#just to piss off friesland

[ask-thenetherlands]

Groningen: “Happy Bommen Berend!!”

Friesland: “CAN’T YOU BE LESS NOISY?!”

((Gronings Ontzet, also known as ‘Bommen Berend’, is an annual holiday in Groningen, in honor of the 28th of August, 1672, where Groningen city and its surrounding cities were liberated from the bishop of Münster.

The bishop of Münster, Bernhard von Galen, felt he had the right to ownership Groningen and therefore tried to enforce this with his army. Because of his excessive use of cannons, a high-tech new weapon, he got nicknamed Bommen Berend. The occupation only lasted for barely a month however. 

Funny anecdotes:

A small garrison from the Groningse city Bourtange managed to scare off an army of Münster, partially because one trumpeter was playing the national anthem Wilhelmus SO LOUDLY that the troops thought there was a gigantic army unit waiting for them.

The same city of Bourtange had a captain, which the bishop tried to bribe by offering him and his troops 200.000 guilders, which the captain declined, and to which the captain told him that if he didn’t leave ASAP, there would be 200.000 cannon balls waiting for him back in Bourtange.

To this day, the siege of Groningen is still celebrated on the same day every year, which is considered the most important holiday of the year for Groningers. There’s a funfair, music festival and a big firework show.))

[festival-of-pudding]

#iihah Historical Background

For those interested in the historical context of If I Had a Heart. :) Read on... 

**all links go to wikipedia**

Time Period

I’m not specifying a year, but the story takes place during the wars of Drusus, who managed to piss off most of Germany before he died in 9 BCE. So I’m using 10 BCE as the general context: Cologne has not yet been colonized by Rome, the limes (frontier forts) haven’t been built yet, and the few Roman settlements in Germany are all west of the Rhine. Drusus has “pacified” some groups like the Frisians, but the German tribes refuse Roman domination and the resulting wars are brutal and merciless. Mainz is Mogontiacum, built by Drusus at the junction of the Rhine and Main - that’s where Lin is trying to get.

Geography

Lin starts out in Friesland (near Leer) trading with the Frisians. He hires a carriage to take him south to the Rhine, where he plans to catch a river boat to Mogontiacum and head back to Roman lands. The attack happens in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia (in reality it would’ve taken over a week to ride that far, but for brevity I implied it’s only been a day or two); Lin wants to keep going south toward Mogontiacum, but Rand leads him east into the forests of Hesse.

Rand is from Thuringia; most of lower Hesse is Chatti country, and Rand’s men have been fighting to keep them off their turf. He wants to get Lin safely back to Mogontiacum too, but he knows they must avoid the Chatti, who hate Rome because of Drusus. The question is whether to go east toward Thuringia and then down through Rhön/Spessart, or west toward the Rhine and then down through the Taunus. Either way it’s gonna be a long and dangerous journey. 

The Suebi

The name Suebi was used by Roman writers as an umbrella term for several ancient Germanic peoples. They were described as tall, fair-haired warriors who lived off the land and worshiped their gods in forests instead of temples. I don’t specify which group Rand belongs to, because the fuzzy history of this period gives me more freedom - but one thing we do know is that Suebi men wore their hair in elaborate twists known as Suebian Knots. As does Rand. :)

**hell yes you can picture Rhett with his hair like that, i know y’all feel me**

Roughly speaking, the Suebi were precursors of the Vikings, Saxons, and Teutonic Germans. Over the centuries they would mix with various Celtic and Gaulish groups to form the ethnic patchwork of medieval northern Europe.

The Gods

Lin is a middle-class Roman merchant who was raised in the Roman state religion. Because the gods were so numerous (not just deities but nature spirits, guardian spirits, ancestors, etc etc), many Romans devoted themselves to specific patrons. Lin worships Mercury, god of commerce, travel, communication, and the soul-guide of the underworld; and also Fortuna, goddess of fortune, whose goodwill a traveling businessman would need.

From what little we know of the old Germanic gods, they're often considered precursors of those worshiped by the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. Rand is a devotee of Ingwaz, whom I consider to be the god later called Freyr -- a nature god of life, fertility, and happiness. As a warrior Rand would also honor Wothan (Odin) and Tiwaz (Tyr), and he recognizes all the gods and goddesses of his culture, but in his heart he is a child of the Forest Lord.

Wiggle Room

Far less is known about the ancient Germans than the ancient Romans, which is both a blessing and a curse when you’re trying to write historical fiction. I love this time period, though -- I always have. There’s something so very vital about it. Stacks of books have been written about the interactions between the Roman army and the “barbarians” in Germany, and yet there are vast areas of both cultures about which we know basically nothing. I find that fascinating.

...Also, leather pants.

And finally, here are a few Wiki pictures to give you a feel for the kind of terrain Lin and Rand will be walking through. They have a good 150 miles or more to trek through midlands and highlands. Ancient Germany would’ve been more heavily forested than it is now, and I can only imagine how gorgeous it was. I ❤️ Germany so much <3333

If have any other questions, just ask! :)