The Oera Linda Forum

Hi all,

In the section that describes the conflict between Minerva on the one hand and Syrhed/Kelta on the other hand (L1a), I find the following:

"Across the Scheldt, at Fleeburg, was the seat of Syrhed."

Does anyone know where Fleeburg could have been located?

many thanks!
Caroline

Welcome to the forum, Caroline!

Besides the quoted fragment in chapter L1a, the following chapter L1b has one more mention of this burg (the Fryas spelling is FLÍBURCH):

Once Jon arrived, however, and saw how Kelta had destroyed our famed burg, he became so utterly furious that he headed with all of his men to Fleeburg, and set there the red rooster in revenge.

After the fire, the burg may not have been rebuilt, and if it was, it was probably given a different name because of the bad reputation it had acquired.

In chapter Gd, a plural of the name appears, namely FLÍBURGA. We translated this sentence as follows:

If ever there were someone so evil that he betrayed us to the enemy, revealing paths and passages so they can reach our places of refuge (Fleeburgs) or sneak into them by night, he can only be sprung of Finda’s blood.

So it may have been just a descriptive name. It may have been where now Ghent/Gent is, but that is a wild guess and it may also have been near Antwerp or on a part of the west bank that is now under water.

Thanks for your quick reply Jan, and thanks for the many, wonderful podcasts. (I've been binge-watching them all week.)

The translation "place of refuge" makes total sense in the context of chapter Gd.

However, in the context of chapters 1La and 1Lb, it does not seem to make sense, unless Syrhed was actually permanently stationend - before the conflict - at one of these places of refuge. I guess someone had to man them, see to the upkeep, so to speak. And if they were few and far between, meaning if there was only one place of refuge immediately "across the Scheldt", then referring to this place as "the place of refuge across the Scheldt" may have been sufficient. The reader would have known which one it was. (It's still a bit odd though that they write: "across the Scheldt, at place of refuge", rather than "across the Scheldt, at THE place of refuge."

If Syrhed was indeed stationed at a place of refuge rather than at one of the more traditional burgs (whatever that means), then that could have sown the seeds of discontent, providing this stationning had a lower status. (This would depend, among others, on the types of activities that were going on - or not going on - at these places of refuge.)

It Syrhed was indeed stationed at a place of refuge, one that was installed well before the conflict, then that would have had to be in a location that had some strategic advantages. (I'm Flemish but I'm not good with topography and the like, so no clue what that would mean.)

Just some thoughts.

Good to hear you appreciate the podcasts, Caroline. This Dec. 15th another one will be recorded (again in Dutch).

The burg may originally have been built as a place of refuge, or as with the stream FLÍ (vlie: ‘doorvaart’; from which Fleelake/Vliemeer and Fleeland/Vlieland are derived) may have been another, or an older name of the Scheldt (SKELDA).

I thought vlie meant the (banks of)a rivermouth that is influenced by the tide, where ships would alternatly lay on the bank or float. A natural harbour for flatkeel boats. this would be a locality and in Flanders maybe so rare that the 'city' would be called after that. Wasn't there a vlie in the East too(Northcoast)?

The edited transcription has these related words (added are nr. of times the word is used):

FLÍ - 4 (Flee, Vlie — a stream, the IJssel? once running down-/Northward to gate between islands Vlieland and Terschelling)
FLÍA - 3 (verb: to flee)
FLÍBURCH - 2 (-burg — name)
FLÍBURGA - 1 (,, plural — generic)
FLÍLAND - 10 (-land: e.g. East- or West-, South-)
FLÍLANDA - 1 (,, plural)
FLÍLANDIS - 1 (,, genitive)
FLÍMAR - 6 (-lake)
FLÍMÁR - 4 (,, alt. spelling)
FLÍMVDA - 1 (-mouth)

I intend to do a proper study of the word when I have time.