Video by Robert Sepehr

[Coco]

Robert Sepehr has recently published a video discussing the Oera Linda Book (link). However, the video contains a few inaccuracies, including the erroneous assertion that the book discusses Frisians, the misidentification of Frya as a goddess, and the incorrect use of the term "burg maidens" to refer to priestesses. Notwithstanding these shortcomings, he boasts a substantial following, with his videos consistently garnering significant viewership.

[ott]

Description of Sepher's video:

The Oera Linda Book is a manuscript written in a form of Old Frisian, purporting to cover historical, mythological, and religious themes of remote antiquity, from 2194 BC to 803 AD. Themes running through the Oera Linda Book include catastrophism, nationalism, matriarchy, and mythology.

English Wikipedia about Oera Linda:

The Oera Linda Book is a manuscript written in a form of Old Frisian, purporting to cover historical, mythological, and religious themes of remote antiquity, from 2194 BCE to 803 CE.
(...)
Themes running through the Oera Linda Book include catastrophism, nationalism, matriarchy, and mythology.

Calling cows with a way of singing (kulning) is Scandinavian, not Frisian. With little effort, there would have been so much more to say about the topic than when his first video appeared, but the only things that seem to have been added (I didn't watch all of it) is reading two pages from the Sandbach translation and images of Sepher walking and eating.

[half life over]

the incorrect use of the term "burg maidens" to refer to priestesses

In american english priestess isn't that far from the truth. It still fits with our understanding on what they were doing.

[ott]

Sepher's 'priestesses' is based on Sandbachs translation. He does not seem to have done actual study of the material other than copy-paste from Sandbach and wikipedia.

The term is not a good fit, as in the texts, 'prestera' is almost only used in extremely negative context. So the Fryas themselves would never have allowed their Maidens to be referred to as 'priestesses'.

[Nordic]

I'm thankful for Robert for using his viewbase to keep the topic up. Some of his audience will look up the YT AL OL videos, some will order Robert's own books and some will buy Jan's OL books. I'll give him a point for cheeky use of a pseudo-OL script (12:38), it's by now a long tradition among OL content creators for whatever reason to not show the actual script in the book.

a few inaccuracies, including the erroneous assertion that the book discusses Frisians

I'm officially confused now. Are you guys saying that the current Frisians are impostor pseudo-Frisians (from where did their ancestors come from)? Or that the concept of 'Frisian' was different back then at the exact same geographical region?

[half life over]

Sepher's 'priestesses' is based on Sandbachs translation. He does not seem to have done actual study of the material other than copy-paste from Sandbach and wikipedia.

The term is not a good fit, as in the texts, 'prestera' is almost only used in extremely negative context. So the Fryas themselves would never have allowed their Maidens to be referred to as 'priestesses'.

I agree, but when you describe the Maidens to the average American they will equate it to a priestess 99 times out of a 100.

[ott]

The name Fryas may have been intentionally corrupted through Fresa/Fresen (and varieties — root FRÉS means 'fear'; Dutch 'vrees') into Vriesen/Friesen/Friezen/Frisians.

[half life over]

I am glad that more people are reading the Oera Linda Book and practicing what is in it. I don't know about anyone else, but I see this as a means to free my people.

[Nordic]

Thank you for the Fryan-Friso's follower viewpoints. As for the maiden-priestess issue I too note we nowadays classify them all as 'priests' or 'priestesses' and all foundation myths and legends as 'religion'. For some reason the old texts like Oera Linda or old stories like Bock family saga make very much noice about how there once was a clear separation between priests and non-priest religious guys, or religions and foundation mythologies.

As I belong to the modernist camp in this issue, I have great difficulty understanding what the original dividing line so apparent to ancient peoples was. To my eyes, some chapters of the Oera Linda book are seemingly theological in nature and describe a highly detailed temple priestess cult that must have been upheld by taxes and donations, as the Fryan prieste... err I mean maidens likely could not have grow their own food.

Maybe it's some standard church psychology of how one must separate one's own belief system from the rest, so as not to appear as just another run-of-the-mill cult ("We special, you others not!").

[ott]

The maidens have more in common with 13th century nuns or beguines than with priestesses.