Well, the Thing Is ...

Hans Faber
Sep 5, 2021
44 min read

Updated: Nov 3

The heart of Western democracies is the joint assembly of Parliament, Cabinet, and High Councils of State. Its Celtic-Germanic origin is the thing, also called ting, ding, or þing in other writings. Today, national assemblies in Scandinavian countries still refer to this ancient tradition. For example, the parliaments of the Faroes Løgting, of Greenland Landsting, of Iceland Alþingi, and of Norway Storting. However, the oldest written attestation of the thing institution comes from a band of Frisian mercenaries in the Roman Imperial Army deployed in Britannia. This was in the third century AD. So, almost 2,000 years ago! Thanks to them, we know that North-Western political arenas can boast of an old and quite successful tradition—and no need to look covetously at the ἐκκλησία (ekklèsia), the assembly of ancient Greek, for understanding western democracies, as nearly all historians do.

The thing is, criticism of our modern assemblies and their ability to build representative consensus is on the rise. According to the THING Project—an international collaboration supported in part by the European Union—the story of the thing serves as a reminder of humanity’s age-old need for robust legal systems and open debate. It also underscores the importance of resolving conflicts without resorting to violence—a lesson that feels especially urgent in an era of accelerating internationalization and globalization.

In this spirit, we will close this blog post with five concrete recommendations for the thing of today: how to strengthen its role and performance within our democracies, how politicians and bureaucrats can reconnect with citizens and pressing social issues, and how to finally cultivate the new administrative culture so long desired yet never achieved.

But before turning to the future of the contemporary thing, we first take a step back—something those in power are often reluctant to do. If that is not your interest, feel free to scroll straight to the end. Our own backward glance focuses, for good reason, on early-medieval Frisia.

1. The matter of things

1.1. Frisians introducing the thing to the world

When the Romans arrived in the northwest of continental Europe around the start of the common era, they observed how the local tribes governed themselves. The Roman historian Tacitus offers some of the earliest descriptions of these assemblies, particularly in the river lands of the Netherlands. In his Historiae (ca. 100–110), he recounts the Batavian revolt of AD 69, where the leader of the Batavii, Julius Civilis, convened the nobles and the fiercest warriors of his people in a sacred grove.

When he saw that darkness and merriment had inflamed their hearts, he [Julius Civilis] addressed them. Starting with a reference to the glory and renown of their nation, he went on to catalogue the wrongs, the depredations and all the other woes of slavery. The alliance, he said, was no longer observed on the old terms: they were treated as chattels. (…) He received wide support for his words. Barbaric rites and ancestral oaths followed which bounded everyone together (Historiae, Tacitus).

artist impression of the Germanic thing, after a detail of Column of Marcus Aurelius (between 176-193)

By the way, the Cananefates—a tribe living in the area of present-day city of The Hague—and the Frisians from north of the River Rhine also joined the revolt against Rome. The Frisians attacked the Roman limes (‘border’) fortresses along the River Rhine with a naval fleet. A band of Frisians and Chauci pushed even far upstream, reaching Tolbiacum, the site of today’s town of Zülpich in Germany, not far from the city of Bonn. There, the warriors met a rather ignoble end: the local people invited them to a lavish banquet with plenty of wine, and once the drunken Frisians and Chauci had fallen asleep, the doors were barred and the hall was set on fire. If you think such reckless military behaviour is a thing of the past, just consider the steady decline of European defence budgets over the last fifty years.

Concerning the thing Tacitus also wrote:

On matters of minor importance only the chiefs deliberate, on major affairs, the whole community; but, even where the commons have the decision, the case is carefully considered in advance by the chiefs. Except in case of accident or emergency they assembly on fixed days (…) When the mass so decide, they take their seats fully armed. Silence is then demanded by the priests, who on that occasion have also the power to enforce obedience. Then such hearing is given to the king or chief, as age, rank, military distinction or eloquence can secure; but is rather their prestige as counsellors than their authority that tells. If a proposal displeases them, the people roar out their dissent; if they approve, they clash their spears. No form of approval can carry more honour than praise expressed by arms. (Germania, Tacitus)

Tacitus either did not know or chose not to mention the native name for the assemblies of the Germanic tribes. Instead, he used the Roman term concilium. Fortunately, as noted in the introduction to this blog post, the Frisians themselves preserved the original word for us. In the third century, a Roman auxiliary unit of Frisian mercenaries was stationed along Hadrian’s Wall in Britannia, near the fort of Vindolanda at the ancient Frisian settlement of Verovicum, located at Chapel Hill—today known as Housesteads. There, the Frisians erected a buff sandstone altar and inscribed upon it these legendary, if still somewhat enigmatic, words (De Kort et al 2023, Mees 2023):

DEO MARTI THINCSO ET DUABUS ALAISIAGIS BEDE ET FIMMILENE ET N AUG GERM CIVES TUIHANTI VSLM

stone pillar AD 43-410 erected by Frisians — stone pillar AD 43-410

“to the god Mars Thincso and the two Alaisiagae, Beda and Fimmilena, and to the Divinity of the Emperor the Germanics, being tribesmen of Tuihanti, willingly and deservedly fulfilled their vow”

The name Tuihanti refers to the present-day region of Twente in the eastern Netherlands. Historians, however, have often interpreted the Tuihanti tribesmen as Frisians (Nijdam 2021). Another explanation is that the cives Tuihanti had simply become members of the Frisian unit stationed at Housesteads (Mees 2023). Supporting the Frisian connection is a second sandstone altar dedicated by the cuneus Frisiorum (the Frisian cavalry unit), which happens to be the most elaborate inscription from Roman Britain in the UK. In addition, pottery of distinctly Frisian material culture has been unearthed at Chapel Hill, Housesteads—closely resembling pottery found in the north of the province of Noord Holland, part of the Frisii’s homeland at the time, including the Wadden Sea island of Texel (Mees 2023).

Furthermore, the part of the inscription reading Deo Mars Thincso (also Mars Thincsus) translates as “god Mars of the Thing.” Thincso derives from the Proto-Germanic word þingą, rendered in the Old Frisian language as thing (Mees 2023). Mars Thincsus must be understood as Tîwas, the god who presided over war, embodied law and order, and served as protector of the thing. In this sense, he had much in common with the deities Dios, Zeus, and Theus (Schuyf 2019). The god Tîwas—also known as Tîwes, Teiwaz, Tiwaz, or Tuw—was, in early Germanic times, a supreme idol. In Scandinavia he was worshipped as Tyr. The rune ᛏ in the Anglo-Frisian futhorc alphabet is named tir after this god, a word that also signified 'glory' in the Old English language.

Might it be more than coincidence that in the province of Friesland a relatively large number of small statues of the god Mars have been unearthed—eight in total, compared with only six in the rest of the Netherlands? Could this be linked to the central role of the thing in Frisian society? (Visser 2023)

The names of the two idols, Beda and Fimmilena, on the same pillar inscription at Fort Housesteads correspond to the bodthing and fimelthing, both of which are also recorded in medieval Old Frisian law books from around 1100 onward—an astonishing nine centuries later! These terms referred to specific types of people’s assemblies. Perhaps the distinction was as follows: the 'fixed thing' was under the protection of the god Thincsus, the 'extraordinary thing' under Beda, and the 'informative or non-decision-making thing' under Fimmilena (Iversen 2013).

