Dutch Mythology

Arts, Philosophy, Spirituality & Wisdom
User avatar
Luigi
Posts: 4234
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:01 pm
Reputation: 2931

Dutch Mythology

Postby Luigi » Wed May 13, 2020 9:44 pm

I was just clicking around wiki today and found a surprisingly good amount of info on the Netherlands. What stood out to me most is that they report from the earlier time of Christianization many folk customs I know to have persisted into the 19th and early 20th century. For example in the Scandinavian folklore material I had often heard of Othin being a corn/harvest idol type thing and here they have a full page for it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_dolly

Multiple missionaries were unsuccessful in converting the Frisian controlled Netherlands and when they had some success they complains about all the non-Christian things the converts do and gives us a big list of it all:

[spoiler]
"I denounce and contest, that you shall observe no sacrilegious pagan customs. For no cause or infirmity should you consult magicians, diviners, sorcerers or incantators. ..Do not observe auguries ... No influence attaches to the first work of the day or the [phase of the] moon. ... [Do not] make vetulas [a type of corn dolly], little deer or iotticos or set tables [for the house-elf] at night or exchange New Year gifts or supply superfluous drinks [a Yule midsummer custom]...No Christian. .. performs solestitia [solstice rites?] or dancing or leaping or diabolical chants. No Christian should presume to invoke the name of a demon, not Neptune or Orcus or Diana or Minerva or Geniscus... No one should observe Jove's day in idleness. ... No Christian should make or render any devotion to the gods of the trivium, where three roads meet, to the fanes or the rocks, or springs or groves or corners. None should presume to hang any phylacteries from the neck of man nor beast. ..None should presume to make lustrations or incantations with herbs, or to pass cattle through a hollow tree or ditch ... No woman should presume to hang amber from her neck or call upon Minerva or other ill-starred beings in their weaving or dyeing. .. None should call the sun or moon lord or swear by them. .. No one should tell fate or fortune or horoscopes by them as those do who believe that a person must be what he was born to be."


This is from 1400 years ago but sounds all too familiar.
19th century folklore also apparently records a version of the Thor - Midyard Worm battle:

[spoiler]
The creation of the Uddeler- and Bleeke Lake(s): This myth concerns a battle that allegedly took place between Donar the God of Thunder with the winter giants and the "Midgaardslang" (a giant snake monster) who strategically align against him. The giants throw hail down, while the snake climbs into a tall oak tree and blows poison into the air. Donar attacks, riding through the air on "his billy-goat wagon", the sky blazes and the earth trembles because of his "never missing thunderhammer." Donar strikes the snake on his head with such force on the head that not only was the monster crushed, the mighty thunderhammer went seven miles deep into the earth. The snake dies. However, in the attack the snake's poison scorches and stuns Donar. Donar crashes down, with his "steerless goats" and wagon onto the Donderberg (meaning Donar's hill or "Thunder-hill") in Dieren. Then the earth sank into the sea, the seagod blew a horn and a big black ship came to collect Donar's body. When the floodwaters receded, two lakes mark the spot that are "as deep as the world, the Uddelermeer or "Lake of Uddel" (Uttiloch), and the Godenmeer (God's lake)..." Later the legend continues that Thor's hammer surfaced from the depths. The grave of Midgaardslang became overgrown with the forest nearby, until in 1222 a bright flame shot out of the pool and the ghost of the snake wriggled up and fled north. The forest was burned and a moor near the lake remains where the forest once was.[12]
Perné notes that Donar was worshipped at the Godenmeer (lake of the Gods), although the translator thinks that the lake Godenmeer may be a Christian version of Wodenmeer, a lake originally dedicated to Wodan.[13]


The Romanized locals also made dedicatory monuments that have survived:

Image

Image

Image

And finally here is an interesting Dutch painting from the 1400s:

Image

I wonder how much of this is from vague recollections of Roman times, folk customs, or just imagined?

And miscellaneous note this goddess Hludana made me instantly think of the element in Chlothar, Clovis, Hlewdwig, etc. yet the listed etymology doesn't mention that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hludana

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology ... _Countries
Image

User avatar
Masato
Site Admin
Posts: 18299
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:16 pm
Reputation: 8227

Postby Masato » Thu May 14, 2020 5:49 pm

Fuckin cool man I will explore.

My mother was 100% dutch blood, born and raised there. I have lots of dutch cultural scraps of memories and images floating around in my head, wonder how many of them will connect.

Netherlands is such a tiny country but some major stuff came out of there over the ages. Kind of weird, wonder what they were smokin
:D

User avatar
Luigi
Posts: 4234
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:01 pm
Reputation: 2931

Postby Luigi » Thu May 14, 2020 8:33 pm

Masato wrote:Fuckin cool man I will explore.

My mother was 100% dutch blood, born and raised there. I have lots of dutch cultural scraps of memories and images floating around in my head, wonder how many of them will connect.

Netherlands is such a tiny country but some major stuff came out of there over the ages. Kind of weird, wonder what they were smokin
:D

One of my friends from elementary school had Dutch blood and I remember when we hung out at her house after school her basement had paintings of windmills and they had wooden shoes we would sometimes wear for fun. Also this is obligatory:

Image

User avatar
Masato
Site Admin
Posts: 18299
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:16 pm
Reputation: 8227

Postby Masato » Thu May 14, 2020 10:19 pm

Luigi wrote:
Masato wrote:Fuckin cool man I will explore.

My mother was 100% dutch blood, born and raised there. I have lots of dutch cultural scraps of memories and images floating around in my head, wonder how many of them will connect.

Netherlands is such a tiny country but some major stuff came out of there over the ages. Kind of weird, wonder what they were smokin
:D

One of my friends from elementary school had Dutch blood and I remember when we hung out at her house after school her basement had paintings of windmills and they had wooden shoes we would sometimes wear for fun. Also this is obligatory:



haha hilarious

I have heard a lot of dutch in my life and it will never not sound funny to me


Return to “Creative Sanctuary”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 43 guests