeer naauw verwant is, zal niemand betwisten, — vandaar dat ik stel, dat wij met die oude Saksen in vroegere tijden één volk hebben uitgemaakt. De Saksers zich vroeger meer landwaarts in bevindende en dus van de zee verwijderd, kenden dit land zeer waarschijnlijk niet, en niet voor dat een deel hunner zich hier nedergezet had, leerden zij dit kennen. (...) Deze streek nu noemden de oude Saksers het Frisse land en de bewoners Frissen, hetwelk de Latijnen in Frisia en Frisii hebben overgebragt. Friesland is dus niets anders dan het Frisse- of Nieuweland ter onderscheiding van het oude land. (...)
That Friso would have been the founder, I cannot accept. In my opinion this belongs to the fables and tales of old wives, which at a certain time prevailed over common sense. For me it is the language of a people and the location of the country, which can indicate the origin of the name. No one will dispute that Old Frisian is very closely related to Old Saxon — which is why I argue that we were one people with those old Saxons in earlier times. The Saxons, who used to be more inland and therefore away from the sea, were very probably not familiar with this country, and they did not get to know it until some of them had settled here. (...) The ancient Saxons called this region the Fresh land and its inhabitants the Fresh, which the Latins transferred to Frisia and Frisii. Friesland is therefore nothing other than the Fresh- or Newland as distinguished from the old land. (...)
North Frisian
Short study of fris / fresh
Fragments
[125/24] SIN FRISKA (→ FRESKA) HUD AND BLÁWA ÁGON MITH WIT HÉR
[his] fair skin, blue eyes, and white hair
[126/03] SÁ BJUSTRE FRES (→ FRESK) AS JEF HJA PÁS UT FRYASLAND WÉIKVMEN WÉRON
exceptionally fair, as if they had just come from Fryasland
Cognates
Dutch - fris, vers (old: ve(e)rs(ch), varsch, vrisch)
The Wijdenes find (2024) and its relevance for Oera Linda
Verdwenen Kastelen: het mysterie van Wijdenes (subtitled version may be available later)
The fundaments of (most likely) a 13th century Westfrisian castle were discovered underwater, near the village Wijdenes (where I was born and raised; older spellings vary, a.o. Wyns, below). It had been searched for centuries, speculations existed about several locations. The castle may have been built on an older foundation, as suggested by sources (see below).
Chronyk van Friesland (p.20), about early 4th century CE (dating questionable, but clearly before 13th century):
Deze tyd wierden de Landen op 't West en Zuidwest van Stavoren ook opgebouwd/ want ze tot deze tyd toe nog onbewoont hadden geweest/ het welk van vyf Edellieden/ ofte zodanige Mannen (die ook wat heerschappye en gebied boven andere wouden hebben) eerst ondernomen en begonnen is. De voornaamste van haar hiete Diederyk, welke omtrent twee Mylen van Stavoren in 't West op begon te bouwen/ kreeg daar na veel hulp en toeloop/ dat hy na zyn Afgodinne Medea, Medenblik noemde/ want zy schoon verguld was: Ende als 'er de Zonne op scheen/ zeide men/ Medea blinkt; en ter dier oorzake noemde men ze Medenblink, en namaals Medenblik.
De tweede van de voornoemde vyf/ boude daar nu Opdyk is/ de derde tot Wyns (...)
(Note the part about Medenblik having been named after Medea.)
Even if this was not the structure they were hoping to find, it shows that even today such discoveries can be made and likewise, older versions of (e.g.) Medemblik and Stavoren may have existed outside the dike (now water) and the names may have moved more landinwards. The argument that Oera Linda cannot be authentic, because at these locations no very old structures were ever found is thus weak.
About the argument that something should have been found by archaeology.
In the Westfrisian village where I was born and raised, Wijdenes, count Floris V of Holland had a castle built after he had finally conquered the Westfrisians in the late 13th century.
According to oral tradition, it would have been built on the remains of an earlier 'castle' from the Danish or viking founder of the village Roelof, Roeland or Rodulf (etc.).