One theory suggests that the Alsaisiagae gods—Beda and Fimmilena—represent early forms of the valkyries. Beda embodied storms, Fimmilena symbolized wind and movement, and Mars Thincsus oversaw the sky and weather, much like his Norse counterpart Teiwaz. The bodthing may have been either a commanded or a requested assembly (Mees 2023).

It is fascinating that this pillar not only attests to Frisian presence in Roman Britain but also provides the oldest written evidence of the (word) thing. Hear, hear! A hidden gem from the obscure Frisians and Twentenaren ('people of the region of Twente'). Truly, such democratic dudes, those Frisian mercenary soldiers. Moreover—we insist—it is high time for peripheral Frisia to join the THING Project, too. One cannot help but wonder whether these thing-worshiping soldiers at the frontier ever reached consensus on the strategy before going into battle, and whether that was the real reason Hadrian’s Wall eventually fell to the wild Scots ;-)

For more on these ancient soldiers of fortune, see our blog post Frisian Mercenaries in the Roman Army: Fighting for Honour and Glory.

The Proto-Germanic form of the word thing is þingsō or þingą, derived from þengaz or þinhaz, meaning 'certain time.' In the Gothic language, þeihs simply meant 'time' (Mees 2023). Thus, the thing originally denoted a specific, fixed time on the lunar calendar when the people gathered, giving rise to its meaning as a folkmoot (compare Old English folcgemōt), assembly, or court of justice. Indeed, the right time—as well as the right place—was essential for a thing assembly (Sanmark 2017).

Interestingly, the German and Dutch words for Tuesday—Dienstag and dinsdag—literally mean 'thing-day.' Remarkably, Tuesday remains the central day for the Dutch parliament to convene, or in the Dutch language, te vergaderen ('to gather/ meet/ discuss'). Unlike in German and Dutch, English, Frisian, and the Scandinavian languages preserve the connection to the patron god of the thing: Tuesday (Tíwes dæg in Old English), tiisdei in Frisian, and ti(r)sdag in Scandinavian languages, all named after the god Tîwas or Tyr. As said, the god Tyr was the protector of the thing.

In Dutch, expressions such as in geding zijn ('being inside the thing, being disputed'), een geding aanspannen ('filing a thing, starting a lawsuit'), ergens iets op afdingen ('questioning something or putting it into perspective'), dingstig ('in dispute'), and even the popular informal phrase dit wordt een dingetje ('this will become a small thing, that is, an issue') are still in daily use. Related terms include bedingen ('to stipulate') and mededinging ('competition') (Rauwerdink 2023). A dading in Belgian law—a legal agreement to resolve a conflict—is another modern trace of this ancient tradition. On the border of Belgium and the Netherlands, the Dinghuis ('thing house') in Maastricht is a former late-medieval courthouse. In short, the Dutch verb dingen still carries the sense of 'to debate' or 'to discuss.'

Beyond Tacitus’ account, little is known about how the thing functioned during the Roman period. The origins of folksgearkomsten (in Mid Frisian) or Volksversammlungen (in German)—'assemblies'—likely trace back to the Late Iron Age, a period of major social transformation. For more detail, see our blog post Our Civilization—It All Began with Piracy, which explores this process and the important role of large-scale sea raiding in it.

During this early period, regional cult sites emerged in the central river area of the Netherlands—the same region involved in the Batavian uprising mentioned by Tacitus. Archaeological research at the towns of Empel, Elst, and, more recently, Tiel has revealed ritual feasting at these cult sites. These sanctuaries were public spaces where communities gathered to perform fundamental activities essential for the social and biological reproduction of the group (Fernández & Roymans 2015). From these gatherings, the thing eventually evolved, explaining why thing sites, or Dinghügeln in the German language, are often located at ancient cult locations.

As mentioned, a very recent (2017) and impressive addition to the known cult sites in the central river area is the massive shrine near the town of Tiel. This grave-mound solar calendar, estimated to be around 4,000 years old, has already been dubbed the “Stonehenge of the Netherlands.” The largest mound measures 20 meters in diameter (Neijens 2023).

grave mound solar calendar at Tiel, ca 2,000 BC - by Alexander van de Bunt

1.2. The medieval thing

Starting in the Early Middle Ages, our knowledge of the thing becomes clearer, largely due to the first codified law books of Germanic societies. The medieval thing was a popular assembly in which delegates—primarily so-called freemen—from the relevant region gathered to discuss legal, military, political, and religious matters. In this capacity, the thing played a crucial role in conflict resolution and in preventing prolonged feuds and wars (Sanmark 2009).

The thing site could also be a dangerous place. It was a central venue of gift-giving, where authority was both consolidated and contested (Tys 2018)—a true political arena. To safeguard order during assemblies, a so-called “peace” was proclaimed, referred to in Old Frisian as frede. Comparable terms appear in other early Germanic languages: freoth in Old English and friðu in Old Saxon. The modern Mid Frisian word for peace remains frede.

A thing site was regarded as sacred ground, where all participants were considered equal. Crimes committed there, particularly killings during a proclaimed frede, incurred significantly harsher penalties (Sanmark 2009). The same applied to the high-medieval Upstalsboom assemblies in East Frisia, where injuring or killing a delegate en route to the thing was punished more severely. See our blog posts You killed a man? That'll be 1 weregeld, please and The Treaty of the Upstalsboom. Why solidarity is not the core of a collective for further discussion of penalties and the institution of the (thing) peace. In medieval Scandinavia, the practice was broadly similar: the thing peace was known as griðr or friðr (Sanmark 2017).

The class of freemen—though with regional variations as to who was admitted—belonged to the higher social strata of Germanic society. It is likely that members of the nobiles also participated and held voting rights, whereas serfs or thralls were excluded. Women, too, were generally barred from participation. This exclusion is hardly surprising: even modern democracies only granted women the right to stand for election comparatively recently, in 1918 in Germany and 1919 in the Netherlands. Old boys’ networks, it seems, are remarkably resilient.

There are, however, indications that before Christianization a small number of women—particularly landowners or widows—did participate in thing assemblies and even exercised voting rights (Sanmark 2017). For freemen, by contrast, participation was not only a right but also a duty.

In today’s world, the freemen might be compared first with the early modern regent elite, and more recently with the political and bureaucratic elite. One might even see faint echoes of the thing in institutions such as the British House of Lords and, to a lesser extent, the Dutch Senate—assemblies still marked by grey, distinguished-looking figures with exotic surnames. Admittedly, they are far less warrior-like.

