O WÁCH - O wall

Carl Werner 1863 'Die Klagemauer in Jerusalem'

"Anyone trying to translate the book or part of it into Dutch will be surprised at how easy this is." (Jensma, PhD thesis 2004, as quoted in recent article, see previous post)

After 13 years of Oera Linda studies, I keep improving existing translations, sometimes helped by dedicated volunteers.

Linguist Verwijs wrote to fellow board member Winkler, after two and a half years of examining the manuscript (letter 11 Oct. 1869): "(...) it also contains difficulties and strange words. (...) I would spend far too much time on it. (...) It is strange that it contains some very old words, that the forms also point to a previous era of the language, while other expressions sound so very new." (more in previous post)

Oldfrisian specialist De Haan Hettema, who only got to see a few pages before he died, stated in a newspaper article (5 Sept. 1871) that they contained "some words that are no longer generally known, which will appear in the rest of this writing and could therefore supplement our Frisian vocabulary." (more in previous post)

I now present a recent find that was missed by all earlier translators and provides more insight into the Fryas world of experience.

D - Dutch, E - English, G - German

original fragment: chapter, page/line, transliteration (Codex Oera Linda)	13d. Ode to Adela [095/25] O WÁCH HWÉRTO SKOLDE HJA THJANJA	14d. Alexander the King [126/30] O WÁCH. LÉT.IK TO JOW SKUL SÉKA
D: Ottema (1876)	O wee! waartoe zoude zij dienen.	o wee! laat mij bij u eene schuilplaats zoeken
E: Sandbach (1976)	O Sorrow, what good can you do!	Woe is me! let me find a place to hide in
G: Wirth (1933)	O weh, wozu sollte sie dienen?	[not translated]
D: Overwijn (1951)^	Maar ja, hoe zou zij dienen?	O wee!, laat mij bij u een schuilplaats zoeken
D: Jensma (2004)	O wee, waartoe zou zij dienen?	O wee, laat me bij u schuil zoeken
G: Menckens (2013)	O weh, wozu sollte sie dienen?	Oh weh, laßt mich bei Euch Schutz suchen
E: Ott (2022)*	Say, o wall — to what should they attend?	O wall! Help me hide

* Fragments 13d and 14d in context:

Yes, comrade from afar. Thousands have come and yet more are on their way. Why? They come to honor Adela’s wisdom. Assuredly, she is the chief among us, for she was always foremost. Say, o wall — to what should they attend? Her shirt is of linen, her tunic of wool, which she spun and wove herself. What could they add to highten her beauty? Not pearls, for her teeth were whiter. Not gold, for her hair shone brighter. Not jewels, for her eyes, though soft as a lamb’s, blazed so brilliantly that one barely dared hold their gaze.

As she dared not wait until her husband’s return, she went to Demetrius with her son, begging him to give back her daughter. But when Demetrius saw her son, he took him to his palace as well, and used him the way he had used his sister. To the mother he sent a bag of gold, but she dumped it into the sea. On her way home she went mad. Everywhere she ran about the streets, calling: “Have you seen my children? O wall! Help me hide, or my joy will kill me for having lost his children.”

~ ~ ~

West-Indisch Huis, Amsterdam
by Herman Schouten 1792

Spelling varieties of WÁCH in Oera Linda:
singular
WACH/WÁCH - 10a, 11b (2x), 13c, 13d, 13e, 13g, 13h, 14e
plural
WÁGUM - 1b, 2a
WÀGRUM - 2e, 9a
WÉGAR - 2g (2x)
WÀGAR/WAGAR - 6, 13h
WÁGARUM - 13b

Context:
wall as medium/information carrier - 1b, 2a, 2e, 2g, 6, 9a, 10a, 13b, 13e, 13h (2x)
wall being addressed: 13d, 14d
other: 11b (2x), 13c, 13g

Fragments:

1b. Adela’s Advice [004/10]
FORTH SKOLD.IK RÉDA J MOSTE NÉI THA BURGUM GA. ÀND THÉR VPSKRÍWA ALLE ÉWA. FRYA.S TEX. BIJVNKA [15] ALLE SKÍDNISA. JÁ ELLA THÀT.ER TO FINDA SÍ. VPPA WÁGUM. TILTHJU ELLA NAVT
VRLÉREN NI GA ÀND MITH.A BURGUM ALSA VRDÉN NAVT NE WERTH.
I would also counsel you go to the burgs and copy all the laws, Frya’s Tex, all of the histories and everything else you can find on the walls, so that nothing is lost if the burgs are destroyed.

2a. Festa, Take up your Stylus [005/30]
THIT STAND VPPA THA WÁGUM ET FRYA.S BURCH TO TEX.LÁND A.SKRÍWEN. THAT STÉT ÁK TO STÁVIA ÀND TO MÉDÉA.S BLIK.
The following was inscribed on the walls of Fryasburg at Texland, as well as at Stavia and Medeasblik:

2e. Frya was White [011/05]
THA MÁKADON HJA THIT HÁGE THERP BVWADON THÁS BURCH THÉR VPPA. ANDA WÀGRUM THESSA WRYTON HJA THENE TEX.
they made this high mound, built the burg thereon, and upon its walls they wrote the Tex.