The coat of arms of Wijdenes/ Wydenes/ Wyns/ Venes/ Wienesse/ Vornes (etc.) still has a (chess game style) tower as a reminder of this time.
There are theories that (part of) the village used to be located in what is now the Markermeer (earlier: Zuiderzee, resp. IJsselmeer).
There has been a lot of searching for remains or foundations of this 13th century castle (-700 BP), but nothing significant has been found yet. Still, there is no doubt that it once existed.
Therefore, I am not surprised that nothing has been found thus far, of the era -4200 till -2000 BP.
After the eventual [partial] annexation of West Friesland (in 1282), Floris V had five castles built. (...) There are strong indications that Floris V made the strategic locations depend on whether some form of defense structure was already present (...). For Wijdenes and Medemblik, these precursors were undoubtedly (involuntarily) left behind by the West Frisians.
and (untranslated):
Vanuit beide plaatsen, resp. in 1282 (Wijdenes) en 1283 (Medemblik)2, liet Floris V een oorkonde uitgaan. Het dus eveneens plausibel, dat de beide verdedigingswerken er al stonden, en zover van toepassing slechts een opknapbeurt nodig hadden. Dat er nog geen sprake was van stenen burchten valt af te leiden van het feit dat een omwalde burcht bij Wijdenes (Niwewic) wordt beschreven in de kroniek (ca. 1320) van de geestelijke Willem Procurator:
(Vertaling uit het Latijn). "In het jaar 1282 werd graaf Floris van Holland, hoewel de gekwetsheid over de ondergang van zijn manschappen bij de Friezen niet op zijn gelaat geschreven stond, door een zeer grote animositeit tegen dat volk bewogen. Dus nadat hij een hoeveelheid van zijn troepen zowel uit Holland als uit Zeeland bijeengebracht had, begaf hij zich per schip naar de plaats, Nuwewic* geheten, waar hij de boze Friezen, zoals zij tot dan toe gewoon waren geweest, tegenover zich aantrof. Zij hadden zich na het bouwen van een bolwerk op een wal, als waren zijn onoverwinnelijk, teruggetrokken, en stelden zich met een krachtige macht tegen het leger van de graaf teweer."
*Over de toponiem 'Nuwewic' is veel discussie geweest. (...) Dat 'Nuwewic' de naam was van een nieuwe locatie van Wijdenes, omdat de oude locatie door de zee werd verzwolgen is erg plausibel. (...) Het is niet uitgesloten dat het 'oude Wijdenes', inclusief de restanten van het huis van Wijdenes door de zee prijs werd gegeven. (...) De toponiem 'Nuwewic' betekent dan feitelijk 'nieuwe vlucht/wijkplaats'. (...)
In hetzelfde verband werd de toponiem verklaart door de 17de-eeuwse West-Friese historicus Claes Nanningsz (...) in een van zijn 'memoriën;' uit 1637:
Doen dit oude Wijnes nog in wesen was, als ten tijde van Graaf Floris de 5. dewelke West-Friesland beöorloogende met schepen aangekomen is ende sijn volk gelandet heeft omtrent daar het Casteel van Wijnes stond, welke Huijs of Burg hij ingenomen heeft (...).
Dese voorsz: plaats daar Graaf Floris sijn volk lande, word in ouder schrijvers genaamt de Niewer Wijke. Dit is omtrent de jaren 1285. 1286 en 1287. (...)
Waar uijt blijkt, dat dit jegenwoordig Wijnes (...); doen ter tijd, doen het oude Wijnes nog niet van de zee opgeslokt was, die Niewe Wike geheten heeft apparent omdat het volk van 't oude Wijnes, voor de zee heeft beginnen te wijken; en op dese plaatse haar neder geset, en soo wat in-geweken hebbende, het daarom de Niewer Wike hebben genaamt.
00:25 "He didn't give a convincing answer as to why [Oera Linda] isn't a hoax" — How would Kat have answered the question?
