Resumen
Resumen de El libro de Oera Linda
Para quién es
For readers who love literary mysteries, northern myth, the history of forgeries, and the way nations invent their origins.
De qué trata este libro
The Oera Linda Book is a text that claims to preserve the ancient history of the Frisians. It presents itself as a family record kept by Frisians, the people of the Dutch and German North Sea coast. According to its own story, its writers preserve accounts of a distant past and pass them down through the generations. It surfaced in the Netherlands in the 1860s, and a Dutch translation by J. G. Ottema appeared in 1872. An English version followed a few years later.
You will hear what the book says about creation, about a lost homeland, and about a free people ruled by wise women. You will also hear how it came to light and why scholars today reject its claims. That second story is as interesting as the first. The book is a window into how people in the 1800s dreamed of a deep national past. We begin with the strange way the manuscript came into the world.
En este resumen
- 1A strange manuscript appears in FrieslandFree
- 2A family chronicle written across the ages
- 3Wralda, Irtha and the three daughters
- 4A lost land, floods and wise maidens
- 5Why scholars reject its claims
- 6How to read the book today
Idea clave 1 de 6
A strange manuscript appears in Friesland
The story of the book begins in the northern Netherlands in the 1860s. A man named Cornelis over de Linden, linked to the town of Den Helder, said that his family had long kept an old manuscript. He claimed it had been handed down through the generations from a distant ancestor. He showed it to scholars, and the case soon drew the attention of people who cared about Frisian history.
The man who took up the work was J. G. Ottema, a Frisian scholar and teacher. He believed the manuscript was a real relic of the early Frisian people. Ottema made a Dutch translation and published it in 1872, with notes and an introduction. He was moved by the idea that Friesland had once been a center of learning and freedom.
Other experts were asked to judge the work, among them the archivist Eelco Verwijs. They looked at the paper, the writing and the language. The doubts were strong from early on. Some wanted to know why the family would not let the original be studied more freely.
An English translation by William R. Sandbach appeared in 1876, and it carried the book to readers far from the Dutch coast. From then on the text had two lives. For some it was a lost scripture of the north. For others it was a puzzle that needed solving.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
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Who’s who
- Wralda
- Wralda is the eternal creator from whom the universe, Irtha, and all life come.
- Irtha
- Irtha is the earth in the book’s creation account, brought into being through Wralda.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 88,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 5 h 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about El libro de Oera Linda
What is the Oera Linda Book about?
It claims to be an ancient Frisian chronicle. It tells of a creator named Wralda, the mother Irtha, a lost land called Atland, wise maidens who guard the laws, and a long struggle for freedom.
Is the Oera Linda Book real or a hoax?
Most scholars conclude it was written in the nineteenth century, not in ancient times. Language, paper and ink all point to that period. Who made it, and whether as a joke or sincerely, is still debated.
Who found the Oera Linda Book?
It came to public notice in the 1860s through Cornelis over de Linden, who said his family had kept it for generations. J. G. Ottema then translated it into Dutch and published it in 1872.
Who is Frya in the Oera Linda Book?
Frya is one of three daughters of the earth mother Irtha. She is the mother of the Fryas, the Frisian people, who are shown as lovers of freedom, justice and their own laws.
Is the Oera Linda Book worth reading?
It is worth reading as a curiosity and a case study in myth making. It is not reliable history, but its legends and the debate around its origin teach a lot about how people judge sources.