11 November 2021

Understanding what Happened

Berruguete, late 15th century (crop)

Our understanding of what happened more than seven hundred years ago is based on little evidence. Much of it is assumption and interpretation, in line with traditions of scholarship. For ages, religious institutions decided what manuscripts were worth and permissible to be saved and made public. There will still be treasures hidden in private collections or forgotten archives. One and a half century back, this will have been more true than today.

In 1867, a manuscript surfaced in the Netherlands. It seemed to be a 13th century copy of an older original, in unusual lettering and containing laws and histories from an era before our year zero. Its contents puzzled the few who got to see it. Was this too good to be true? Or would it have been recognized as a potential threat to the then monarchist-protestant state?

Five years later, the first translation was published as "Thet Oera Linda bok", named after the Oera Linda clan that seemed to have initiated the manuscript and preserved it through the ages. Even before publication, the verdict had already been pronounced in newspapers and magazines: it had to be fake and anyone who thought otherwise was a fool. In 1876, the first and only 'evidence' against authenticity was presented: it could not be authentic, because its language would be 'gibberish'. However, some of the most prominent Old Frisian specialists judged very differently.

In 1938, the controversial manuscript was donated to the Frisian provincial library by the then owner, Cornelis Over de Linden IV (1883-1958), who trusted that his donation would finally lead to proper study of the document and its contents. Until today, this never happened. The library states that it is “commonly believed to be a forgery”,(*) but substantiation of this belief is hard to find. The main ‘evidence’ seems to be the fact that scholars do not take it seriously... Asking the question if the manuscript or its contents could be authentic after all seems to have been taboo in Dutch academia since the late 1870s.

On December 14, 2020, the Oera Linda Foundation was registered, with the purpose to promote research on, translations of, and publications about the manuscript (or codex) known as the Oera Linda-book. The document begins with a letter of instruction, dated 1255 AD by the last known copyist of the writings, Hidde Oera Linda, who briefed his son Okke to also make a copy “so that they will never be lost”.

The foundation's first publication, 'Codex Oera Linda', is intended to be the modern version of such a new copy. It contains a new transliteration and an English translation of the original texts, with an index of proper names and a suggested alternative reading order. It can finally replace the only English edition thus far from 1876 by William Sandbach, which was a translation of the first (1872) Dutch translation by Dr. Jan Ottema and which included a mutilated, so-called facsimile print of the pages with the wheel-based letters and numbers.

In our times, ever more people learn to make up their own minds about issues relevant to them. For those interested in our deepest roots, the origin of our language and consciousness — in particular our innate desire for freedom, truth and justice — Codex Oera Linda may provide a wealth of inspiration.

(* Dutch: "Binnen enkele jaren was de algemene opvatting dat het om een vervalsing ging" http://oeralindaboek.nl/; click on "over het Oeralindaboek")

05 November 2021

2nd English edition of Codex Oera Linda

impression of new cover design
The files have been sent to the printer-binder. The books are expected to be delivered to me mid-November. If shipping abroad will not be too much delayed, they may arrive on time before Yule.

It will be the same size as the first edition (17 by 24 cm/ 6.7 by 9.4 inch), but half as thick (1,5 cm/ 0.59 inch) and half as heavy (ca. 480 gram). It will be paperback, printed on lighter paper (90 gram/m2 instead of 120), it will not include the color section, the font size is somewhat smaller and several short paragraphs have been combined. Also, some improvements have been made, footnotes are added, it includes 16 page-filling manuscript scans (in gray scale, see below), as well as five appendices regarding the authenticity question and to facilitate further research. The cover design is completely different from that of the first edition.

Change of form will make the price per book lower, in particular international shipping cost of larger quantities. There will also be a volume discount, to make larger orders even more attractive, for example for book shops. Before the new edition is released, a proper web shop will be installed on oeralinda.nl.

Click on the images for larger view:
main changes of content marked in red
16 manuscript pages (of 190) are included

21 October 2021

TONGAR - thunder

Verbum Dei (the Word of God), symbolized
as thunder in engraving "Papal pyramid"
by H. Hondius, 1612 (source)
Cognates (nouns):

tonger - Frisian
thunder - English
donder - Dutch
Donner - German
torden - Danish, Norse
dunder, tordön - Swedish
þruma - Icelandic
toirneach - Irish
tàirneanach - Scots Gaelic
taranau, daranu - Welsh
tunet - Romanian

thuner - Old Saxon

related (verbs):
tonare - Latin
ténnei - Greek (Lesbos)
tanyati - Sanskrit

In Codex Oera Linda:

TÒNGAR - 1
TONGAR.IS WOLKA / TONGAR.S WOLKA (thunder clouds)- 2
THONGAR (2x) - 3

1. [010] ch. 2e. Frya was White, p. 36

THA TO THA LESTA SPRÀK TÒNGAR UT.A WÒLKA ÀND BLIXEN SKRÉF AN THÀT LÒFT.RVM. WÁK.
Then, finally, thunder spoke from the clouds and lightning wrote upon the firmament: ‘Watch!’

