Sassisk

Dit is een düüstere tyd. Neet allennig dår et vrug dunker wurdt, mor ouk in bildspråk. Der is een sood grummel um wearldpolitik, um et vorslimmerende klimat, en villicht en nye ekonomiske resessioon. Tja, der is nikswat med to doon: et leven is endlik, en wy allen kummen elke dag styver up unse doud, welks, neavens filosoof Heidegger, wy glad allennig nårto moten gån. Vöär enkele lüde is der een redder, Jesus Kristus, dee up Kerst in wearld kummen west sul. Good, as Hee der historisk al was, dan is et ouk möyglik dat Hee in september jüüst up wearld kwam, mor dat düt ja neet een bült. Vöär een bült lüde up wearld is Hee een Mensk van et Licht, dee houp an elkeneyn bringt.

Now binnen der ouk andre weasens van licht up disse wearld, en (afhanklik van dyn kykwyse) ouk in de folklore. Engelen binnen ouk weasens van licht, dee wy oft as posityve machten seen. Mor neet elk lichtweasen is dat, leas mor een mål:

Het vrömde lecht

“Wa’k ow now gao vertellen, leu, is gebuurd in dee tied, da’k vuur knech was, bi’j Haarboer in ‘n Haddenberg …

In dee tied … wödde d’r ok esmokkeld, haos net zoo völle as now. Ok bi’j ‘n Toetenboer konnen zet nich laoten, jonge, daor zat aait nog ‘n luk an, nich völle. Vuur’naam’luk èèn van miene nèven, Toeten-Gait, dee ‘t mangs aorig drok. Mer – op ‘n maol pakten de kemieze em en ‘t ende van ‘t leedjen en van al ‘t smokkeln was, – nen zet in de norre. Hee mos nao Zwolle nao ‘t hok, daor leuten ze em brommen.

Dow Toeten-Gait dan ‘n zetjen in Zwolle in de kaste harre zetten, nammen Toeten-Bats en ikke het besloet: wee wollen Gait ees ‘n maol opzeuken in Zwolle. Dat gung an. Het was dan op nen stillen naomerrag in ‘n herfst, dow Bats en ikke ‘n stok in de hand nammen en reesveerdig op Zwolle an’trökken. ‘t Was a bi’jkans aovend, dow wee boeten ‘n Haddenberg wazzen; wee harren in ‘t zin, um ‘n heelen nacht te loopen, dan konnen wee, ‘s anders’morrens vroo bi’j Gait in Zwolle wèè’n. ‘n Heelen nacht loopen is gen gekheed, dat ku’j begriepen en dan van ‘n Haddenberg aover Ommen nao Zwolle. Dat mos dan al te voot wödden of’elegd; de grooten stewweln an.

Mer wee wazzen jonge keerls en dan mu’j aoveral nich tègen anzeen. Wee harren nen goo panne vol bloodkooke achter de kneupe en vuur ‘n gèèhonger nammen wee wa zoovölle spekbruggen met, jao, genug vuur nen reeze nao Romen …

Wee “kuierden” a aorig op ‘n Ommerschans an, in ‘n deustern aovend. Wee gungen aover nen grooten, langen, smallen diek, den lag duur ‘n onmönnig groot veld. Wee wazzen nog ‘n zetje stil’zwiegens voort’egaon, dow ineens Bats, nen en’ne vuur ons oet op ‘n diek, ‘n lecht zag. Zoo ‘t leut, was ter waor èèn met nen wagenlöchte. Omda’w aans ok gen lecht zaggen, heulen wee het mer op ‘t lecht an; wee dee’n ons best um mer neuger bi’j te kommen. Het lecht was vuur en bleef vuur, mer, toch an’lesten kwammen we neuger bi’j.

Wee harren nog aait nich können zeen, wat van lecht a’t was, mer dow em neugerder kwammen, zaggen wee wat – wat ons verstieven dee van schrik.

Want daor ‘n endjen vuur ons on ‘n diek, leup nen …. keerl, gleunig as veur. Wat zol dat toch können wèzen? ‘n Gleunigen zeelde al van hen en de wier, dwers aover ‘n diek, mer zoo zachte, da’j niks konnen heuren. Wee dachten an gèèsten en spöke, mer van schrik en veraltereerdheed zèè’n we niks. Wee konnen haoste nich vuuroet of achteroet, op zied ha’w toch nich könt, um de sleute nich, dee langs ‘n diek gungen.

Wee dee’n dan geen bek los en Toeten-Bats was nich van de bangsten – hee harre eere in de groote wèèrld west- en hee gung dan vedan achter ‘n gleunigen an, en – de jonge mos met, willen of nich.

