ANFANG

Also see BIJIN which is almost synonymous.

varieties

verb: begin, initiate: ANFANGA, ANFANGJA

noun: beginning, potential, origin: ANFANG, ÁNFANG

cognates

• aanvang(en) - Dutch
• Anfang(en) - German
• oanfange - Frisian
• onfōn - Old English

fragments

verb

[014/20] ALLE THINGA THÉR MÀN ANFANGJA WIL (...) VPPA THA DÉI THÉR WY FRYA HELDGAD HÀWA THAM SKILUN ÉVG FALÍKANT UTKVMA.

All things that are initiated {one will initiate}, (...) on the day that we have dedicated to Frya, shall always fail miserably.

[084/05] THÉRNÉI SKIL THET MORNERÁD WITHER ANFANGA TO GLORA.

But there will come a day when the dawn glows red again {... will begin to glow again}

[141/15] ALTHAM SKIL ANFANGA [20] FJUWER THUSAND JÉR NÉI ÁT.LAND SVNKEN IS.

All this will begin four thousand years after Atland sank

noun

[006/12] WR.ALDA THAM ALLÉNA GOD ÀND ÉVG IS. MAKADE T.ANFANG. DANA KÉM TID. TID WROCHTE ALLE THINGA. ÁK [15] JRTHA.

Wralda, who alone is whole and eternal, created the potential. Then came time, and time wrought all things; even the very Earth herself.

[045/01] WRALDA — T.ANFANG — T.BIJIN

Wralda — the Potential — the Beginning

HWÀT HIR BOPPA STÀT SIND THI TÉKNA FON [10] THÀT JOL. THAT IS THÀT FORMA SINNEBILD WR.ALDA.S. AK FON T.ÁNFANG JEFTHA T.BIJIN WÉRUT TID KÉM.

Depicted above are the signs of the Yule, which is the primary symbol of Wralda and of the Potential or the Beginning, from which came Time,

[067/05] NV KÉM T.ANFANG FON THÀT ENDE.

now came the beginning of the end.

[098/20] FONUT WR.ALDA KVMTH T.ANFANG ÀNDET ENDE ALRA THINGA GÉITH IN IM VPPA.

Out of Wralda comes both the beginning and the end. All things merge into him.

[103/05] WY FRYA.S BERN SEND FORSKINSLA THRVCH WR.ALDA.S LÉVA. BY T.ANFANG MIN ÀND BLÁT.

We, Frya’s children, are emergences through Wralda’s life, in the beginning mean and bare

[115/20] BY T.ANFANG THERE ARNE MÔNATH

At the beginning of the Harvest month

[141/10] THA ÉWA THÉR WR.ALDA BI T.ANFANG IN VS MOD LÉIDE SKILUN ALLÉNA HÉRAD WERTHA.

The people will adhere only the ‘eawa’ that Wralda laid in our souls from the beginning.

[204/25] BI T.ANFANG WÉRON HJA REINTJA NÍDICH

At first {at the beginning}, they resented Reintia

discussion

A literal translation for aanvang would be catch-on (onset?). Although the words ANFANG and BIJIN virtually mean the same, there is a subtle difference. ANFANG suggests an initial act by someone or something, in this case WRALDA. BIJIN is a more passive beginning.

Fragment [006/12] suggests T.ANFANG is older than time. It was the first Wralda made, according to the creation myth. For a Fryas, it would therefore be a sacred word, more than BIJIN, which may have been a more profane word.

To use two words with a similar meaning, one can make the concept stronger ("very beginning").

"Im Anfang war das Wort" - Luther, Joh.1:1

Tacitus referred to a Tamfana temple of the Germanic Marsi. The name is generally assumed to have been the name of a goddess, but it may have been the a place where the beginning of Time was contemplated, as suggested in Oera Linda. Even if some people named a goddess so, what did her name mean?

Just like Tamfana may have come from T.ANFANG (the origin/potential), Beguine may have its origin in BIJIN (beginning).