In August 2016, on the Dutch late-night talk show Pauw, former game show host Hans van der Togt—best known for presenting Rad van Fortuin (Wheel of Fortune)—spoke candidly about his harsh and miserable life in the province of Friesland. In this blog post, we will explain, in plain and simple terms, how it was Hans’s pagan doom—or destiny—to end up in Frisia, despite being born in the deep south of the Netherlands. This post also serves as a friendly warning to other city dwellers who dream of escaping to the supposedly romantic countryside.

Hans van der Togt, born in 1947, hosted the wildly popular game show Rad van Fortuin throughout the 1990s. Its success was not just thanks to his elegant assistant, Leontine Ruiters, but also to Hans’s unmistakable flair as a true showman—really. Then, at the end of the decade, he stepped out of the spotlight and retired.

poem by Venantius Fortunatus (ca. 536-610), transl. M. Roberts

After years of silence, Hans resurfaced on national television on 23 August 2016. In the popular late-night talk show Pauw, he told viewers about his life in the tiny village of Achlum, tucked away in the northwest of the province of Friesland. He had been invited after giving a newspaper interview a few days earlier, in which he spoke about his lonely existence amid the empty grasslands where he had lived for the past three years. Hans explained that he had left the big city of Amsterdam on impulse and bought a charming house in Friesland for, as the saying goes, “next to nothing.”

The first year, he was euphoric. But soon, the ancient and unforgiving marshlands of Frisia hit him full in the face. The green desert, as some say. To borrow a line from the poem De terugkeer ('the return') from the Frisian writer and poet Jan Jacob Slauerhoff (1898-1936) : “Het lage land tot den einder kaal”—'the low land barren to the horizon.' The long winters. The loneliness. The endless green. The smell of dung. The ever-chiming church bells. The grey, rainy days.

Slowly, Hans began to miss the city. He began to miss his life Amsterdam. But he had sold everything…

Divine wheels

Let's jump back 2,000 years. Archaeological research in the terp (that is, artificial settlement mound) region in the northern Netherlands revealed well-preserved findings of wooden wheels buried under houses or homesteads, or in former wells from the period between the fifth century BC and the first century AD. Both disc wheels and spoked wheels have been found. These are all made of oak or taxus wood. Archaeological research suggests ritual disposition as a possible explanation.

From the same period, parts of wheels have been found not only in the Bolleveen and Doedensveen peatlands in the province of Drenthe, but also near Uitgeest in the province of Noord Holland (Van der Sanden; see Verbers 2026). Another example comes from the Roman settlement of Forum Hadriani, near the present-day town of Voorburg in the province of Zuid Holland, where a wheel was discovered in a well. Historians have suggested that such wheels may have been offerings associated with fertility and hopes for a successful harvest, or that discarded cart wheels deposited in wetlands may have acquired a sacred status and been left undisturbed in landscapes believed to possess special powers (Van Eijnatten & Van Lieburg 2006).

Late-Iron-Age wheels. Two left from Ezinge and right from Voorburg

Besides these archaeological findings, the Germanic thunder god Thor, also known as Thunor or Donar, shared several characteristics with his Celtic counterpart, Taranis. Taranis was associated with the wheel, which may have symbolized the sun. The Celts are known to have offered wheels symbolically, placed miniature or complete wheels among grave goods, and worn small wheels as amulets. The graves of important individuals sometimes contained complete chariots with wheels and horses, such as the one discovered near the village of Heumen, close to the present-day city of Nijmegen in the eastern Netherlands. The wheel and chariot may have symbolized the solar disc, with the chariot imagined as carrying the sun from east to west and thereby representing the cycle of death and rebirth (Van der Tuuk 2017, Clerinx 2023).

The period during which the wheels mentioned above were buried in terp earthworks in Frisia was roughly between 500 BC and AD 100. The wheel symbols and rituals might have been copied or inherited from the Celts, who were still present in the wider region of Frisia during this era. Just as Thor was, in a way, the successor of Tharanis.

INTERMEZZO

Wheels on the Cauldron — In 1891, at the hamlet of Gundestrup in Denmark, a richly decorated cauldron was found, dated the beginning of the first millennium AD. It is probably crafted in Thrace, current southeast Bulgaria. One image shows (half) a wheel being given to some kind of god.

