Skryver en undersöker um folkloristyk en verglykende mytology.

Wearld moot höär beater bekind råken med de ryke folklore-traditsy in de Sassiske umråden. Glyk sillen de Sassiske lüü deroaver leasen kinnen in höär eygen språke.

Arjan Sterken

Author and researcher on folkloristics and comparative mythology.

The world should know that there is a rich folklore tradition in the Saxon areas, and the Saxon people should read about it in their own language.

Arjan Sterken

Fotogroaf en Webstee.

Mit dizze webstee hoop ik bie te droagen aan t behold van ons moudertoal en ons olle folklore. Deur t moaken van fotos as n artiest wol ik aandacht vroagen veur dizze zoak.

Hieke Grasdijk

Photographer and Website.

With this website I hope to contribute to preserving our native language and our old folktales. By creating illustrative photographs as an artist I want to attract attention to this cause.

Hieke Grasdijk

Vortellingen

Ik mag my neet gaern generalisearen, mor meskeen is et vortellen van vortellingen eyn van mensk höär algemeyne kenmarkens. In elk val likt et ter neet up, dat en sood andre bisten dit kenmark med us deylen. Wy mensken doon vöäl mear med narratyven dan as wy glöven. Wy vortellen gaern anekdotes, laggen um grolkes, en seyn us eygen leavent as en epyk med us sülv as tragiske held. Vortellingen kodearen vöäl van wat of us eyglyks druk holdt, watvöär bangigheyd wy hebben, en ho wyd use fantasy rikt. Wat my en sood an folklore, sagen, legenden, myten, en sukse såken mear interesseart, is ho wy dårin oft en spanning seyn. Neet allenig spanning um de vortelling sülv, med höär mistiske weasens, mor ouk en spanning in en geselskop um of disse weasens no wårelk binnen of neet. Disse spanning is ouk to vinden tüsken vortellingen: varianten van etsülvde narratyv, mor den med diskrepantsys, såken dee vot valen binnen, kompleat nye elementen, nööm et mor en et is ter. Dat is, folklore is neet düdelk, en dårum fantastisk um to bestudearen. En dårum ouk wichtig vöär andre lü um mear um disse ryke wearld to kennen learen.

Arjan

Folklore

I don’t like to generalize, but perhaps telling stories is one of humanity’s general characteristics. In any case, it doesn’t seem to be the case that many animals share this characteristic with us. We as humans do a lot more with narratives than is apparent at first sight. We like to tell anecdotes, laugh about jokes, and see our own life as an epic, in which we ourselves are the tragic heroes. Stories code a lot of what keeps us busy, what kind of fears we have, and how far our fantasy stretches. What interests me a lot about folklore, sagas, legends, myths, and other genres like these, is how we often see a certain tension in those stories. Not only tension in the narrative caused by the mysterious creatures inhabiting it, but also tension within a community about whether these creatures really exist or not. This tension is also found in-between stories: variants of the same narrative, but with discrepanties, gaps, new elements, you name it. In short, folklore is unclear, and therefore so fascinating to study. And that is also why it is important for others to know more about this rich world.

Arjan

Sassisk is en nordsea west-germaanske språke, lykas engelsk en frysk, en meynste pråters kinnen jy in Nedderland en Düütskland vinden, mor der binnen ouk stuuf groute diaspoura-populåtsys up beide Amerikånske kontinenten, vöärmålige SSSR, en Australien. Et is en språke dee kenmarkt wordt döär en groute variatyt tüsken varianten dervan: andre klanken, andre woorden, andre skryvwysen. Ik kum ursprünkelk weg uut Salland, mor woon sünt veer jår up et Grönnegerland, en pråt my beater grönnegsk sassisk as sallaans. Döär disse ervåring heb ik seyn, dat Sassiske wearld eanorm is. Tosåmen binnen wy med en heyl bült, mor to oft doon wy as of allennig us eygen stea wichtig is. Grönningen kikt når Grönningen, Sleswig-Holsteyn up Sleswig-Holsteyn, Salland düt et leyvst niks, en so wyder. Um my oaver pålen hin to kyken, brüük ik my de vrisk updochte Nysassiske Skryvwyse. En skryvwyse, neet baseard up et Nedderlansk of et Düütsk, mor heyl höär eygen. En standård skryvwyse, dee elkeneyn üütpråten kin so as sy willen, baseard up watvöär umråd eyn weg kumt. En skryvwyse vöär de kammerådskap en de tokumst van al et Sassisk. En umreden ik heb my vöäl waerde kollegas oaver wydere pålen hin, van Japan töt Vereande Ståten to, skryv ik my bodel ouk up et Engelsk. So blyven Sassiske åventüren neet allenig by Saksen, mor gån heyle wearld um.

