Mythologies of the Dutch [Netherlands]
Austrōn = Ostara, Goddess of spring
Donar = Thor, God of thunder
Frea = Freya, Goddess of beauty and love
Freke = Frigg, Goddess of love and marriage
Frija = Freya, Goddess of beauty and love
Ing = Freyr, God of male virility and prosperity
Saxnot = Tiwaz/Tyr, God of law and heroic glory
Thunar = Thor, God of thunder
Weda = Odin, God of magic, prophecy and healing
Wōdanaz = Odin, God of magic, prophecy and healing
Wotan = Odin, God of magic, prophecy and healing
Arcanua
There is not much that we know about this Goddess. All that was found was a bronze and enamelled statue of a rooster, standing on a leaf. The name Arcanua was on a small bronze plaque. Her name means ‘the mystical one’ or ‘the mysterious one’, which is why I linked her with the trickery domains. The back of the rooster has a hole in it, presumably to either burn oil in it or stand a candle. Of course the rooster itself has some ties to the sun and the early morning light, hence the light domain.
Arduinna
The Goddess of the Ardennes. These vast forests were even bigger back in the day, probably spanning a good part of the Netherlands as well. A statue of Arduinna was found where she was sitting on top of a boar, hence the fur and animal domain. She is similar to the Goddess Diana, a protector of the forest and its creatures.
Aulrinia
Not a Goddess, but the mythology fit too perfectly to not include her. She was a famous völva, a Germanic priestess believed to have gotten her powers from the elves, which is why I made her Elven. The völva were seers, healers and witches. The name Aulrinia is closely related to the word Alruin, which is the Dutch name for Mandrake, which explains her symbol.
Baduhenna
Of all the Dutch Gods and Goddesses, this is my favourite. Her myths tell of a fierce battle taking place in ‘the Forest of Baduhenna’, between the Frisians and the Roman oppressors. The Frisians were familiar with the terrain and managed to kill 900 Roman soldiers. Then something weird happened. The remaining Romans, filled with paranoia, killed another 400 of their own men. This gave Baduhenna a quite fierce reputation of being a Goddess of battle, war and madness.
The name Baduhenna also has some connections to the Celtic Morrigan, another Goddess of battle and madness. The suffix -henna is simply a way to note that she is female. Badu looks and sounds similar to Badb, the battlecrow. She is part of the Morrigan and is known to fly over, in crow form, and bless her favoured side of the battle, while causing confusion and fear to the other side. This is why, at least to me, Baduhenna has a strong connection to ravens, and perhaps is even an aspect of the Raven Queen from D&D’s fifth edition.
Fosite
A God/dess worshipped on the Dutch isle of Ameland. They are known both as male, under the names Fosete, Fosite and Forste, and female under the names Fosite and Fosta. Which why for this purpose they are both male and female, a duality within one deity. The name seems to be linked to the Germanic God Forsite, the God of justice and peace. Fosite had holy wells dedicated to them on Ameland, which is why their symbol is a clear drop of water. People who got water out of these wells did so without speaking. This was done both out of respect, and because they apparently were a force to be reckoned with when angered.
Hesus
The only God I could convert into an Evil alignment. The only evidence of this God has been found in France, but scholars believe that the town of Hees gets its name from this God, and therefore believe that he may have been worshipped in the Netherlands as well. In Hees there was an enormous linden tree which was probably used for human sacrifice, perhaps to this fearsome God. In 1903 the tree fell after being struck by lightning.
Hludana
In several rivers in both the Netherlands and Germany votive stones have been uncovered naming this Goddess. A few of these reference to the stones being offered up by fishing guilds that resided in the area. Quite simple and straight forward, this one!
Irmin
A God of war which was worshipped on the Dutch Veluwe. He is believed to be related to the Germanic Tyr or Tiwaz, another God of war. Possibly this God was one of the most important Patron Gods of the Saxons. The Saxons celebrated their festivals around a huge pillar called the ‘Irminsul‘, which was believed to be a symbol for the Yggdrasil or ‘World Tree’.