Based on historical linguistic research on vowel systems (Schrijver 2017), the relationship between Frisia and the Celts might even go deeper than the copying or inheritance of religious aspects. Frisians living north of the Roman limes (‘borders’) were actually Celts. Of course, this might only have involved Celtic linguistic influences, with the Frisians speaking a mixture of Celtic and Germanic languages. Alternatively, the Frisians may have been bilingual. According to British research, everyday bilingualism—or even multilingualism—was widespread at the time, in this case among the Britons. This was already the case during the Roman period and again after the Anglo-Saxons had settled from the fifth century onwards (Oosthuizen 2017).

Concerning the classification of the Frisians (Frisii or Fresones) as being Germanic, it is important to take into account that it was the Romans who attributed this term without a grounded sociological theory (Van de Bunt 2020). Moreover, those Romans initially used the terms Celts and Germanic interchangeably for the tribes north of the River Rhine (Looijenga 2017).

Besides the fact that the vowel systems of the pre-Old Frisian language have similarities to the vowel system of the Celtic speech that used to be spoken in the area that is now the Netherlands, the names of the two Frisian kings might also reveal Celtic heritage or influence. They were the kings Verritus and Malorix who went all the way to Rome in AD 58 to plead in person with Emperor Nero himself. Their plea concerned the use of the land north of the limes, possibly the land surrounding the River IJssel (Van de Bunt 2020). Both king names are Celtic. Verritus means ‘strong runner’ and Malorix means ‘praise king’ in the Celtic language.

The journey of the two Frisian kings has been documented by the Romans. In our blog posts The Killing Fields of the Celts: The Girl Offered in a Pingo Remnant and Barbarians Riding to the Capital to Claim Rights on Farmland we did not only wrote more about the Frisii and their (partial) Celtic origin, but also whether we should consider these two men kings or, actually, backstabbers.

By the way, if the story of Verritus and Malorix gives the reader the impression that the presence of Frisians in Rome was exceptional, know that it was not. For decades already, Frisians had been frequenting the Eternal City. They even served as bodyguards to emperors, like the Frisian soldiers Bassus and Hilarus. Frisians also served as cavalry guards in Rome. Their names do not seem particularly Germanic either, although they may, of course, have been Romanised. See our blog post Frisian Mercenaries in the Roman Army. Fighting for Honour and Glory for more information on these men who served in the special forces.

Anyway, the conclusion is: wheels are divine.

Therefore, if after 2,500 years you think you can get away with hosting the profane game show Wheel of Fortune for years and years on end, and sacrilege divine wheels without feeling the consequences of the ancient Celtic gods, do think again! It is not sustainable, as they say in the second millennium. Like Hans van der Togt experienced, Tharanis and Thor will execute great vengeance upon thee.

Let this be a warning for other show masters presenting the game show Wheel of Fortune, like e.g. the Dutch singer and current show master of this game Dre Hazes, the British show master Nicky Campbell, or the German show master Jan Hahn. But the names of the show masters worldwide are infinite. And, Hans, be real and look at the original shape of your new hometown Achlum:

Lastly, we would suggest Hans van der Togt to check out our blog posts Grassland Conversations. Where Less Is More and What's Hip and Happening on the Grasslands to help him survive in the remote and isolated Achlum, Frisia. Indeed, it is an acquired taste.

Note 1 — It is also for this very reason why walking the Frisia Coast Trail is the most safe means of movement as it involves no wheels. If for some reason you are required to make use of a car, bicycle, or train, show no disrespect to the wheels.

A legend that clearly establishes the divine link with the wheel tells of the death of King Abel of Denmark in 1252. That year, he set out to subdue the Frisians of the Eiderstedt peninsula and force them to pay taxes. The Eiderfriesen had risen in revolt under the leadership of the chieftain Sicko Sjaerdema. The expedition ended in disaster, and King Abel was forced to flee and became separated from his army. Near the town of Husum, he was killed by a blow from an axe wielded by a man named Henner. Henner was an ordinary man—and a wheelwright... Abel’s death was long regarded as a punishment from God. And perhaps we should at least entertain the possibility that Henner was Tharanis in disguise.