Law Rock in Þingvellir, Iceland by W. G. Collingwood

No doubt Montesquieu would turn in his grave at the thought of the thing uniting all branches of government—administering justice, legislating, and even executing laws—within a single institution. For the Germanic peoples, however, such a concentration of powers was acceptable because the thing, bound to its sacred time and place, was seen as above the need for checks and balances through separation of powers (Corthals 2014). The personal conviction of Johan de Witt, statesman and Grand Pensionary of Holland, in the 'never-ending gathering' and commonwealth through consensus as the foundation of the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic (Panhuysen 2005), may in some respects echo this older regional tradition of dialogue.

Thet forma: theth hia gaderkome enes a iera to Upstelesbame a tyesdey anda there pinxstera wika and ma ther eratte alle tha riucht, ther fresa halda skolde. Jef aeng mon eng bethera wiste, theth ma thet lichtere lette and ma theth bethere helde.

The first (law): that they will gather once every year at Upstalsboom on the Tuesday in the week of Pentecost and that they will discuss there all laws that the Frisians must uphold. When someone knows a better law, that they will give up the lesser and uphold the better. (the Zeven Overkeuren ‘zeven higher laws’ of the First Hunsinger Codex, early 14th century; Old Frisian language, transl. after O. Vries 2007)

Decision-making at the thing was (1) conducted under oath, as remains the case today; (2) held in the open air and witnessed by the public, a practice still partly preserved; and (3) sanctioned by the ancestors and the gods. It was, in short, a sacred act. Dutch laws, for example, are still signed with the phrase bij de gratie Gods ('by the grace of God'), preserving a sacral undertone. This sanctity was not achieved through prayer, but through strict adherence to procedures, prescribed times, and designated locations in order to reach consensus. Likewise, in many countries today, members of parliament continue to take an oath or solemn affirmation upon assuming office.

This sacral, non-rational dimension of law remains relevant even today. At its core lies the conviction that law is just—that it embodies the 'good.' Such a norm can no longer be subjected to objective verification, except through collective reasoning and shared conviction. However intangible, and almost sacral in character, this conviction constitutes both the normative foundation and the ultimate safeguard of the democratic legal order, today. No armies can protect it.

Despite its sacral status, the thing was often situated at boundary zones between districts and at some distance from the residences of lawmen and local elites, in order to safeguard its neutrality (Sanmark 2009). With the rise of feudalism and the centralization of power, however, thing sites were frequently (re)located in the vicinity of the residences of local rulers — or, conversely, rulers established their residences near the sites. In either case, the assemblies ceased to be neutral spaces and instead became instruments of royal or feudal authority in the High Middle Ages.

In early-medieval Anglo-Saxon England, the people’s assembly was known as mæðel or folcgemōt. Over time, it was largely supplanted by the witana gemōt or wiðrædde (Mees 2023), better known as the Witan, or 'council of witnesses.' This assembly comprised the kingdom’s senior magistrates—bishops, ealdormen, and thegns—and functioned as an advisory body to the king, helping him achieve and present consensus. The Witan served as a forum for discussion, consultation, and law-making, operating as the king’s advisors.

Unlike the thing, the Witan did not meet at fixed times or places (Roach 2013). Nevertheless, it retained certain parallels with the thing. For instance, King Edgar of England (944–975) was crowned at the Witan at Pentecost in 959—a timing echoing the Upstalsboom thing assembly, which traditionally convened on the Tuesday after Pentecost.

In Mid Frisia and East Frisia—encompassing the coastal regions of what are now the northern Netherlands and north-western Germany—the thing was not usurped by lords, counts and kings. Feudalism in these areas largely collapsed during the High Middle Ages, allowing the thing to continue functioning without central rulers until roughly the end of the fifteenth century—a situation that was quite exceptional in Western history. The thing, embedded within a formal legal and honor-based society that political Frisia remained part of until the early modern period, continued to serve as the primary arena for law-making, judicial proceedings, and political affairs.

By contrast, in Scandinavia, much of continental Europe, and the British Isles, feudal structures solidified into centrally governed states, concentrating power in the hands of a few, and subordinating the thing to kings and emperors. Until around 1500, therefore, Frisia offered a remarkable window into a political community organized for many centuries without state institutions or centralized authority.

In other words, not only can the Frisians claim the earliest mention of the thing by a bunch of Frisian mercenaries stationed at Hadrian's Wall in the Late Iron Age, they can also claim the longest continuous functioning of the thing as a classic folkmoot—an institution of self-governance. This period extended roughly from the first century AD until around 1500. Pause for a moment: one-and-a-half millennia of popular political assemblies.

In a sense, this tradition was revived shortly thereafter and continued for another two centuries. By 1588, with the emergence of the Dutch Republic following a remarkable and successful bourgeois revolution, this ancient republican practice was restored—a historical continuity that receives surprisingly little attention from scholars. Of course, with the French Revolution in the late eighteenth century—what historical irony!—this tradition was ultimately curtailed in the Netherlands, as the Dutch Republic gave way to a conventional kingdom.

the Entmoot, assembly of the Ent, Lord of the Rings

The location of the assembly itself further reinforced its sacral character. Things were often situated near water, on natural slopes or mounds, or at pre-Christian cult sites, as noted earlier. The idea of the thing as a mound—functioning as an actual or symbolic island surrounded by water—underscored its sacred significance (Sanmark 2017). Research on mound toponyms in Britain shows that the Old Norse haugr predominates in the Danelaw region, while the Old English hlāw is common in the Midlands, and beorg appears specifically in association with thing sites in southern England (Tudor Skinner & Semple 2016). In the Netherlands, the elements beorg or berg can likewise be found in toponyms such as Sommeltjesberg and Schepelenberg, both of which are thought to have functioned as thing sites (see further below).

Near the village of Dunum in the region of Ostfriesland, Germany, the toponym Rabbelsberg, or Radbodsberg ('Radbod’s mound'), survives—possibly marking the site of an ancient thing. This artificial hill, or tumulus, dates back as much as 4,000 years. According to an East Frisian saga, Rabbelsberg and the nearby loch Hünensloot were formed after a domestic quarrel between two giants. The wife brought food to her husband in the field, but he, displeased, threw the pot away. The impact of the pot on the ground supposedly created both the loch and the mound. Later tradition held that the mound became the burial site of King Radbod of Frisia. Beyond explaining the local geography, the saga also amusingly suggests that even giants could have domestic disputes.

Some Scandinavian thing sites simply carry a mythical or magical atmosphere, like those of Gulating in Norway, Þingvellir 'assembly plains' on Iceland, and Tingwal on Orkney. A landscape stressing the sacred proceedings at the thing. The thing site itself was usually enclosed. This could be an enclosure shaped by natural boundaries, whether or not completed with handmade earthen structures. In addition, the thing site could also be marked by stringing a rope or a fence.

In early-medieval the Netherlands, the spot in open air where justice was being dispensed, was encircled with cords too. In the city of Amsterdam in the early modern period, this space was called De Vierschaar 'the four part', referring to the four benches placed in a square where the sworn men were seated to administer justice. Later, after justice was being done inside the town hall, the room was still named De Vierschaar and still accessible to the public through open windows facing the street, i.e., Dam square (Thuijs 2020).

