Beden on the Letter of Rika the Oldmaid 

Letter of Rika the Oldmaid, read at Staveren at the Yulefest¹

Ye all whose forbears came here with Friso, my greeting to you.
Thus ye think, ye are unguilty of idolatry.
Thereof will I not speak today, but today will I show you a failure, which is little better.

Ye wit it or ye wit it not how Wralda has a thousand glorious names, though ye all wit it that he is called Allfather (all-feeder), because all came out of him and grows to feed his creatures.⁵

Tis true, that Earth was betimes also called All-feeder, for she bears all fruits and nuts, wherewith man and beast feed themselves.
Though she shouldn’t no fruit nor nuts not bear, if Wralda gave her no strength.

Also women who let their child suckle on their breasts, are called feeders.
Though if Wralda gave them no milk, so should the child find no profit there.
So that by conclusion of reason, Wralda alone remains feeder.¹⁰

That Earth betimes was called All-feeder, and a mom, feeder, can be done yet through a turn (of phrase), but that a man let himself be called feeder (father) because he may be a dad, that argues against all reason.
Though I wot whence this foolishness comes.

Hark here, it comes from our enemies, and wheresoever it is followed, so shall ye thereby become slaves to the distress of Frya and to punish your pride.

I shall inform you how it is gone with the slave folk, thereafter may ye learn.
The pompous kings who live according to whim, stick Wralda after the crown, out of envy that Wralda is called All-feeder, so would they be called feeders of the folk.¹⁵

Now wot all mankind that a king wields no power over growth, and that his feeding was brought him by the folk, but nonetheless would they persist in their audacity.
So that they might come to their goal, were they at first not satisfied with free gifts, but they have imposed a tribute on the folk.

For the treasure, which came thereof, they hired foreign soldiers, whom they put about their courts.
Furthermore took they as many wives as they desired, and the lesser princes and lords did likewise.

When strife and conflict afterwards slipped into the households and complaints therefore came, then have they said, every man is the feeder of his household, therefore shall he be thereover boss and also judge.²⁰

Then came arbitrariness and even as the men ruled over the households, thus went the kings to do over their states and folk.
When the kings had brought it so far, that they were called fathers of the folk, then they went and had images after their shapes made, they ordered these images put into the churches next to the images of the gods, and anyone who would not bow before them was killed or put in chains.

Your forebears have gone about with the pompous princes, thence have they learned this nonsense.
Though not only that some of your men make themselves guilty of title theft, also must I complain about many of your wives.

Be there men found among you, who will be on a level with Wr-alda, where are women found among you, who do it with Frya.²⁵
Because they have borne child, they let themselves be called mother.
However, they forget, that Frya bore child without the intercourse of a man.
Yea not only will they rob Frya and the honoured mothers of their glorious names, whereto they might not so aspire, they do likewise with the titles of their equals.

There are women who let themselves be called ladies, although they wit that this name belongs only to princes’ wives.
Also let they their daughters be called maids, despite which they wit, that no girl may be so called, unless she belongs to a burgh.³⁰

Ye all ween that ye become better through the theft of titles, though ye all forget that envy glews itself thereto and that every evil sows its own punishment-switch.
Turn ye not back, so shall time give it growth so strong that one may see no end thereof.

Your posterity shall therewith be beaten, they shall not grasp whence the blows came.
But although ye build the maids no burghs and trust in fate, there shall, however, some remain, they shall come from out of the woods and caves, they shall show your posterity that they are guilty of wilfulness.

Then shall one curse you, your ghosts shall rise frightened from their graves, they shall call on Wr-alda, Frya and her maids, though no one shall thus make it any better, before the yule enters upon another cycle, but that shall first happen when three thousand years are expired after this century.³⁵
End of Rika’s letter.

Here ended the writings of Beeden.
(In the manuscript, three leaves are missing.
The broken off beginning words of the following demonstrate, that the beginning of the following writing is lost, and therewith also the indication of the name of the writer, who can be proven to be a son or grandson of Beeden.
— comment of Dr.J.G.Ottema ).⁴⁰