Note 2 — As such, the combination of showmanship and grasslands is not as unlikely as it might seem. One of the world’s first public showmasters, if not the first, came from the province of Friesland. Just 17 kilometres as the crow flies from Achlum, in the village of Weidum, Hanso Idzerda (1885–1944) was born. His full name was—take a deep breath—Hans Henricus Schotanus à Steringa Idzerda, with Hans and Henricus being his two first names.

Idzerda was a radio pioneer. From The Hague, at Beukstraat 8–10, he aired what is considered one of the world’s first pre-announced public radio broadcasts on the evening of 6 November 1919. The broadcast had been announced in the NRC newspaper the day before and consisted of a weekly music programme, presented by Idzerda himself. The first piece of music he broadcast was Turf in je ransel (‘peat in your haversack’), a grenadier’s march.

His broadcasts were received as far away as England. From 1922, with support from the Daily Mail, Idzerda also began broadcasting an English-language radio programme. He announced his broadcasts in Dutch, French, and English.

For more about this first, international public show master of the world, see our blog post What Killed the Radio Star. The Frisian Claim for Radio Fame.

Note 3 — If interested in more pagan and superstitious practices of the Frisians in the Iron Age and Roman Period, check our blog post Groove Is in the Hearth. Very Superstitious, Is the Way.

Note 4 — The village of Achlum, as tiny as it might appear, is the cradle of the big insurance companies we know today. It was even former president of the USA who paid a visit to Achlum to commemorate this piece of history. Go to our blog post Bill Clinton: "I Did Not Have Financial Relations With That Village”. If you decide to pay Achlum a visit, do drop by the local chocolate factory as well.

Suggested music

George Michael, Spinning The Wheel (1996)

Motörhead, Ace of Spades (1980)

Further reading

Arnold, E.F., Medieval Riverscapes. Environment and Memory in Northwest Europe, c. 300-1100 (2024)

Beers, J., Runes in Frisia. On the Frisian origin of runic finds (2012)

Betten, E., Terpen- en Wierdenland (2018)

Bunt, van de A., Wee de overwonnenen. Germanen, Kelten en Romeinen in de Lage Landen (2020)

Clerinx, H., De god met de maretak. Kelten en de Lage Landen (2023)

Dijkstra, M.F.P., Rondom de mondingen van Rijn & Maas. Landschap en bewoning tussen de 3e en 9e eeuw in Zuid-Holland, in het bijzonder de Oude Rijnstreek (2011)

Eijnatten, van J. & Lieburg, van F., Nederlandse religiegeschiedenis (2006)

Galestin, M.C., Frisii and Frisiavones (2016)

Koolhaas, M., Was Idzerda de eerste ter wereld? 90 jaar radio-omroep in Nederland (2009)

Laan, van der, J., De bijzondere houten voorwerpen uit de opgravingen in Ezinge (2016)

Langen, de G. & Mol, J., Terpenbouw en dorpsvorming in het Friese kustgebied tussen Vlie en Eems in de volle middeleeuwen (2016)

Lekkerkerker, L. (ed.), J. Slauerhoff. Verzamelde gedichten (2008)

Looijenga, A., Popkema, A. & Slofstra, B. (transl.), Een meelijwekkend volk. Vreemden over Friezen van de oudheid to de kerstening (2017)

Lugt, F., Rijnland in de donkere eeuwen. Van de komst van de Kelten tot het ontstaan van het graafschap (2021)

Nedelius, S., Early Germanic Dialects—Old Frisian (2019)

Oosthuizen, S., The Anglo-Saxon Fenland (2017)

Possel, P., Lockdown? Hier is het áltijd stil en leeg (2021)

Raatgever, S., Ik heb niemand om tegen te praten (2016)

Renswoude, van, O., Hoe Keltisch waren de Friezen? (2017)

RODI.nl, Archeologisch onderzoek J.E. de Witstraat (2023)

Schrijver, P., Frisian between the Roman and the Early-Medieval Periods. Language contact, Celts and Romans (2017)

Tuuk, van der, L., Thor en zijn buitenlandse collega’s (2017)

Verbers, A., Pingoruïnes. Bijzondere ijstijdrelicten in het landschap (2026)

Versloot, A.P., The Runic Frisian vowel system. The earliest history of Frisian and Proto-Insular North Frisian (2014)