The thing always took place on Tuesdays under a new moon or full moon. Contrary to today, the thing only gathered a few times a year. Furthermore, the thing was moderated by a law-speaker or, later, a priest. Law-speakers were wise men capable of memorizing and reciting the laws (Ahlness 2020). Tasks of the law-speakers during the thing were: guiding the ruling in legal disputes, the administration and the execution of decisions, and to speak on behalf of peoples and communities. The law-speaker developed in Scandinavia into the office of lagmän (Finland), lagmann (Norway), laghman (Denmark), and løgmaður (Faroes). Of course, the United Kingdom still has a Speaker of the House of Commons. In the Netherlands' parliament, the speaker is called voorzitter, which is a word related to the early-medieval typical Frisian god Fo(r)seti, meaning 'presiding'. The office of the president of Iceland is named Forseti Íslands. Forseti was a son of the righteous god Baldr and the god of law and justice. The Germanic variant of the idol Maät of the ancient Egyptians but for the living, so to say. Forseti was being worshipped by the Frisians on the island of Heligoland at the North Sea (see further below).

The Woolsack — Another speaker, the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, sits on a red sack of wool, the Woolsack. It is a testimony of how important wool has been for the country between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. England, Scotland, and Wales had become the producers of wool in Europe, and their elite earned dazzling amounts of money with it. Today, the sack contains wool from all parts of Britain and the Commonwealth. "Ecclesia, foemina, lana" ('churches, women, wool') were the three miracles of England (Joseph Hall, 1574-1656). Read our blog posts Come to the rescue The Rolling Sheep and Haute couture from the salt marshes to understand the importance of sheep and wool in the North Sea region.

In medieval Frisia, the law-speaker was called asega. The component a means 'law' and the component sega means 'to say'. Compare with the modern Dutch verb zeggen meaning 'to say'. In the late-eighth-century Lex Frisionum ('law of the Frisans'), written in the Latin language, reference is made to this office, called iudex or sapientes (Nijdam 2021). The asega was not in any way a judge but an authority of law. An expert of justice and of proceedings during the thing. The asega, therefore, had gezag. A Dutch word meaning 'authority' and that derives from the verb zeggen meaning 'to say/speak'. Related to it is, among others, the Dutch word gezeggelijk meaning 'following/obedient' (Verbrugge 2025). In other words, the asega was the one who could say or tell (the law) others to follow and to listen—the speaker. As a side remark, interestingly the Old Greek word ἐκκλησία (ekkèlsia) for the ancient parliament stems from the Old Greek verb ἐκκαλέω meaning 'to call/to summon'.

The Fivelgoer Handschrift 'Fivelgo manuscript', dated circa 1450, contains the so-called Asega Law. These are the standard formulas how the thing gathering commenced, written in the Old Frisian language. The first formula for the thing to start, a dialogue between the asega and the skelta 'judge', sounded as follows:

Asega, ist thingtid? Alsa hit is. Asega, hot age wi to dwane in thisse nie iera? I agen frehe to bonnane [...]. Thet agen tha liude to loviane and I agen iuwe bon theron to ledzane.

Law-speaker, is it thing time? So it is. Law-speaker, what do we have to do in this new year? You must pronounce peace [...]. The people must vow to this and you must proclaim your ban on it (transl. O. Vries).

Interestingly, according to Old Frisian codices, Widukin was the first asega of the Frisians (Vries 2007). Widukind was the late eighth-century leader of the Saxons who revolted against the Franks. This uprising was joined by the neighbouring Frisians.

In some respects, the old office of the Lord Chancellor in Britain resembled that of the asega, at least until the reforms introduced by the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005. Until then, the Lord Chancellor combined the roles of head of the judiciary and Speaker of the House of Lords. Since the 2005 reform, however, the Lord Chancellor no longer presides over the House of Lords.

At the village of Bernsterburen in the province of Friesland a whalebone staff with a T-shaped handle was found by a Mennonite minister in the year 1881. It is dated around 800 and pretty unique, because it is the only artifact known of this type in and outside the Netherlands. The runic inscription ᛏᚢᛞᚪ ᚫᛚ ᚢᛞᚢᚴI(?)ᛌᚦᚢ ᛏᚢᛞᚪ says: "tuda æwudu (or æludu) kius þu tuda". Translated this could be 'Tuda, witness(es) choose you, Tuda', or 'Tuda, witness(es) he made, Tuda'. De personal name Tuda stems from Germanic word þeuð meaning 'people'. So, if it is not a personal name, it might also address the gathered people at the thing. Therefore, one of the theories is that the staff is a ritual attribute of law speaking. Maybe used by the asega during the thing (Knol & Looijenga 1990, Looijenga 2003, IJssennagger 2012, Looijenga 2023).

whalebone staff of Bernsterburen, ca. 800 — Koninklijke Fries genootschap

Another intriguing artifact is the wooden miniature sword excavated at the village of Arum in the province of Friesland too, dated eighth century. It carries the runic inscription ᛗᛞᚫ ᛒᚩᛞᚪ to be pronounced as 'edæ boda,' meaning something like 'oath messenger' (Looijenga 2003). Earlier in this blog post, we discussed the bodthing, 'commanded or requested thing.' Therefore, we offer another translation, namely 'oath commanded.' In Dutch language still pretty recognisable, namely: geboden eed. We like to imagine that the delegates of the thing had to make an oath on this wooden sword, and the sword lay visibly for everyone in the circle, because real weapons were not allowed at the meetings. Contrary to Looijenga, other scholars argue the inscription can't be read as an oath since the Old Frisian word for that would have been eth and not edæ (Nijdam, Spiekhout & Van Dijk 2023).

wooden sword, Arum, province Friesland, 8th century

Interestingly, another (piece of a) miniature sword, this time made of whale bone, with two runic inscriptions and found in former Frisia too, has been preserved, namely that of the terp village of Rasquert in the province of Groningen. One inscription is too eroded to be read. The other inscription Mᚳᚢᛗᚨᛞᚳᛚᚩᚳᚪ reads ekumæðkloka (ek, Umæ ð(i)k loka) which translates as `me Umæ [personal name] write in you' (Buma 1966). Other say the inscriptions reads edumæditoka and do not know what it means (Nijdam, Spiekhout & Van Dijk 2023).

Besides the asega, the frana played an important part during the thing gatherings. The frana was the substitute of the count or the schout, i.e., local official tasked with administration and law-enforcement, during the high-medieval period when Frisia was governed through the feudal system for some time, and presided the thing. Later, during the Late Middle Ages when Frisia no longer was governed by feudal lords and all state structures had crumbled, the office of the frana was replaced by the grietman. The republican office of grietman, which was an elected local judge annex governor, rotated each year (Nijdam 2022).

Before the sixth century, in the regions of Austrasia, i.e., Frankish kingdom, Frisia, and Saxony, there existed three levels of assembly. These were: (1) the centena, also called herað or hundred, (2) the pagus, also called þriðjungr or fjórðungr, and (3) the civitas, also called fylki. Between the tenth and twelfth centuries, similar tripartite systems are found in Scandinavia and Iceland of which we have already mentioned the names above (Iversen 2013). The level of the centena was the lowest level of the thing. The mid-level was that of the pagus, in Germanic speech called gau. In the province of Friesland gau evolved into go, and to this day the Dutch speak of gauw. With the emergence of the big European kingdoms, the pagi and its thing transformed into comitati, i.e., shires and counties. The highest level of the thing was that of the civitas.

