ANFANG

Also see BIJIN which is almost synonymous.

varieties

• verb: begin, initiate: ANFANGA, ANFANGJA
• noun: beginning, potential, origin: ANFANG, ÁNFANG

cognates

Noun

• Anfang - German
• aanvang - Dutch
• anevanc, aenvanc, anvanc - Middle Dutch

Verb

• anfangen - German
• aanvangen - Dutch
• anevaen, aanvanghen - Middle Dutch
• anafáhan - Old German
• onfá - Old Frisian
• oanfange - Frisian
• onfōn - Old English
• ἀναφαίνω, ἀμφαίνω - Old Greek (see below)

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

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.

Wralda — the Potential — the Beginning

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

Greek ἀναφαίνω or ἀμφαίνω

Grieksch-Nederlandsch Schoolwoordenboek, A. Halberstadt (1900):

laten lichten, laten schitteren, aan 't licht brengen, openbaren, meedelen (ignite, let shine, bring to light, reveal, inform)

Griechisch-deutsches Lexicon über das neue Testament, C.F. Bahrdt (1786):

aufstellen, darlegen, zur Schau bringen, bekant machen, zum Vorschein kommen, beginnen (establish, explain, demonstrate, reveal, come to the fore, begin)

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).

'Tanfanae' in Tacitus fragment

Sources: Latin, English