Arjan

Saxon (Niederdeutsch, Plattdeutsch, Low German) is a North Sea West-Germanic language, like English and Frisian, and most speakers are to be found in the Netherlands and Germany, although there are also quite large diaspora communities on both American continents, the former Soviet Union, and Australia. The language is characterised by a huge variety between its different variants: different sounds, different words, different ways of writing. I am originally from the Salland region of the Netherlands, but I’ve been living for four years in the Groningen region, and I speak the Groningen variant of Saxon better than the Salland one. Due to this experience I have seen how huge the Saxon world actually is. Together there are quite many Saxon speakers, but we are too often only occupied with just our own regions. Groningen only pays attention to Groningen, Sleswig-Holstein to Sleswig-Holstein, Salland rather doesn’t do anything, and so on. In order to look across borders, I utilize the newly-created New-Saxon writing system. A writing system which is not founded on Dutch or German, but wholly unique. A standardwriting system, which can be pronounced to every person’s individual preference based on where they are from. A writing system in order to foster camaraderie between and for the future of everything Saxon. And because I have many dear colleagues from all over the world, from Japan to the United States, I also translate all posts to English. In that way, the Saxon stories are not confined to a Saxon readership, but travel around the whole world.

Arjan

Fotografy

Ik mag heldre en skoune bealden lyden dee upvallen.

Vöár my is dit en lankdürig, måndliks künstprojekt dat my helpt my myn fotografy to fokusen up en mål van beteykenis. Ik bin medlid van en fotografygroup en ik brüük fotos van dit projekt um to learen, my to untwikkeln, en um kommentår to krygen.

Ik haar my vornomen fotos up swart en wit to måken um en starke en düdlike bosskop med to geaven: et is en weg um bealden tydloser to måken. Med swart en wit krigt et ünderwarp ale andacht, en binnen fargen van byvöärbeald klearen neet stöyrend. 

Kamera: Canon EOS 400D

Fotobewarkingspergram: Gimp 2, en oapen-born bewarkingspergram en vergeas vöär persoanlike anwenden. Süms brüük ik Windows Photos um en enkelt vignette to to vogen, of um et kontrast maklik en vlot by to warken kinnen. Ik mag my gaern fotos bewarken, umreaden et givt my de möyglikheid um en afbealden to måken, sikkum lykas et my in kop skynt. Der is my geyn ander künstvörm dee det vöär my doon kin.

Hieke

Photography

I like clean, clear images that catch the eye.

For me this is a long term, monthly art project, which helps me to focus my photographing on a cause with a significant meaning. I am a member of a photogroup and I use the pictures I make for this project to learn, grow, and get feedback. 

I choose to make the photos in black and white to make a strong, clear statement: it is a way to make the picture more timeless. With black and white there is no distraction from the subject since the colours, for example from the cloths, are not disturbing. 

Camera: Canon EOS 400D

Photo Editing program: Gimp 2, this is a open source editing program and free for personal use. Sometimes I use Windows Photos to add a simple vignette or to adjust the contrast quick and easy. I love editing photos because it allows me to create an image almost exactly as I pictured it in my head. There is no other art form that does that for me.

Hieke