As is the case in Scandinavia, locating thing sites in the territory of former Frisia is troublesome too. The thing was an occasional, short open-air venue, with probably only temporarily shelters for the participants, like huts and tents. As a consequence, the thing almost left no traces in the soil to be found through archaeological research. Nevertheless, a few thing sites have been located and excavated, like the ones on Greenland and Iceland (Sanmark 2009). Thing sites in these countries had more solid ‘shelter facilities’ recognizable for archaeologists, because travel distances for participants to the thing might have been greater and the weather harsher. For historians too it is difficult to get a firm grip, since historical sources almost make no reference to thing assemblies, let alone that old texts give away the coordinates. Besides archaeology, some thing sites can be assumed based on toponyms, like evidently with the components ding, ting or, in Middle-Dutch speech, dijs. Might Tating on the peninsula of Eiderstedt in the region of Nordfriesland in Germany be a thing site, too?

centena thing

In the case of Frisia, there is almost nothing known about the thing at the centena 'hundred' level, also called hundred organisation—in early-medieval England comparable with the hundredal. For West Frisia, the coastal zone from, let’s say, the town of Knokke-Heist in Flanders to the Wadden Sea island of Texel in the province of Noord Holland, it might be possible these local things were combined with the early-medieval cogge districts, and thus the institute of the heercogge 'war-cog'. Think of the polder 'Vier Noorder Koggen' in the region of Westfriesland near the town of Medemblik in the province of Noord Holland. The heercogge or herekoge was a kind of conscription for the inhabitants of a cogge or kogge district, who had the obligation to provide a boat with warriors annex oarsmen in case of seaborn threats (De Graaf 2004, Van der Tuuk 2007, 2012). For more facts worth knowing concerning heercogge, consult the intermezzo ‘Conscription in the Early Middle Ages’ in our blog post A Frontier known as Watery Mess: the Coast of Flanders.

a Germanic moot by Charles Rochussen (1877)

In the southern coastal zone of Norway, district assemblies also dealing with the coastal defence, were called skipreiða or skiplagh in eastern Sweden. More inland in Sweden and Norway the centena thing was called herað. Besides a military organization it also dealt with other matters relevant for the community (Ødegaard 2013). In modern Sweden it is called härad and in modern Norway herred. In the region of Svealand in Sweden it was called hundari. Its origin therefore to deliver a band of hundred warriors (Sanmark 2017).

From research into centena thing sites in the region of Skåne in Sweden we know these were generally located near old roads in sight of execution places, i.e., the gallows, close to but never within the premises of villages, and often on the boundaries of church parishes (Svensson 2015). At the same time, the location of the thing sites of the hundred were not cast in concrete and could be moved from time to time, albeit on average within a radius of no more than 10 kilometers. Communication routes, road and water, and the (changing) geography of power seem to have been decisive for determining the location, like fords through waterways. Rivers and streams, especially, could be holy and symbolize the boundary between the world of the living and the dead. Furthermore, in the case of south-eastern Sweden, the assemblies of the hundred continued to be held in the open air throughout the Middle Ages (Sanmark 2009).

The centena thing had mandate to decide on capital crimes, explaining the visual proximity of the gallows. Hence, cash on the barrel. Because of, among other, presence of gallows on top of Donderberg Hill, next to Grebbeberg Hill near the town of Rhenen in the Central Netherlands, we do not rule out that Grebbeberg Hill might have been an old thing site too. Possibly even under jurisdiction of Frisian rulers for a while. Read our blog post Don’t believe everything they say about sweet Cunera for more on the history of Grebbeberg Hill.

A question concerning the execution of the judgement in capital crimes is whether these were done on a fixed time. In the city Amsterdam of the early modern period, executions always did take place at noon on Saturdays (Thuijs 2020).

pagus thing

The pagus is considered the oldest building block in the ‘administrative organisation’ of Frisia. The pagi of early-medieval Frisia have been firmly established through historic research, and it shows that its boundaries were often defined by rivers (Nijdam 2021). In total sixteen pagi have been identified (De Langen & Mol 2021). These are from south to north along the North Sea coast the pagi: (1) Scheldeland, i.e., the mouth of the River Scheldt, (2) Maasland, i.e., the mouth of the River Meuse, (3) Rijnland, i.e., the mouth of the River Rhine, (4) Kennemerland, (5) Wieringen, (6) Texel, (7) Westergo, (8) Oostergo, (9) Hunsingo, (10) Fivelingo, (11) Norderland, (12) Federgo, (13) Eemsgo, (14) Harlingerland, (15) Östringen, and (16) Rustringen.

(most of) the pagi of early-medieval Frisia by J.A. Mol

Beside these sixteen pagi, also the four pagi Niftarlake, Flandrenis, Rodanensis, and, perhaps, Wasia (Land van Waas) should be included as being part of early-medieval Frisia. In the latter, at least the area of Vier Ambachten in the current region of Zeelandic Flanders, also early-medieval Frisian law was being practiced. Read our blog post A Frontier known as Watery Mess: the Coast of Flanders for more information about the southern sway of the Frisians. For more information about pagus Nifterlake, i.e., the area of the River Stichtse Vecht in the province of Utrecht; check our blog post Attingahem Bridge, NY. Therefore, twenty pagi in total and a same number of thing sites existed in Frisia in the Early Middle Ages. The thing of the pagus level gathered three times a year. In Scandinavian countries the regional thing is commonly called althing or alþingi ‘everyone’s gathering’. Of course, always on a Tuesday, too.

Evidence of thing sites in Frisia is basically circumstantial, but the following six sites or places are quite probable (Dijkstra 2011, Nijdam 2021). From south to north these are: the town of Naaldwijk for pagus Maasland, the toponym Luttige Geest at the town of Katwijk for pagus Rijnland, the toponym Schepelenberg at the town of Heemskerk for pagus Kennemerland, the toponym Sommeltjesberg near the village of De Waal for pagus Texel, the town of Franeker for pagus Westergo, and the town of Dokkum for pagus Oostergo. So, six down and fourteen thing sites still to go.

Another thing site might have been at Bruges, of the pagus Flandrensis. From the late tenth century, it is known a placitum generale 'everyone's gathering', also called gouwding, took place here (Henderikx 2021). Another thing site, that of the pagus Scheldeland, must have been on the island of Walcheren in the province of Zeeland. From the Vita sancti Willibrordi 'life of Saint Willibrord' written by Abbot Thiofrid of the Abbey of Echternach in 1103, we know that at least early in the twelfth century gouwding meetings were held on the island. Where exactly, we do not know. Maybe near the modern town of Domburg or near portus 'port town' Middelburg, but possibly the village of Kats, see below, is a good candidate as well.

