EN072.05 Geartmen
Ott 2025
L. Era of Minerva
2. At Fryasburg 1
The Geartmen Move to Panj-ab
72.05 [072] This is about the Geartmen:[1]
When Hellenia — or Minerva — died, the priests did so as if they were on our side. To project the appearance of sincerity, they declared Hellenia a goddess. Moreover, they wished to have no other Mother chosen, saying they feared that there were none among her Maidens whom they could trust as readily as Minerva, also known as Nyhellenia. But we did not want to recognize Minerva as a goddess, because she herself had said that no one could be as good or perfect as Wralda’s spirit. Therefore, we chose as our Mother Geart,[2] Pire’s daughter.[3]
When the priests saw that they could not grill their herring on our fire,[4] they went out from Athenia and spread rumors that we refused to accept Minerva as a goddess out of envy that she had shown the natives so much affection. They also gave their folk images of her likeness, attesting that they could pray to them for anything, as long as they remained obedient. Through all this indoctrination, [073] the naïve folk was made to turn away from us and, in the end, they attacked us. But we had our stone burg wall, surrounded by two horns that reached to the sea — so they could not get at us.
How did it end? In the Egyptian lands, there was a high priest, bright of eyes, clear of reason, and enlightened of mind. His name was Seekrops.[5] He came to offer advice. When Seekrops saw that he could not storm our wall with his men, he sent messengers to Tyre. Thereupon, three hundred ships full of mercenaries from the wild mountain peoples sailed unexpectedly into our harbor while we were fighting with our full strength upon the walls.[6]
As soon as they had taken our harbor, the wild mercenaries desired to plunder the village and our ships. One of them had already ravaged a young woman. But Seekrops would not tolerate that. And the Tyrian navigators, who yet had Fryas blood in their veins, said: “If you do that, we shall set fire to our ships and you will never see your mountains again.”
Seekrops, who disdained murder and destruction, sent messengers to Geart requesting surrender of the burg. She would be guaranteed free [074] passage, with all her floating and movable goods, and her followers the same. The wisest of the burg lords, who saw very well that they could not hold the burg, advised Geart to quickly accept the offer before Seekrops became furious and recommenced the assault.
Three months later, Geart evacuated with the very best children of Frya and seven times twelve ships. Some time after they had left the harbor, a flotilla of thirty or more ships approached from Tyre, with women and children, on their way to Athenia. But when they heard how things stood there, they joined Geart.
The sea king of the Tyrians guided the whole fleet through the strait which, at those times, ran into the Red Sea. At last they landed at Panj-ab,[7] which is in our language ‘Five Waters’, because five rivers flow from there as one down to the sea.[8] Here they settled, naming the land Geartmania.
The king of Tyre, then seeing that his best navigators had left, sent all his ships with his wild mercenaries to capture them dead or alive. But as they approached the strait, both Sea and Earth quaked. Then Earth heaved herself up, [075] so high that all the water ran out of the strait, and before them mudflats and shores rose up like a burg wall.[9]
This happened, as all may plainly and clearly see, due to the virtues of the Geartmen.
Notes
- ↑ Four lines were left blank at the top of the page, as if something (a drawing?) was meant to be inserted later.
- ↑ ‘Geart’ (GÉRT) — meaning: ‘desire’ (Dutch: ‘begeerte’, from verb ‘begeren’; German ‘begehren’), later also: (possibly) sword; GÉRT.MAN, is translated as ‘Geartman’; GÉRT.MANNJA as ‘Geartmania’.
- ↑ Pire (PIRE) — name; may just as well be a variety of the Greek names Pyrrhus/Πύρρος and Piraeus/Πειραιάς as of the Frisian name Pier (perhaps also related to Pieter/Peter).
- ↑ ‘they could not grill their herring ...’ — ‘they were not welcome with us’ or ‘their plan would fail’ (expression).
- ↑ ‘Seekrops’ (SÉKROPS) — meaning is perhaps related to verbs SÉKA: to seek, and ROPA: to call (also the noun HROP: repute). In Greek mythology, Cecrops (Κέκροψ) was a king of Attica who founded Athens.
- ↑ ‘mercenaries’ (SALT.ATHA) — lit.: ‘salt-allies’; mercenaries paid with salt. To emphasize the contrast to (unpaid) defenders (WÉRAR), use of the cognate term ‘soldier’ was decided against.
- ↑ ‘Panj-ab’ (PAnG.AB) — Persian: panj (five), āb (water); this is the river Indus, not to be confused with the modern region Punjab, which is much further upstream (northwards), see 163.15.
- ↑ ‘as one’ (MITH HJRI) — lit.: ‘with her’.
- ↑ This closing of the strait was discussed by Ottema in the introduction to his editions of 1872 and 1876, translated by Sandbach (1876) on pages xiii-xv.
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EN068.17 Mediterranean ᐊ previous/next ᐅ EN075.08 Ulysus
In alternative order:
EN039.05 Crete ᐊ previous/next ᐅ EN075.08 Ulysus
In other languages
- DE072.05 Gertmänner
- ES072.05 La gente de Geert
- FS072.05 GÉRTMANNA
- NL072.05 Geertmannen
- NO072.05 Gêrtmennene
Other English translations
Chapter L: Sandbach 1876