ANFANG

Also see BIJIN.

varieties

verb: begin, initiate: ANFANGA, ANFANGJA

noun: beginning, potential: 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.

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

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

noun

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

[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.

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

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

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

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

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

[204/25] BI T.ANFANG WÉRON HJA REINTJA NÍDICH (at first, lit.: at the beginning)

discussion

A literal translation for aanvang would be catch-on. 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).