Jecha
Not a lot is known of this Goddess. She is a Saxon Goddess of the hunt who was worshipped in Drenthe. The name Jecha is derived from the word ‘jach’ meaning hunt. This Goddess is believed to be similar to the Goddess Diana, Goddess of the forest and hunting.
Lady Holle
This is a bit of a tough one, because this is where a lot of folklore, myth and fairytales start mixing together. In the Netherlands the tale of ‘Vrouw Holle‘ is a very popular fairytale, speaking of an enchantress who makes it snow in the world by fluffing up a pillow. She punishes laziness and rewards those who do household chores without complaint. She is thought to have connection with the before-mentioned Hludana. The brothers Grimm stated in their books on Teutonic mythology the possibility of a Germanic Goddess called Holle, Holda or Huldra. So we’re not sure if she even was a Goddess, or just a fairytale, but I think she still makes and awesome deity.
Meda
A Goddess of purity, innocence and virginity who was also called Medea. She was called upon by young daughters for protection. There is no connection with light in itself, but a vision of beauty and purity is in my mind one of goodness, healing and hope.
Nehalennia
The most famous and well-known Goddess of the Dutch pantheon. She was a Goddess who was worshipped in Zeeland and was connected to our North Sea. Dozens of votive stones dedicated to her have been found, all of them thanking this Goddess for a safe sea passage. Some of these stones were recovered in England, meaning that she was worshipped on both sides of the passage. A lot is known of this Goddess, but the most important aspects of her are that as a Seagoddess and protector of travellers.
Sandraugina
In Brabant a votive stone dedicated to this Goddess was found, sacrificed by worshippers of her temple. The stone was decorated with cornucopias and branches filled with leaves and apples. Which is why Sandraugina is thought to be a Goddess of abundance and prosperity.
Tamfana
Another difficult one. Looking at the history books, there is only one mention of the name Tamfana, which speaks of the destruction of the sanctity of Tamfana. The people there were celebrating one of their holy festivals, and were said to be too drunk to fight back. It’s not know where this sanctity was located or even if this Tamfana was a God or a Goddess, or perhaps neither. Since -fana means sanctity it’s entirely possible the name of the deity was actually Tan or Tam.
However, the people of Oldenzaal claim that this Goddess is bound to the Tankenberg, and more in particular a large stone that lies there. Some interesting myths surround this place, supposedly there was a temple dedicated to Tamfana there, where the Goddess would use a golden chalice to divine a person’s future.
Viradectis
Votive stones dedicated to this Goddess have been found in Belgium, Scotland and the Netherlands. Not a lot is known of this Goddess, but the stones have been sacrificed by the Tungri, a Germanic tribe of well known tradesmen and seafarers. They probably traded grain, which was a popular product shipped from Belgica.
The myth about Dutch light started circulating in the 19th century. In the 1850s, the Netherlands became popular with painters and writers. Monet, Manet, Liebermann, Whistler, Boudin, Fromentin, Mirbeau and the Goncourt brothers all came to see Holland’s famous 17th-century paintings and the typical Dutch countryside for themselves. And along with them came writers, painters and photographers from America, Germany, France and Britain. From their diaries and journals it seems almost as if the Dutch countryside was discovered through 17th-century paintings, as if the landscapes and the light were the inventions of artists. The French writer Octave Mirbeau remarked that the ‘real Holland, the land of water and sky… the pearl grey realm’ started at the confluence of the country’s large rivers, about 10 kilometres north of Breda. The German painter Max Liebermann wrote that ‘the mists that rise from the water and shroud the world in a translucent veil give that country its extraordinarily picturesque quality … everything is bathed in light and air.’
Antigonus
Antigonus or Druon Antigoon was a giant that guarded a bridge on the River Scheldt. To cross this bridge you had to pay a toll, refusal meant one of your hands would be severed and thrown into the river. He was slain by the mythical hero Brabo, a Roman soldier, who severed one of the Giants own hand and threw it into the river. This legend gave a Belgian city it’s name Antwerp, derived from hand and wearpan, meaning to throw.