‘k Mot ‘t recht zeggen: ‘k harre op dat oogenblik, net zo leef, bi’j de Haarboer in ‘n Haddenberg in ‘t berre lègen …

‘n Gleunigen zeelde al nog mer vedan vuur ons aover ‘n veldweg. Wee mossen ok mer vedan, want Bats fluusterde, daw gaa’w bi’j ‘n paar huuskes langs kwammen – en a’w daor wazzen, dan wo’w ees rösten en in ‘n aom scheeten. Dan zol ‘n gleunigen mer alleen vedan zeelen; wee harren d’r genog van.

Mer wa’w nich edacht harren, zaggen wi’j. Bi’j ‘t eerste huusken, da’w kwammen drei’jde ‘n gleunigen zich ‘n maol um en gung … duur ‘n kamerrèèmken ‘n hoes in en wee zaggen ineens niks meer. D’r was niks eheurd, d’r was gen raam of duur los ewest, en toch was e nao binnen egaone, want hee was vertrökken. Wee begrèpen van dit alles niks: wat was dat en wat mos dat betèèk’n? Ik kon ‘t ow nich vertellen.

Wee möt’t zölven wa raa hemmen oet’ekèken, dow wee ok ‘t huusken ingungen. Wee wollen ons hier es oetrösten, want de lampe was nog an en nums was nog nao berre.

Dat wee nen gleunigen zeen harren en dat e bi’j eer stil duur de glaze was egaon dat leuten we met gen woord blieken; niks ter van, wee wollen goo leu nich noodeloos ongeröst maken. Dat deende ner’rens vuur.

Wee blèven nog ‘n zetjen en nao ‘t bedanken vuur de goo ontvangst, vuur al ‘t etten drinken, zetten wee onzen “marsch” wier voort, op Zwolle an. Van ‘n gleunigen he’w boeten niks wier ezeene – hee was vertrökken. Wee maakten op de weg mekaa wies, dat ‘t best nen landmetter kon wèzen den vroöger jaoren bi’j zien lèven hier de grond oneerlik harre metten en now vuur straf mos wiergaon. Wat zu’j d’r van zeggen …

Kollektsy Engelbertink, 3. map, 4. vortelling

De vöörman, wel kent hum neet? Now, ik glööv doch neet een heyle bült lüde, doch. Et is nåmlik neet per se een wyd vorbryd kreatüür. In Nedderland kennen wy et vornåmlik in et süden, en, moagt ik heyl eyrlyk weasen, ik weyt my so neet de situåtsy in Düütskland. Wy künnen sülvs seggen, dat et wat vrömd is, süksen vöörman so wyd når et nourden to to vinden: Ommerschans is ja stuuv by de grens van Oaveryssel med Dreanthe!

Mor now giv ik een vorkeard bild van disse situåtsy. Vöär de vöörman givt et neet per se in Nedderland een nourd-süüd vordeyling. Et is nåmlik een ander vordeyling: protestantsk-katholisk. De vöörman is een kreatüür dee med nådrük een katholisk weasen is. De vorklåring, dee oft geaven wurdet, låt det ouk seen: et is een sündige seal, dee når de doud et vågevöör ingeit. Dårdöär glöyt disse figüür ouk: hee brandt noch nå, nå uut et vågevöör untsnapped to weasen. Disse vortelling geit villicht um Ommerschans, een stea stuuv by Dreanthse pål, mor is vorteld döär een uprechte Twent, van dee lüde dee oft katholisk binnen.Dat et licht een religiöse ard hev, is düdlik. Mor man mut der seakers med uppassen. Et eyne licht kin Kristus weasen, mor et ander kin ouk een brandende sündlike seal weasen. Düs: geyn vröygdlik licht vöär disse düüstere tyden.

English

These are dark times. Not only are the days becoming shorter, but also figuratively. There is much consternation about world politics, the deteriorating climate, and perhaps a new economic recession. Well, nothing to be done about it: life will end, and every day we strive closer to our own death, which, according to the philosopher Heidegger, is something we have to face completely alone. Some people, however, have a saviour, Jesus Christ, who supposedly came into the world during Christmas. Well, if He is even a historical figure, it is also possible that He came into this world in September, but that doesn’t matter. For many people on this earth, He is a Human from the Light, who brings hope to everyone.

There are also other creatures of light upon this world, and (depending on your point of view) which also stem from folklore. Angels are such creatures from light, which we often consider to be positive forces. But that is not the case with all of them, see for yourself:

The strange light

What I’m about to tell you, people, happened in those days that I was a farmhand at Haarboer in Hardenberg …

In those days, smuggling was quite common, almost as much as nowadays. Also Toetenboer’s boys participated, oh man, how they did. Especially one of my cousins, Toeten-Gait, smuggled a lot. But – one time the cops caught him, and what did he get – some time in jail. He was imprisoned in Zwolle, where he had to do his time.

