The Oera Linda Book, from a Manuscript of the Thirteenth Century
History
The Oera Linda Book, from a Manuscript of the Thirteenth Century
Frisian language -- Texts
the prince who reigned over Egypt. Demetrius won the battle, not by
his own soldiers, but because we helped him. We had done this out
of friendship for Nearchus, because we knew that he was of bastard
birth by his white skin, blue eyes, and fair hair. Afterwards,
Demetrius attacked Rhodes, and we transported thither his soldiers
and provisions. When we made our last voyage to Rhodes, the war
was finished. Demetrius had sailed to Athens. When we came into the
harbour, the whole village was in deep mourning. Friso, who was king
over the fleet, had a son and a daughter so remarkably fair, as if
they had just come out of Fryasland, and more beautiful than any one
could picture to himself. The fame of this went all over Greece, and
came to the ears of Demetrius. Demetrius was vile and immoral, and
thought he could do as he pleased. He carried off the daughter. The
mother did not dare await the return of her joi (the sailors wives
call their husbands joi or zoethart (sweetheart). The men call their
wives troost (comfort) and fro or frow, that is, vreuyde (delight)
and frolic; that is the same as vreugde.)
As she dared not wait for her husband's return, she went with her
son to Demetrius, and implored him to send back her daughter; but
when Demetrius saw the son he had him taken to his palace, and did
to him as he had done to his sister. He sent a bag of gold to the
mother, which she flung into the sea. When she came home she was out
of her mind, and ran about the streets calling out: Have you seen my
children. Woe is me! let me find a place to hide in, for my husband
will kill me because I have lost his children.
When Demetrius heard that Friso had come home, he sent messengers
to him to say that he had taken his children to raise them to high
rank, and to reward him for his services. But Friso was proud and
passionate, and sent a messenger with a letter to his children, in
which he recommended them to accept the will of Demetrius, as he
wished to promote their happiness; but the messenger had another
letter with poison, which he ordered them to take: But, said he,
your bodies have been defiled against your will. That you are not to
blame for; but if your souls are not pure, you will never come into
Walhalla. Your spirits will haunt the earth in darkness. Like the bats
and owls, you will hide yourselves in the daytime in holes, and in
the night will come and shriek and cry about our graves, while Frya
must turn her head away from you. The children did as their father
had commanded. The messenger had their bodies thrown into the sea,
and it was reported that they had fled. Now Friso wished to go with
all his people to Frya's land, where he had been formerly, but most of
them would not go. So Friso set fire to the village and all the royal
storehouses; then no one could remain there, and all were glad to be
out of it. We left everything behind us except wives and children,
but we had an ample stock of provisions and warlike implements.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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