Boeman
The Dutch counterpart of the Boogeyman. It is said to resemble a man, dressed in all back with sharp claws and fangs. He is said to hide in the closet or under the bed, if children refuse to sleep the Boeman will taken them and lock them in the basement for a certain period of time. The Boeman is in many cultures, under many names and various forms, they were made to frighten children into being good.
Buckriders were ghosts or devils that flew through the sky on the back of flying goats, which were said to be provided by Satan. The name was adopted by thieves and other criminals to scare people. These thieves were said to have made a pact with the devil, riding their bucks at night time. Much like the Witch Trials, people were accused of being Buckriders and tortured until they confessed, a lot of which is said to be falsely accused.
The Buckriders were said to have committed horrible deeds such as setting fires, murders and stealing. They are also said to only appear on nights of the full moon. If you want to know more I found this link which is pretty interesting.
Elegast [Elf spirit]
Elegast is the hero in a Dutch poem, said to retreat the King of Elves. He is said to be a knight who rides a black horse that can magically put people to sleep, open locks without keys and talk to animals (using a magical herb). He was kind to the poor, but a thief to the rich, he also lived in the forest. He was said to have helped the King Charlemange, who had a strange desire to be a thief. He was an old friend of the King, but was banished to the forest due to his name being of elven kind.
Kabouters [Gnome]
Kabouters were said to be small people that lived underground (such as hills) and help around the house. Male Kabouters have long beards, and wear tall, red pointy hats. They were shy creatures who only punished people when being spied upon. Science believes that it may be affect from eating mushrooms, the red representing red squirrels. They are in a few folklore a, such as one where a kabouter teaches a man how to make wooden shoes. A famous Kabouter is the Gnome King Kyrië who was the legendary leader of the Kabouters.
Klaas Vaak [Sandman]
Klaas Vaak is the Dutch name for the Sandman, a magical being who puts people to sleep and gives them good dreams by sprinkling magical sand over their eyes. The grit (or sleep) in people’s eyes in the morning is said to be the works of the sand of the sandman. The Sandman originated through a folktale by Hans Christian Andersen. In the folktale he is called Ole Lukøje, Ole being a Danish name and Lukøje meaning closed eyes.
Mare
A goblin like spirit that rides on people’s chest giving bad dreams while they sleep. It is similar to the Succubus and Incubbus. The Mare is said to also ride horses, leaving them tired and covered in sweat. It can entangle the person or creature’s hair, the solution of that time to the hair disease Polish Plait. Trees were also thought to be ridden by Mare’s due to the tangling of the branches. Mares were also thought to be witches who took animal form while they were in a trance from their spirit being out. They are thought to take the form of various creatures such as cats, frogs and horses.
Oude Rode Ogan [Old Red Eyes]
Otherwise known as The Beast of Flanders is a ghost or monster who generated tales and sightings after a true event. It all started when children went missing and were thought to be victims of a shape shifter who carried out cannibalism. Claims have been made of a naked black man escaping after trying to steal a young girl from her bed. He was seen to change into a large black dog with red eyes after being shot. He was said to be a 7ft tall black man, sometimes taking the form of a shadow with fiery red eyes. Said to appear during late evenings, if seen the person would be left deaf, blind and mute. A homeless black man was lynched and skinned without any trial, the skin buried under a cathedral. It’s said that Oude Rode Ogen still wanders around Mechelen, due to reported sightings and that he is looking for his skin.
Pig-Faced Women
The Pig Faced Woman is a tale about a woman who had a the appearance of a healthy young woman but that the face of the pig. It is said to be the works of witch craft, following her wedding day, her new husband was given the choice of her being beautiful to only him but ugly to others or be beautiful to others but ugly to him. The enchantment broke when he told her the choice was hers, with that her pig face vanished. There are many variations of this story, this is just one of them.
Witte Weiven [White Women]
The Witte Weiven were the spirits of wise women. They were said to be herbalists and medicine healers that would help treat people’s ailments. Looking into the future and creating prophesies. They were highly thought off in communities and when they passed away ceremonies would be held at their graves. When they died it is said their spirits remained on earth and helped people.
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