Forana, Vronen

Forana was a burg located in West Fleeland, south of Alkmarum. There was a canal from here to Alderga, which had canal houses. The girls here wore felt tunics. Steersmen from this burg as well as from Lydasburg brought forth an initiative to expell the blacks who lived near their burgs, though under Gosa's advice this was not followed through. Forana was destroyed by the time of Black Adel, when Magyars built a temple on it's ruins.

fragments

1c. Names of the Reeves

[005] Enoch, Diwek’s man, reeve of West Fleeland and Texland, was chosen as sea king nine times. The Treasureburg, Medeasblik, Forana (FOR.ÁNA), and Old Fryasburg are under his care.

13i. Apollania’s Journey

[110-111] Behind the lake, a canal had been dug, which flowed past the burg Forana (FOR.ÁNA), and further through a narrow mouth into the sea. (...) South of Forana (FOR.ÁNA) lies Alkmarum. (...) The burgmaid of Forana (FOR.ÁNA) told me that the burg lords visit them daily, (...)

14b. Gosa: Settlement of the Black Men

[117] Ten years later, the steersmen of Forana (FOR.ANA) and Lydasburg came to her.

19f. Askar’s Failure

[210] Near Egmond, where the burg Forana (FOR.ÁNA) had once stood, they built a temple, even larger and richer than Askar had built at Staveren.

meaning

The name Forana means 'in front' (Dutch: 'vooraan'). In the texts it is used once in this meaning:

[025] BY THA FÉSTUM ACHON HJA FORÁNA TO SITTANA. TILTHJU THA JÜGED SKIL ÉRA HJAM.

At feasts, they must sit in the front so that the youth may honor them

The word FRÁN (pious, sacred, divine) and the name [Frana|FRÁNA] may have been derived from FORÁNA.

in other sources

Forana can be related to Vronen (sometimes: 'Verona', 'Vroongeest' a.o.) which was destroyed in 1297, known from other sources, such as:

• 1616 Goos [transcript PDF] Nieuw Nederlandtsch caertboeck (p. 203)
• 1648 Persijn, Volckersz [link] engraving: Klok en zegel van Vroonen onder een kruis met opschrift eCCe CadIt Mater frIsIae; text: Van't Innemen ende Destructie der Stadt Vroonen
• 1658 Schotanus [vol.1] De geschiedenissen kerckelyck ende wereldtlyck van Friesland oost ende west (p. 151)
• 1661 Soeteboom [PDF] Vroonens begin, midden en eynde
• 1702 Soeteboom [vol. 1, vol. 2] Oudheden van Zaanland Stavoren Vronen & Waterland
• 1714 Simon Eikelenberg [PDF] Gedaante en gesteldheid van Westvriesland voor den jaare MCCC. En teffens den ondergang van het dorp Vroone
• 1742 Scharlensem, Vlytarp, Stavriensem [PDF] Chronyk en waaragtige beschryvinge van Friesland (1297: p.131)

archeology

• G. Alders, C. van der Linde (2011) Het Vroner Kerkhof te Sint-Pancras [PDF]
• F. Diederik (6-12-2011) Vronen: omstreden gebied tussen Holland en West-Friesland [link]
• De geschiedenis van Sint Pancras [link]
• NOS Nieuws (25-11-2011) Resten van Slag bij Vronen ontdekt [video 1:27 min.]
• SchoolTV (15-6-2017) De slag bij Vronen [video 4:37 min] (fragment from Onzichtbaar Nederland - ep. 8 Veiligheid, 5-1-2017)