2. [142] ch. 15e. Gosa’s Will, p. 194

THJUSTRENESSE SKIL HJU IN.OVERNE GÁST THÉRA MÀNNISKA SPRÉDA LIK TONGAR.IS WOLKA OVIRET SVNNE LJUCHT.
It will spread darkness over the spirit of mankind, like thunderclouds over sunlight.
[...]
THÀN SKIL TVANG FON JRTHA FÁGAD WERTHA. LIK TONGAR.S WOLKA THRVCH STORNE.WIND. ÀND ALLE DROCHTEN BIDRÍV NE SKIL THÉR ÀJEN NAWET NAVT NE FORMÜGA.
Then domination will be swept from Earth, like thunderclouds by storm wind, and no idolatrous practices will avail against this demise.

3. [202-203] ch. 19c. Reintia’s Dream, p. 237

WR.ALDA SÉIDE HJU HÉDE HJA THRVCH THONGAR TO HROPA LÉTA THAT ALLET FRIAS FOLK MOSTON FRJUNDA WERTHA. LIK SUSTAR ÀND BROTHAR TÁMED. OWERS SKOLDE FINDAS FOLK KVMA ÀND RA ALLE FON JRTHA VRDILLIGJA.
Wralda, she said, had signaled to her by thunder that all Frya’s folk must become friends, united as sisters and brothers, or else Finda’s folk would come and eradicate them all from the face of the earth.
NÉI THONGAR WÉRON FRIA.S SJVGUN WÁK.FÁMKES HJA ANDA DRÁME FORSKINNEN. SJVGUN NACHTA ÀFTER EKKÔRUM.
After the thunder, Frya’s seven watch maidens had appeared in her dreams, seven nights in succession.

02 October 2021

HÉR - hair

Cognates:

haar/ haren - Dutch
Haar/ Haare - German
hare - Afrikaans
hair/ hairs - English
hier/ hierren - Frisian
hår - Swedish, Danish, Norse
haj - Hungarian
hár - Icelandic, Old Norse
Hoer - Luxembourgish
hār - Old Saxon
hǣr - Old English
her - Old Frisian

Varieties in Oera Linda:

HÉRED (haired) - 1
HÉR (hair) - 2,4,5,6,8
HÉRON (hairs, plur.) - 3
HÉRE (hairs, plur.) - 7

1. [007] ch. 2c Lyda was Black, p. 31

LYDA WAS SWART. KROL.HÉRED ALSA THA LÔMERA
Lyda was black, curly-haired as the lambs

2. [007] ch. 2d Finda was Yellow, p. 32

HJR HÉR [WAS] SÁ THA MÀNNA ÉNER HORS
her hair was as a horse’s mane

3. [009] ch. 2e Frya was White, p. 34


LIK STRÉLON THÉRE MIDDÉI SVNNE BLIKADON HJRA HÉRON THÉR SA FIN WÉRON AS RACH
Like rays of the sun at noon shone her hair, fine as spiders’ webs

4. [096] ch. ch. 13d. Ode to Adela, p. 140

HJRA HÉR IS BLIKKANDER
her hair shone brighter

5. [125] ch. 14e. Demetrius and Friso, p.173

BLÁWA ÁGON MITH WIT HÉR
blue eyes and white hair

6. [132] ch. 14g. Defects of the Brokmen, p.181

FÉLO HÀVATH BRUNA ÁGON ÀND HÉR
Many have brown eyes and hair

7. [157] ch. 16d Adel and Ifkja, p.210

THÉRA THÉR RÁD JEFTHA BRUN WÉRON BITON HJARA HÉRE MITH SJALK.WÉTER WIT
Those with red or brown hair bleached their hair white with chalk or lime water

8. [196] ch. , p.

JETA SWARTER AS SIN HÉR IS SINE SÉLE FVNDEN
his soul was found to be blacker than his hair

27 September 2021

Preparing for 2nd edition of Codex Oera Linda

The first English edition (500+ copies) will soon be sold out.

So far, the following amounts of books have been shipped to and within:

United States: 175

Canada: 22
Australia and New Zealand: 17
within Europe: 257


Other: Brazil 1, Ecuador 1, Japan 1, South Africa 1.

Mutations after these maps were made (total 52): Switzerland +1, Canada +8 (5BC, ON, AB, QC), USA +28 (IA, WA, LA, 7CA, MA, OR, 2MI, OH, TN, NE, 4GA, 5FL, 2IN), Sweden +1, UK +6, Spain +2, Germany +1, NL +6.

(Information about second edition to be added; the maps will later be updated.)