When Toeten-Gait had been in Zwolle for a while, Toeten-Bats and I decided: we wanted to visit Gait in Zwolle. And so we did. Bats and I got our walking sticks in the hand on a quiet late afternoon in fall, and stepped onwards to Zwolle. Nighttime was slowly creeping up when we were outside Hardenberg; we figured we would walk all night, so that we would be at Gait in Zwolle early tomorrow morning.

Walking all night ain’t easy pickings, as you understand, especially walking from Hardenberg via Ommen to Zwolle. We had to walk, thus we put on big boots. But we were young guys, and then you can’t let everything deter you. We filled our stomachs with black pudding, and for snacks we brought many bacon sandwiches, enough for a pilgrimage to Rome …

We strolled onwards towards Ommerschans in the dark of night. We walked across a big, long, narrow dyke, which lay through a massive field. We walked along in silence, when Bats saw a light, further onto our path on the dyke. It looked like a car light. Because we had no other orientation light, we decided to continue walking towards it; we tried our hardest to get closer. While we did not catch up with the light, eventually we did get closer.

We couldn’t see it yet what kind of light it was, but as we got closer, we saw it – which sent shivers down our spines.

Because just in front of us on the dyke, there walked a … man, glowing like fire. What could that be? The glowing one floated to and fro over the dyke, but without making any sound. We thought about ghosts, but out of fear we didn’t say anything. We could not walk forwards or backwards, neither to the side, because the canal ran alongside the dyke.

We shut our traps, and Toeten-Bats wasn’t scared – he had been in the big wide world before – and he kept following the glowing one, and – the youngster just had to follow, whether I liked it or not.

I have to be honest: I would just as much, at that moment, have shared my bed with Haarboer in Hardenberg …

The glowing one floated along over the field road. We also had to follow, because, as Bats whispered, once we get near some houses – once we get there, we’ll rest and catch our breath. Then the glowing one would continue floating by itself; we had enough of it.

But what we did not consider was what we actually saw. At the first house, when the glowing one came there, it turned around once and went … straight into the house through a window, and suddenly we didn’t see anything anymore. We haven’t heard anything, the window nor the door had been open, and still the glowing one went inside, because he was gone. We didn’t get any of it: what happened, and what did it mean? I wouldn’t be able to tell you.

I could imagine that our faces were telling, once we also went inside that same house. We wanted to catch our breaths here for a moment, since the light was still on and not everyone went to bed yet …

That we saw a glowing one, and that it floated silently through their window, we didn’t spill a word about that; no sir, we didn’t want to startle these good people without due cause. That wouldn’t serve any purpose.

We stayed for a bit, and after thanking for the hospitality and the food and drinks, we continued our “march”, onwards to Zwolle. We didn’t see the glowing one outside again – he departed. We explained to ourselves on our voyage to Zwolle that it could have been a land surveyor who cheated while measuring and documenting the grounds here, and now he had to continue walking as a punishment. Well, who would know? …

Collection Engelbertink, 3rd folder, 4th story

The man of fire, who doesn’t know him? Well, I actually thing that not many people know him. It is not a necessarily widespread figure. In the Netherlands we know him mainly from the south, and, if I’m completely honest, I don’t know the situation in Germany. We could even say that it is odd to find the man of fire so far north: Ommerschans is namely close to the border of the regions Overijssel and Drenthe!

But now I err in sketching this situation. There is not just a north-south divide in the spread of the man of fire in the Netherlands. It is namely another kind of divide: between Protestants and Catholics. The man of fire is a specifically Catholic creature. The explanation which often is provided also shows this: it is the soul of a sinner, who went after death to Purgatory. That is why the creature is glowing: he is still burning after having escaped Purgatory. This story is located in Ommerschans, a settlement close to the Drenthean border, but is told by a narrator from Twente, whom are often Catholic.That this light has a religious nature has become clear. But one has to be really careful. One light could be Christ, while the other could be the burning soul of a sinner. So: no merry light for these dark times.

Spookplåtkepråt

Um et måken van de foto

Spooky Spectral Speculations

About creating the picture

Disse dag güng ik når et busk to med myn man Erik. Dee kin ouk oft in et busk seen wurden, rundbaggerend in mudder med (ouk oft) nye Nikes. Kinst sik neet seen låten wurden sünder respektåbele moudeklearen vansülv …

Disse man in et busk höövde allennig noch mor uplicht wurden, en ik vund ayn nüver unmöynding-starke-nova knupke um et plåtke af to maken.

This time I took a walk in the forest with my husband, Erik. He can be spotted often in a forest, walking around in the mud on a (also often) new pair of Nikes. It would be horrendous if he were to be spotted in non-fashionable fashion …

This male silhouette in the forest just needed to be illuminated in editing, and I found a cool supernova option with which to finish the picture.