When, in the High Middle Ages, the count of Holland asked for the levy of troops, the so-called heervaart, this could only be done at three places: at the modern village of Kats on the island of Noord-Beveland in the province of Zeeland, at the modern village of Katwijk in the province of Zuid-Holland, and on the already mentioned Schepelenberg in the province of Noord-Holland. A heervaart meant that the so-called coggen or koggen, mentioned earlier this blog post, which were territorial units stemming from the Early Middle Ages, had to provide troops for war. Of origin, the heervaart was a scipheervaerde or skiplede, meaning that the (heer)kogge district, which is the name of a ship type of Frisian origin too, had to deliver a boat with armed oarsmen in case of a military threat (De Graaf 2004).

Of course, the etymology of the word kat or cat in the placenames Kats and Katwijk might be interesting. However, it apparently is one of the more hard-to-interpret words (Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018). One explanation might be a 'driveway', which would fit a place of gathering.

Lastly, local folklore has it that at Mertsel in the city of Antwerp a thing was located too, but we have not found any scholarly support for it. The location could be fitting, though, next to the River Scheldt and near the border of two parishes as well.

We have put the plausible thing sites (of the pagus level; the althing) of Frisia in a map:

civitas thing

The thing of the civitas level, the high level or top-level thing, is quite obscure as well. These meetings probably took place once a year, and probably at Midsummer (Sanmark 2017). Concerning Frisia, based on the late eighth-century administrative distinction of the Lex Frisionum of three regions, it is assumed there was a civitas thing for:

the part of Frisia inter Flehi et Sincfalam, that is, West Frisia between the River Vlie and Sincfala which is the coastal plain of West Flanders;
the part of Frisia inter Laubachi et Flehum, that is, Mid Frisia (also Central Frisia) between the River Lauwers and the River Vlie, and;
for the part of Frisia inter Laubachi et Wisaram, that is, East Frisia between the River Lauwers and the River Weser.

Most laws of these three civitas jurisdictions were similar but with some differences, especially on the height of tariffs for compensation. Check our blog post You killed a man? That’ll be 1 weregeld, please to understand how compensation for committed crimes was organized in the feud-society of high and late-medieval Frisia.

Not of the Frisians but of their ‘cousins’ the Saxons, a relevant account concerning the thing assembly organization has been preserved in the anonymous Vita Lebuini Antiqua ‘the old Life of Saint Lebuinus’ (Sanmark 2017). Saint Albuinus, Apostle of the Frisians, was active in Frisia and Saxony and died around the year 775 at the town of Deventer in the Netherlands. The relevant passage of the account of the Vita is the following:

In olden times the Saxons had no king but appointed rulers over each pagus; and their custom was to hold a general meeting once a year in the centre of Saxony near the River Weser at a place Marclo. There all the leaders used to gather together and they were joined by twelve noblemen from each pagus with as many freemen and serfs. There they confirmed the laws, gave judgement on outstanding cases and by common consent drew up plans for the coming year on which they could act either in peace or war. (Vita Lebuini Antiqua)

The site Marclo, supposedly near the River Weser, is more than interesting. The etymology of Marclo is mark meaning ‘(border) land, demarcated area’, and lo meaning ‘light, open forest’ (Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018). Furthermore, there is a place name Markelo, called Marclo in old documents, in the Netherlands today. Located in Saxon cultural area, not far from the town of Deventer where Saint Lebuinus died; 25 kilometers as the crow flies. Also, at Markelo you can find the Friezenberg ‘Frisians hill’, a 40 meters-high hill, and the Dingspelersberg. The latter is composed of dincspel ‘thing-jurisdiction’ and berg ‘mound/hill’. An etymology comparable to Dinxperlo, a town a bit more to the south from Markelo. The word dingspel is composed of the words ding and spel, where spel means 'district' or 'jurisdiction'. In the northern Netherlands, there is also the old word kerspel, which referred to the jurisdiction of a parish.

The finish it off, close to the Dingespelersberg lies the Markelerberg or Markelose Berg. In the Late Middle Ages, sovereign rulers of the region, namely the bishop of Utrecht, were still being honoured on this hill called the Marckeberghe then. Markelo, and the Marckeberghe, was a sacral place and part of the cult of the Holy Blood that existed here until the seventeenth century. A sacred stone that received Christ’s blood was part of the cult (Frijhoff website).

Note that there is not much support from historians that Markelo in the Netherlands, previously written as Marclo, is the same Marclo mentioned in the Vita Lebuini Antiqua. This is because Markelo in the Netherlands is too far removed from the River Weser (Van der Tuuk 2024). But with all thing traditions around Markelo, continuing until the seventeenth century, and that it lies within the cultural Saxon territory, can we not consider the possibility that the Vita was not fully accurate and Marclo is simply Markelo?

The Friezenberg near Markelo is not the only Friezenberg in the world. In Germany exists also a Friesenberg, in the Danish language Friserbjerg. It is a town district of Flensburg where a burial mound existed, including a Grenzstein, a stone marking the border between two districts. All elements taken into account, it might have been a thing site as well.

pan-Frisia thing

The question whether there was even an overarching thing for the whole of Frisia in the Early Middle Ages, thus covering the three civitates West Frisia, Mid Frisia and East Frisia, remains unanswered.

A strong candidate for such a pan-Frisia thing might be Fositesland. Earlier, we already mentioned the god Foseti, meaning 'the god that presides'. Fositesland 'president's land' is mentioned in the Vita sancti Willibrordi Traiectensis episcopi 'life of Saint Willibrord bishop of Utrecht' written by the clergyman from Northumberland, Alcuin of York (circa 735-804). Alcuin described an encounter on Fositesland between Saint Willibrord, Apostle to the Frisians, and the heathen King Radbod of Frisia. An encounter that took place around the year 692. Fositesland was an island located in confinio Fresonum et Danorum 'between Frisia and Denmark', according to Alcuin. A bit later, in the year 718, Saint Wulfram visited the island of Heligoland too. Through a miracle, Saint Wulfram prevented two boys from being sacrificed to pagan gods. Both the account of Willibrord and of Wulfram speak of a holy well located on the island. And, according to the early-eleventh-century chronicler Adam of Bremen, the island of Heligoland was a popular place for hermits. In other words, this remote island at the North Sea with its high cliffs of red rocks, was probably of great religious importance to the Frisians throughout the Early Middle Ages. Indeed, a holy land.

Although commonly Fositesland is identified with the North-Frisian island of Heligoland in the German Bight at the North Sea (Hansen 1856, Halbertsma 2000), this is not fully certain. An island possibly known by the Romans under the name Basileia and known for its amber (Looijenga, Popkema & Slofstra 2017). In fact, today it is two islands that used to be connected to each other, well into the eighteenth century.

Sometimes, the Wadden Sea islands of Ameland and Texel, are considered to be Fositesland (Dykstra 1966, Halbertsma 2000, Brouwers 2013). Frisian folktales tell that the island of Ameland was known as Fostaland or Fosland, after the goddess Fosta, in ancient pagan times. After Christianization, a monastery was founded on Ameland with the name Foswerd. Later, the monastery was relocated to the village of Ferwerd on the mainland (Dykstra 1966). Also, the Oera Linda book, a late nineteenth-century document with a fictional history of Friesland, speaks of the burgh Fåstaburgt and the templum Foste on the island of Ameland. Lastly, on the island of Ameland, near the village of Nes in the center of the island, a little pond carries the names Willibrord dobbe or Fosite bron.