01:05 Position of the interviewer would have been staged so that only his left eye is seen, which would symbolize the 'sinister path'. Kat's noticing of symbolism is selective as she ignores the EU-logo (designed in 1955) at:
01:56 ... on Raubenheimer's book.
03:07 Raubenheimer mistook the year of Sandbach's transation (even in his 3rd edition): 1896 should have been 1876.
03:17 Kat 'proves' that Raubenheimer would not have approved of Ott's translation, first published in 2021. How is this possible when Raubenheimer died in 2014?
03:33 "Some editing was done..." — example (ch.13f): Sandbach's "imitating Finda's wicked people..." was changed into "disgracefully imitating the wicked Findas, and practicing occultism..." — Raubenheimer erroneously thought he could translate KÀLTA/kaltia ('to speak') with 'practicing occultism'.
03:57 'Magyarar' was an error by Raubenheimer. This word isn't used in the original MS, nor in any other translation. Varieties of this plural in MS: MÁGJAR, MÁGJARA, MAGJARA, MAGÍARA, MÁGJARUM.
04:00 'Magy/Magi' is not short for Mágjara, but singular and only used for the supreme MÁGÍ. Since in English 'magi' is plural of 'magus', I translated as 'magus'.
05:40 'To promise cows with golden horns' is an expression still existing in Dutch, meaning 'to propose good things that will never come true', like 'unending riches' or 'mountains of gold'. Metaphors (OL has more of them*) are not meant to be understood literally. The current version of the Ott translation maintains original metaphors, explained in footnotes when unclear. [*Example, ch. 9e: 'they could not grill their herring on our fire', i.e. 'were not welcome with us'.]
07:35 ANFANG and BIJIN are used together and both mean 'begin' (or something like it). Since 'bijin' most obviously is the origin of our 'begin', I chose a different word to interpret ANFANG, one that may fit better in its context. The Fryas 'Anfang' may not mean exactly the same as German/Dutch 'Anfang/aanvang'.
08:33 Subject 'she' as used for Earth is HJU, HJA is 'they', HJAM is 'them' , KÉMON is plural 'came', like German/Dutch 'kamen/kwamen'.
10:00 'Od' as used in our translation is explained in a footnote. The Old Greek word ὠδις (ódis) can mean birth. In Prose Edda and Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, Óðr is mentioned as Freyja’s husband and father of two daughters. Od/odd can also be related to Old English 'ord' and Old German 'ort': point of a weapon, spear, etc.; Odd numbers are even ones + 1. The shape of the number 1 (named 'odin/odyn' in Russian/Ukrainian) could easily relate to the old meaning of pointed object (or organ?).
10:33 Sandbach (1876) did not derive od from Latin odium. Ottema (1872) did before him, much to the dismay of the MS owner, Cornelis Over de Linden (1811-1874). See blog post Two worst mistakes in first OLB publication. Also note that in the manuscript there is no period between WR.ALDA.S and OD, but there is after DRÁMA, so it's 'Wralda's od ...' not '... visions of Wralda'. To interpret it as 'Wralda's hate' would not make sense, certainly not in context of the other texts. Wirth (German, 1933) translated OD as Od (Gottes Odem), i.e. Od (God's breath).
Original fragment in the manuscript, showing where the periods should be.
'Od' fragment in Wirth's (German 1933) version, compared to Sandbach.
11:51 See 08:33: HJA as subject is 'they'. A translation app for contemparary Frisian will not work well for Old Frisian or the Fryas language.
Hidde's and Liko's letters of instruction in Sandbach's version, showing that hja is (mostly) plural.
12:29 Wralda is not a man. Unlike in the Bible, OL does not suggest man looks like Wralda. So it is not implied that Wralda 'had sex' with the daughters of Earth. I only suggest that 'od' is related to fertility/procreation, which makes sense because after it entered/penetrated the primal mothers, they (all three) begot their sons and daughters. That Frya had not been with a man is thus no contradiction.
13:32 Correct fragment is WRALDAS OD TRÀD TO.RA BINNA (with 'TO').
