EN145.25 Danes

Ott 2025

U. Koneread

2. About Friso

Danish Alliance

145.25 Friso had seen much. He had been raised in wartime, and he had learned and gathered just enough of the trickery and ruses of the Gola and princes as he required to coax the other aldermen in the direction he wanted them to go. See here how he went about that:

[146] Friso had remarried here; the daughter of Wilfrethe, who was principal alderman of Staveren when he was alive. She gave him two sons and two daughters. By his arrangement, his youngest daughter, Kornelia, married my brother. (‘Kornelia’ is corrupted Fryas, and should be written ‘Korn-helia’.) His eldest daughter, Weamod, he married to Kauch. Kauch, who also went to his school, is the son of Wichhirte, the king of the Geartmen. (‘Kauch’ is also improper Fryas, and should be ‘Kaep’; they brought more degenerate language with them than they did good morals!)

Now I must go further back in time with my story:

After the great flood of which my father wrote, many Jutters and Lets had been carried out of the ‘Balda’ (Baltic) or ‘Angry’ Sea with the ebb. Near Kate’s Gate, floating in their boats with the ice, they ran aground at the Denmarks, and there they remained. Because they did not see any people there, they took possession of the land and named it Jutterland, after themselves. Later, many Denmarkers did return from the highlands, but they resettled more to the south. And when the navigators who had not perished came back, they joined together [147] and went to the Sealands, or ‘Ealands’. Through this turn of events, the Jutters were able to hold the land whither Wralda had carried them.

The Sealand navigators, who desired more in life than to simply eat and trade fish, and who had a strong antipathy to the Gola, later went pirating Phoenician ships.

In the southwest corner of Skeanland lies Lindasburg, also known as Lindasnose — founded by our Apol, as described in this book. All inhabitants of the coast and the surrounding regions had remained true Fryas. But, out of lust for revenge against the Gola and the Kelta-Followers, they joined forces with the Sealanders. That alliance did not last because the Sealanders had adopted many abhorrent practices and habits from the vile Magyars, to the offense of Frya’s folk. Eventually, each went pirating separately; but when it suited them, they stood loyally by one another.

In the end, though, the Sealanders began to lack good ships. Their shipbuilders had perished and their forests had been swept root and branch from the land.

[148] Now three ships arrived unexpectedly, mooring near the ring dyke of our burg. As a result of the breaches in our lands, they had lost their way and missed the mouth of the Flee. The trader who had been sent with them wished to buy new ships from us. And for that purpose, they had brought various precious goods that they had stolen from Keltic lands and Phoenician ships. As we had no ships ourselves, I gave them strong horses and four armed couriers, sending them to Friso, because at Staveren and along the Alderga the best warships are built of hard oak which never rots. While the sea warriors were staying with us, some Jutters had sailed to Texland and then gone to Friso.

The Sealanders had abducted many of their sturdiest young men to row on their benches, and many of their sturdiest daughters by which to have children. The stout Jutters could not prevent it because they had no good weapons. When they had told of their suffering, and many words about it had been exchanged, Friso finally asked if they had not a good harbor in their region: “Oh yes,” [149] they answered, “one of the best, created by Wralda. It is just like your beer jar over there; the neck is narrow and the belly can easily harbor thousands of large boats. But we have no burg, nor burg weapons to keep out the plundering ships.”

“Then you’d better make some,” Friso said. “Well advised,” the Jutters answered, “but we have no craftsmen, nor building tools. We are all fishermen and beachcombers. The others have drowned or fled to the highlands.” In the midst of their discussion, my messengers arrived at his court with the Sealand lords. Pay attention to how Friso succeeded in winning them all over, satisfying both parties and benefiting his own endeavor:

He promised the Sealanders fifty ships a year, of a fixed size and for a fixed price, equipped with iron chains and crossbows, and fully rigged with what is useful and essential on warships, on condition that they would leave the Jutters in peace, as well as all the folk belonging to Frya’s children. Yea, he would do more: He would encourage all of our sea warriors to join them in raiding and plundering.

When the Sealanders had left, [150] he had forty old ships loaded with burg weapons, wood, bricks that were baked here, carpenters, masons, and smiths, in order to build burgs. He sent these (with the Jutters), along with his son Witto — that is: ‘white one’ — to oversee. I was never informed about exactly what happened there, but this at least I learned: Twin burgs were built on either side of the harbor entrance, garrisoned with folk taken by Friso from the Saxonmarks. Witto courted Siuchtheart and took her to wife. Wilhim, as her father was called, was principal alderman of the Jutters — that is: principal grevetman or reeve. Wilhim died shortly thereafter, and Witto was chosen in his place.

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EN144.17 Motherless ᐊ previous/next ᐅ EN150.19 Saxons

In other languages

DE145.25 Nordallianz

ES145.25 Lazos daneses

FS145.25 SÉKÀMPAR

NL145.25 Denenband

NO145.25 Nordalliansen

Other English translations

Chapters U1 and U2: Sandbach 1876