Anyway, geographically speaking, Heligoland's location is quite central within the Frisian cultural area in the Early Middle Ages. Other names for the island are Helgoland, Hellgeland, and, of course, deät Lun or deat Lünn 'the land' in Halunder language, i.e., the native Frisian speech.

That a pan-Frisia thing would take place there, is speculation since no reference to assemblies is made in historic texts. With the high, red cliffs and free-standing stack called Lange Anna 'tall Anna', and being an mound surrounded by water, it does meet the requirements of being an imaginative and sacred site, for sure. The name Heligoland meaning 'hillige lân' or 'heiligen Land' or 'holy land' has parallels with thing assembly sites in Scandinavia. Helgøya 'holy island' in the Lake Mjøsa in Norway is a former thing site, and there are a number of other thing sites named holy island as well (Sanmark 2017).

Gatherings of modest numbers of Frisians from the various Frisian lands, including those from the regions Land Wursten and Landwürden in Germany, take place on the island of Heligoland every three year, nowadays. At first, these folkloric gatherings were named Sternfahrt der Friesen 'rally of Frisians' but since 1998 the event is known as Friesendroapen 'Frisians-moot'.

Note that in the Early Middle Ages the island of Heligoland was a much bigger island and that much of the island has been washed away by the sea in the meantime. The maps below illustrate that the island of Heligoland used to be much bigger. According to sagas in the region of Nordfriesland the island lost much land after a punishment of god for lewd behaviour. When Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgins landed on the island in the fourth century, the pagan islanders violated the women's honour. Not only much land was washed away, but the island was also turned into stone (Muuß 1933).

island of Heligoland, region Nordfriesland, by Inezia Tours

island of Heligoland, region Nordfriesland in 1648, 1719 and today

It is only in the High Middle Ages we are certain that a thing for pan-Frisia exists. Established somewhere around the year 1200. This imaginative thing site was near the modern town of Aurich in the region of Ostfriesland and called Upstalsboom. Not too far from the island of Heligoland in a way. The Upstalsboom thing can't be much older than 1200 because it is located in a peat land area which were only commercially exploited during the High Middle Ages. Too young therefore (Nijdam 2021).

The Upstalsboom thing gathered once a year on the Tuesday after Pentecost, with delegates from all the so-called Seven Sealands. The Seven Sealands were divided into four fardingdela. The thing of the fardingdela was called the liodthing. A regional assembly that gathered at fixed times. The extraordinary things were called the bothing, as we have mentioned earlier. Bothing derives from (ge)boden ding or (ge)beden ding meaning 'commanded' or 'requested/asked for' thing respectively. A people's assembly for a particular purpose, thus did not take place at fixed times in the year. The fimelthing was the follow-up thing, to discuss the matters that the bothing had not resolved (Mees 2023). Lastly, the four fardingdela 'quarters' had twice a year a thing called the lantding. The Old Frisian term fardingdela resembles the Old Icelandic term fjórðungar for regional districts.

The above is, by the way, a different explanation of the name bodthing from the one offered earlier this blog post (Iversen 2013), where it is connected with the idol Bede or Beda found on the stone pillar of Frisian mercenaries in the Roman Army at Hadrian's Wall defending Britannia against the Picts and the Scots.

The Upstalsboom assembly was primarily an effort to combine forces against the surrounding feudal powers that posed a growing threat. Frisia was in essence just a loose collection of small, lord-free, farmer republics and therefore had a hard time organizing their guerrilla, militia defence. Whilst their surroundings possessed a knighthood and professional mercenary armies. Read more about this history in our blog post The Treaty of Upstalsboom. Why solidarity is not the core of a collective and why the whole Upstalsboom treaty failed. To get an idea of the medieval Frisian guerrilla warfare, check our blog post Guerrilla in the Polder. The Battle of Vroonen in 1297.

2. Other thingies

There are indications thing gatherings were also moments for religious festivals, regional market and circuses or games, although some scholars doubt whether markets were that prominent (Mehler 2015). On the other hand, close links can be observed between thing sites, pre-Christian cult sites, medieval churches, games, and markets. The Þingvellir on Iceland is the biggest market of the year. Furthermore, horse races and horse fights were popular everywhere during the thing in the Viking Age (Ødegaard 2018). In Norway a seasonal meeting called skeið survived well into the seventeenth century, and horse racing and fighting without saddles was still popular (Loftsgarden, et al 2019). But also think of wrestling and ritually slaughtering of wild boar (Sanmark 2017).

In other words, thing gatherings were also important events for creating collective memories and for social cohesion. Therefore, be suspicious when it comes to so-called medieval seend or see churches ‘ecclesiastical courts’ within a parish because they are strong candidates for being a former thing site. Within Frisia, the boundaries of parishes show likeness with those of the pagi. Like the pagi, parishes are often situated in river basins as well (De Langen & Mol 2021). An old and important settlement of former West Frisia is Medemblik where also a seend church was located. One of the oldest settlements in the area, proven from the second half of the seventh century. Might there have been a former thing site?

early-fourteenth-century mural, church Den Andel, province Groningen. The warrior left holds a so-called 'cletsie' or 'kletsie' which was a leaping pole annex spear. A typical weapon of the peoples living along the Wadden Sea coast.

The fact that thing sites, churches, religious activities, trade, and games happened together might also offer a different perspective on the high-medieval church murals of fighters in the churches of the villages of Stedum, Westerwijtwerd, and Woldendorp, and the horse-fighters in the church of the village of Den Andel, all located in the province of Groningen, thus former Frisia. Traditionally, these fighters are associated with dual fighters. Fighters, known as kempa in the Old Frisian language, were hired by parties who were having a legal dispute to perform an ordeal. In Scandinavia these fights were called a holmgang. Hólmr means ‘island’ and ganga ‘to go/walk’ (Van der Tuuk 2025). In other words: going to the arena, to the dohyō or boxing ring.

But we humble hikers ask ourselves, are these murals really depicting kempa—which is very tempting since we learn of their existence in medieval legal texts, and we humans like straightforward one-plus-one reasonings—or are they perhaps impressions of games and circuses during the thing event near churches? Similar to the fighting and horse games that the southern Scandinavians had during the regional thing gatherings.

3. Things that matter

Most of the Middle Ages, Frisia did not have any lord or central ruler. Nevertheless, the pagi and its thing were stable and kept functioning all the way through from the early to the late medieval periods. Even during times when Danish and Frankish rulers stirred things up temporarily, the thing kept doing its thing. These assemblies, to put it differently, proved to be the core of the community (Nijdam 2021).

In West Frisia, the coastal area from the region of West Flanders to the province of Noord Holland, where counts and feudalism did gain control over the area in the course of the Middle Ages, it was for long practice that a new count would be present at the thing to receive the trust of the people, often after negotiations between the people and the new count about the mutual rights and duties. During the gathering at the thing, the new count swore to uphold and defend the rights and obligations of all his subjects. In return the subjects swore loyalty and pay taxes (Dijkstra 2011).