23 September 2021

MODER, MOD ~ mother, mud, mood (cognates?)

personification of element Earth,
after Hendrik Goltzius (1586)
man being born from (mother) Earth,
as suggested in same etching

MODER - Fryas
mother - English
moeder - Dutch, Afrikaans
móðir - Icelandic
Mutter - German
Máthair - Irish
màthair - Scots Gaelic
mater - Latin
μητέρα - Greek
madre - Italian, Spanish
mor - Norse, Swedish, Danish
mère - French
mare - Catalan
māte - Latvian
мать - Russian
мати - Ukraininan
motina - Lithuanian

(not as such used in Oera Linda, but suggested in 'Primal History', as life on Earth was born out of soil; 'Mother Earth':)
mud - English
moder - Middle Dutch, Middle High German
modder (wet, fertile soil) - Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian
mudder - Danish
muda - Estonian
mutaa - Finnish
mwd - Welsh

related?: mudra (seal, gesture) - Sanskrit

marsh - English
moeras - Dutch
Moor - German

MOD - Fryas (also: WÉMOD = melancholy, lit. woe-mood, HÁGMOD = pride, haughtiness, hubris, lit. high-mood)
moed (courage) - Dutch
mod - Old Frisian, Swedish, Danish
mot - Norse
Mut(h) - German
mood - English
modus - Latin

MOD - Fryas
gemoed (soul, spirit, seat of feelings and moods) - Dutch
Gemüt - German
gimōde - Old Saxon
gemōde, gemōte - Middle Dutch
gimuati - Old High German
gemüete, gemuote - Middle High German
gemēde - Old English

MOD (1x) - Fryas (why this use might be related, I cannot tell; I include it because of exact same spelling in Oera Linda, though used only once)
moe (tired) - Dutch
moeg - Afrikaans
müde - German
muothi/-e - Old Dutch
mōthi - Old Saxon
mēðe - Old English
móðr - Old Norse
mo - Norse

FORMODA - Fryas
vermoeden (verb/noun: suspect, consider) - Dutch
vermuten/ Vermutung - German
formode/ vormodning - Danish
-/ förmodan - Swedish
moda, formodia - Old Frisian

... etcetera

Also interesting are these cognates for mud, soil, earth:
prut - Dutch (slang)
pridd - Welsh
prithvi - Sanskrit

Some other words related to earth/ ground/ soil/ mud in Oera Linda are GRVND, LÁND, BODEME and SLIP.

17 September 2021

ASK(-E/-A) ~ ash(es)

impression of Iron Age cremation (source)
varieties of burying ashes in mound: 1. loose in rectangular pit; 2. in urn; 3. in cloth or leather;
4. only covered by mound (illustration in brochure about Urnfields by Oermuseum Sept. '21)

some cognates
as - Dutch, Afrikaans
ash(es) - English
Asche - German
aske - Danish, Norse
aska - Swedish, Icelandic
jiske - Frisian*
āsa - Sanskrit
ačiun - Armenian
hassa - Hittite

(* Ironically, the New-Frisian variety is more divergent from Old-Frisian than the other NW-European cognates. There are more examples of this peculiar phenomenon.)

varieties in Oera Linda
ASKE - 2f
ASK - 5d, 7b
ASKA - 14d

fragments

2f. Frya’s Tex (p. 39)
AFTERNÉI HJARA ASKE FIFTICH FÍT ANDA GRVND TO DÀLVANE TILTHJU THÉR NÉNEN GÀRS.HÀLM VP WAXA NI MÉI. HWAND ALDULKERA GÀRS SKOLDE JVW DJAROSTA KVIK DÉJA.
Thereafter, bury their* ashes fifty feet deep, so not a single blade of grass would grow into them, for such grass would kill your most precious cattle. (*anyone who robs another of his freedom, and his mother)

5d. Punishments for Evildoers (p. 75)
THA STJVRAR SKOLDON SIN MÀM ÀND AL SINA SIBBA NÉI EN FÉR É.LAND MOTA BRÀNGA AND THÉR SIN ASK FORSTUVA TILTHJU.R HÍR NÉN FENINIGE KRÛDON FON WAXA NE MÜGE.
The steersmen must take his* mother and all his relatives to a distant island and there scatter his ashes, so that no poisonous herbs may sprout from them here. (*someone so evil as to betray us to the enemy by revealing paths and passages that lead to our places of refuge)

7b. How Aldland Sank, ca. 2190 BCE (p. 84)
WALDA BÀRNADON THÉR.THRVCH ÀFTER EKKORUM ÀND THÁ WIND DÁNA WÉI KÉM. THÁ WÁJADON VSA LANDA FVL ASK.
As a result, forests burned one after the other, and when Wind came from there, our lands were covered with ashes.

14d. Alexander the King (p. 170)
AS HJA HÉRADON THÀT HJA MITH MOSTE STATON HJA THA TIMBER HLOTHA ANE BRÔND. THÉRTHRVCH WRDE VS ÉLE THORP ANDA ASKA LÉID.
When they heard that they had to join, they set the lumberyards ablaze, which reduced our whole village to ash.