2g. Festa: Laws and Frya’s Day [014/10]
ALLE SETMA THÉR EN ÉW. THÀT IS HVNDRED JÉR OMHLÁPA MÜGE MITH THA KRODAR ÀND SIN JOL. THÉRA MÜGON VPPA RÉD THÉRE MODER ÀND BY MÉNA WILLA VPPA WÉGAR THÉRA BURGUM WRIT HWERTHA. SEND HJA VPPA WÉGAR [15] WRIT THAN SEND HJA ÉWA ÀND THÀT IS VSA PLICHT VMBE ALTHAM AN ÉRA TO HALDANDE.
All rules that endure for one ‘eaw’ — that is one hundred years — with the Bearer and its Yule may, on the advice of the mother and by common consent, be written on the walls of the burgs. Once they have been written upon the walls, they are ‘eawa’: laws, and it is our duty to honor them.

6. Yule, Script, Numbers [045/01]
THÀT HÍR VNDE STAT IS INUT THA WÀGAR THÉRE WÁRA.BURGH WRITEN.
The following was inscribed on the walls of the Treasureburg:

9a. The War of Kelta and Minerva, ca. 1630 BCE [062/01]
THJU BURCH [5] WALHALLAGÁRA. INUT THA WÁGRUM THÉRA IS THJU FOLGJANDE SKÉDNESSE WRITEN.
(...) the burg Walhallagara. On its walls, the following history is inscribed.

10a. Ulysus’ Quest for a Lamp, ca. 1190 BCE [075/08]
IS THIT VPPINA ÁSTERWACH IT FRYA.S [10] BURCH WRITEN.
this was inscribed on the eastern wall of Fryasburg

11b. Death of Frana [082/20], [084/10]
TOJÉNST THA WÁCH
against the wall
SKILET FOLK IN HJARA WÁCH NÉMA
will encircle and protect the people (lit.: 'take within their wall')

13b. A Treacherous Maid [091/14]
ÀFTER THAT THA ADELA.FOLLISTAR ELLA [15] HÉDE LÉTA OVER SKRÍVA ELK IN SIN RIK HWAT HWRYT WAS IN.VPPA WÁGARUM THÉRA BURGUM. BISLOTON HJA EN MODER TO KIASANE.
After the Adela-Followers made copies of the writings on the burg walls, each in his own district, they decided to elect a Folksmother.

13c. Death of Adela [095/01]
GRIPTER SINE BÔGE FONERE WÁCH
he took his bow from the wall

13d. Ode to Adela [095/25]
O WÁCH HWÉRTO SKOLDE HJA THJANJA
Say, o wall — to what should they attend?

13e. Primal Teachings 1 [097/28]
THJU FORM.LÉRE THÉR IS HWRYTEN INUTERE WÁCH THÉR BURCH.TORE
The Primal Teachings that were written on the wall of the burg tower

13g. The Unsociable Man [104/20]
EN WÁCH FON PLAGA AND SÁDUM
a wall of sods and turfs

13h. Apollania’s Burg [107/01]
INNA TORE HANGT THJU FODDIK. [5] THA WAGAR THÉRE TORE SEND MITH KESTLIKA STÉNA SMUKAD. IN VPPA THÉRE SÛDER WACH IS THENE TEX WRYTEN. ANTHA FÉRE SÍDE THÉRA FINTH MAN THJU FORM.LÉRE. ANNA WINSTERE SÍDE THA ÉWA. THA ÔRA [10] SÉKA FINTH MAN VPPA ÔRA THRJA.
In the tower hangs the Lamp, and the walls are bejeweled with precious stones. On the south wall, the Tex is written; to the right of it one finds the Primal Teachings, and to the left, the eawa (laws). The remaining three walls hold other texts.

14e. Demetrius and Friso [126/30]
O WÁCH. LÉT.IK TO JOW SKUL SÉKA
O wall! Help me hide

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Dutch theology website about 'wall':

In addition to the literal meaning, we also encounter the wall as an image and metaphor. Concepts such as protection, safety, separation and alienation arise.

The wall is also a picture of divine power, which offers protection against oppression and distress (Isa. 25:4). (...) Even God is seen as a wall of fire, that is, no external threat (Zech. 2:9[5]; cf. 1 QH 3:37). And the complaining man uses the city wall as a metaphor for the Lord: "O wall of Zion's daughter..." (Lam. 2:18).

= = =

Notes:

[135/20] ALSA.T THA FORSTA WÉ DÉDE until it hurt the princes

[140/30] HJA SKILUN WÉ HROPA OVERA DÉDA THÉRA PRESTERA ÀND FORSTA. They will condemn the deeds of the priests and princes.

Another word for 'wall' (mostly in the sense of rampart, earthwork, entrenchment or perhaps palisade) used in Oera Linda is WAL.

Waech in online historical Dutch dictionary:
znw. m. Hetz. als weech, wand; z. ald.
Wand, binnenmuur; houten of leemen muur, zelden steenen muur.
Ghecalkede want of wit ghemaecte waech, Hs. 75 f. 163b, Holland/Vlaanderen/Brabant, 1401-1450 (Hand. 23, 3 paries dealbatus).