Greetings dear visitor, welcome to Reginheim!
The place to be for people with a genuine interest in our Germanic heritage.




  • To learn more about Reginheim and its purpose you can click here to jump to the bottom of this page.
  • If you are not interested in that you can choose a page from the menu below to start exploring Reginheim.
    (All pages on this site have been written by Ansuharijaz unless noted otherwise)


    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

    Due to a serious lack of time the work on Reginheim has been halted. However, I can still be contacted through the e-mail address provided on this website. Because many people find the information on this website useful I have decided to keep the site online as a static source for reference. This has been made possible by the kind folks of Geocities.ws, who are offering webspace to former Geocities.com clients and managed to save many websites from being deleted when Geocities.com stopped its activities.

    The new URL for the Reginheim website is: http://www.geocities.ws/reginheim, so please update your bookmarks!
    Cheers,

    Ansuharijaz



    Site menu


    (Clicking the "home button" at the top of any page will bring you back here)

    Site:
    news
    faq's
    sources/thanks
    links
    contact me
    forum


    Culture and society:
    origins
    Origins of the Germanic culture and cultural interactions between the Germans and their neighbours.
    every day life
    Daily life, appearance, hairstyles, tattoos, clothing, position of women, morals, trade, food and drinking, social ranks, wedding and divorce.
    funeral customs
    runes
    Origins, magical meaning, usage, list of various runic fuþark's.
    symbols
    art
    music
    astronomy
    literature
    Germanic poetry, literature, and a list of early Medieval texts and poets.
    government system
    Information about the Germanic leadership structure, kings, warlords, the þing, sibben, gauen and marken, etc.
    law system and jurisdiction
    houses
    ships
    time keeping
    Time reconing in Germanic society, day names, month names.


    Religion:
    description
    Some basic information about the Germanic religion, explanation of the wurdiz and urulaga system, Ragnarök, the creation myth, list of holy places.
    possible meanings
    Mysteries, speculation, Thule, alternative theories.
    holidays
    A list of the most important Germanic holidays.
    reconstructions
    Modern reconstructions of our Germanic heritage, new-heathenism, pan-Germanism, educational reconstructions.
    magic
    magical charms
    rituals
    mythology


    The gods:
    the gods
    More information about the gods in general.
    Wodan/Odin
    God of Wisdom, Knowledge, War, Death, and Inspiration.
    Thunar/Donar/Thor
    God of Protection, Fertility, Marriage, Weather, Thunder, the Sky, Justice, and Order.
    Frija/Frigg
    Goddess of the Earth, Fertility, Weather, Death, Childbirth, Children, Spinning.
    Balder
    God of Light and Vegetation.
    Forsite
    God of Justice and Conciliation.
    Heimdall
    Guardian of Asgard.
    Tiwaz/Tyr
    God of War, Battle, Honour, and Sky.
    Loki
    God of Wildfire and Mischief.
    Bragi
    God of Poetry, Eloquence, and Music.
    Nerthus/Njord
    God(dess) of Winds, Seafarers, Coasts and inland Waters.
    Frey
    God of Fertility, Sunlight, Rain, and Harvest.
    Freya
    Goddess of Love, Lust, Fertility, Beauty, Battle, and Marriage.
    Ægir
    God of Seas and Oceans.
    Hella
    Goddess of the Afterlife and the Dead.
    Ostara
    Goddess of Spring, Rebirth, Fertility, Rabbits, Chickens, and the Earth.
    forgotten gods
    Some information about lesser known Germanic gods.


    Other beings:
    giants
    Giants and related beings.
    valkyries
    white women
    spirits
    Information about different types of spirits and other beings.


    Warfare:
    equipment
    Weapons, shields, armour, helmets.
    fortresses
    tactics
    customs
    Battle customs, rituals, and superstitions.
    battles
    A list of various historical battles and information about them.


    Language:
    description
    Origins, the 1st and 2nd soundshift, language tree, language map.
    example texts
    Examples of many old and modern Germanic languages.
    dictionaries
    Germanic personal names (English version) (Dutch version)
    First names, last names, nicknames and the origin of Germanic names.