In the early fourteenth century, mention is made of the ceremonial journey of the Count of Holland through the province of Friesland to assert and establish his rule, too. It started at a spot called Suijtvinde near the town of Stavoren and continued from there to the places called Kempenesse and Aldenam, maybe the village of Arum, to the town of Franeker (Janse 1993). To this day, scholars have not been able to identify Suijtvinde, Kempenesse, and Aldenam. That the journey started at Stavoren and ended at Franeker seems evident. The latter town, spelled before as Fronakre, translates to 'acre of vroon or frana', with vroon or frana meaning 'lord' (compare the village of Vroonen in the region of Westfriesland), and is, as we have seen, a possible thing site as well. In addition, it is located in the centre of Mid Frisia. Stavoren was an important town, both for trade and religion, since ancient times and the administrative centre of pagus Sudergo.

A similar practice, by the way, existed in Sweden; a ritual called Eriksgata. The word Eriksgata derives from einriker 'absolute king' and gata 'journey, road'. The new king would travel through the country along important thing sites to receive his mandate (Sanmark 2017).

However, today parliaments broadly are being portrayed as stamping machines of the ruling parties, and their members as yes-men of those who hold power. In addition, the political art of consensus building of the thing is more and more being replaced by the vote and rule of the majority, regardless of the minority. Therefore, as promised at the start of this blog post, we would not only observe the past but also make some recommendations for the future. For this, it is finally the right time and place to briefly step into the political arena of the thing, if all the gods and our ancestors allow us.

Learning from an at least 2,000-years-old tradition of the thing, after those Frisian mercenaries in the Roman Army wrote about it, the following five advices are given to the Members of the present thing, and who are: Members of Parliament, Speakers of the House of Representatives, Presidents, (Prime) Ministers, (Under) Secretaries, and (High) Councils of State.

Frequency — Concerning the national thing, the civitas level, limit the number of meetings per year and, of course, only on Tuesdays. Less assembling helps the thing to focus on broad outlines and less on what is on the news the evening before. It also helps to limit unnecessary legislation which partially is born out of political profile desire. Appreciate the little things too. Realize there are namely things at the regional and local level too, capable of taking care of issues. That is, if you let them have the powers to do so (Knoop 2022). If the traditional three times per year for the national thing feels as if the stretch is too large, reduce the number of meetings drastically anyway.
Oath — Remind the members of the thing of the fact that they work and speak under oath and have, or at least ought to have, some personal honour. Be aware of the thriteen-centuries-old Frisian runic inscription ᛗᛞᚫ ᛒᚩᛞᚪ(edæ boda) carved into the wooden sword of Arum meaning 'de geboden eed / the oath commanded'. In addition, reconsider whether violating oaths and perjury shouldn't have more attention and greater consequences as well. We understand, many Members of the modern thing often can't recall events in their memory due to their busy agendas, and because of for being in office so long. But it is still worth a try, we think.
Transparency — Essential for the medieval thing was that the meetings and debates occurred in open air. Of course, this is still practiced because people can watch the meetings on the web or on the public tribunes. However, much debate that should take place during the public thing occurs in back rooms instead, combined with a dominant party discipline. Current initiatives for a more open and transparent government are praiseworthy, but they should also be developed by the thing for the thing. Limit yourself! Just as backroom deals must be avoided, communicating (simultaneously during the assembly of the thing), or better formulated, yelling at and insulting each other over Twitter/X or any other social media platform must be banned, too (Bouma 2024). In addition, as we have seen in this blog post, the location of thing must be neutral. Using social media platforms during the gathering of thing violates the neutrality of the location and hence of the meeting.
Shelf life — The thing was an important institute to prevent that too much power would accumulate with few. This has derailed completely, even within democracies, as everyone knows today. Consider therefore to formulate rules concerning the maximum number of terms for the Members to participate in the thing (Elzinga 2021). Every product has a maximum shelf life, whether this is canned tuna, tomatoes, packaged chicken, or politicians, officials, and administrators. Make sure it is a serious reduction concerning the standing practice. A positive side effect is that Members do not have to dig too deep into their memory anymore, which helps to strengthen the effectiveness of the oath (see advice 2).
Internet participation — Study on a different interpretation of the concept ‘The Internet of Things’. It might open new ways in consensus building through gathering. It might help the thing! Think of initiatives like Citizen's Assemblies, the Sortition Foundation and the guidebook of the UN Democracy Fund (Talmadge 2023). And, instead, Members of the thing should refrain from producing fact-free opinions on the social media, and solely utter them at the thing (see also under 3). In the province of Friesland they came up with the internet consultation Stim fan Fryslân 'voice of Friesland' and in the Netherlands, focussing on climate and environment, with Bureau Burgerberaad 'bureau citizen deliberations’.

Note 1 — We suggest that the original pillar (or at the very least a replica thereof) dedicated to the thing erected by the band of Frisian mercenaries, possibly including tribesmen from the region of Twente, at Housesteads at Hadrian's Wall in the third century, will be relocated to Het Binnenhof in The Hague in the Netherlands. Het Binnenhof is the ground where parliaments and governments of the Netherlands have gathered for the last four to five centuries. And, in accordance with ancient traditions, the former gallows named 't Groene Zoodje 'the green turf' is located near the thing site Het Binnenhof at Plaats Sq. in the city of The Hague.

Imagine, the almost 2,000-year-old stone Frisian pillar of fort Housesteads, referring to the people's assembly of the thing, standing at this spot. How much greater and more symbolic do you want it to be? Moreover, Het Binnenhof also happens to be the oldest house of parliament in the world still in use! It would be a testimony of the ancient roots of democracy in the northwest of Europe upon which the Netherlands stands. Including being one of the first people's republics in history as well.

Why did we, humble hikers, have to come up with this idea anyway? The Netherlands as birthplace of the thing. A tradition of public consensus building through gathering, historical and archaeological traceable in the central river area from the Late Antiquity, and—uniquely—continuing to function throughout the whole Middle Ages in the former small republics of Frisia in the north of Germany and the Netherlands. How much better than all the statues of former grey statesmen placed on socles, too. And the appreciation of democracy can use a boost. In this we share the worries of the THING project.

If the national parliament in the city of The Hague for some reason does not feel like adopting this pillar and realising this initiative, at least the regional parliaments of the province of Friesland, viz. the Provinsjale Steaten, and of Overijssel, which encompasses the region of Twente, should.

Note 2 — The featured image of this blog post is from the movie The Fantastic Four (2005), with The Thing being the ‘rocky type’ superhero. In 1982 and 2011, movies were released called The Thing. In both movies horrible creatures that must be killed. Of course, this is exactly not what we propose to do. For this reason we chose the superhero out of the three.

Note 3 — According to tradition, the former, early-medieval circular fortress near the village of Tinnum on the Wadden Sea island of Sylt in the region of Nordfriesland, is also a thing site or Dinghügel as locally referred to.