    History:
    the beginning
    Paleolithicum and Mesolithicum; the first humans, the first inhabitants of northern Europe, the first Nordic hunter-gatherer cultures, prehistoric religion, and the Ertebolle culture.
    the transfer to farming
    Neolithicum; the transfer to farming, the Bandceramic culture, the Funnelbeaker culture, and Neolithic culture and religion.
    the Indo-Europeanization
    Some thoughts about the origin and migration of the Indo-European culture, Indo-European invasions in India and Greece, and some comparisons.
    the Bronze Age
    The Corded Ware culture, the Bellbeaker culture, the Aunjetitz culture, the Nordic circle, information about Bronze smelting, the Bronze Age cultures, Bronze Age religion, and information about iron smelting.
    origins
    The origins of the Germanic culture and some thoughts about the earliest history of northern Europe.
    chronology
    Chronological timeline of Germanic history.
    tribes
    Information about the tribal system and a list of Germanic tribes throughout history.
    Roman conquest
    The Roman conquest of Germanic borderlands and the interaction between the Romans and the Germans.
    the tribes of the Rhinedelta
    A brief history of the Germanic tribes in the Rhinedelta (nowadays the Netherlands) in the period before the Batavian rebellion, Roman influences, the Frisian rebellion, and some funny events.
    Batavian rebellion
    battle of the Teutoburger wald
    Roman downfall
    The fall of the Roman empire.
    Great Migrations
    The invasion of the Huns and the period of the great migrations.
    Viking Age
    The Viking Age, the Varangians in Russia, and the discovery of America.
    Christianization
    Franconian Empire
    Medieval scattering
    The end of the Germanic unity.
    countries
    Information about the individual history of the modern Germanic countries.


    Maps:
    northern Europe
    Maps of northern Europe throughout history.
    southern Germania
    A detailed map of southern Germania during the 1st century AD.


    Neighbouring peoples:
    Balts
    Celts
    Romans
    Slavs
    Huns
    Sarmatians
    Uralians/Finno-Ugrians


    Lore and historical texts:
    Tacitus' Germania
    Ibn Fahdlan's Risala
    Snorra Edda/Prose Edda
    Poetic Edda
    The Poetic Edda and a list of its contents.
    the Hildebrandslied
    The song of Hildebrand with a description, the original text, and an English translation by D.L. Ashliman.
    Hervar's and king Heidrek's saga
    A translation of the Old Norse Hervarar saga ok Heidreks konungs.
    (translated by Stian Farstad)
    the song of lord Halewijn
    A translation of the Dutch Lied van heer Halewijn, a song that originates from an old Germanic legend about a man who lures women with his magical singing and then kills them, until a brave princess decides to stop him.


    Legends, folktales, and information from local areas:
    the Netherlands - Utrecht - Gooi
    This page contains old legends in which Wodan and Braga punish a man who mistreats his old father and curse a village that gambles with its daughters, in another legend Ægir and Ran curse the city of Muiden for mistreating a mermaid.
    (written by Joris Magusanus and translated by Ansuharijaz)
    the Netherlands - Gelderland - Veluwe
    An alternative Ragnarök myth and legends about giants, white women, the wild hunt, etc.
    (written by Joris Magusanus and translated by Ansuharijaz)
    the Netherlands - Gelderland - Achterhoek
    The hellhound of Zutphen, the mysterious god of Warnsveld, the dead knight of Didam, the revenge of the Rhinegod, and legends about ghosts, white women, the wild hunt, Alfen, and giants.
    the Netherlands - Overijssel
    Heathen customs in Oldenzaal, Christianized versions of the wild hunt, the goddess Tanfana, and information about heathen symbols.
    (written by Joris Magusanus and translated by Ansuharijaz)
    the Netherlands - Friesland
    A text about different forms of heathen sanctuaries and examples from the province of Frisia (Friesland).
    (written by Boppo Grimsma and translated by Ansuharijaz)
    the Netherlands - Willibrord and Bonifatius
    A text about the two Christian missionaries Willibrord and Bonifatius and their work in the north.
    (written by Joris Magusanus)
    the Netherlands - Donar (Thor) in Dutch folklore
    A text about the worship of the Thundergod in the Netherlands.
    (written by Joris Magusanus)


    Modern works about our Germanic heritage:
    A.C.W. Staring
    Information about the Dutch poet Staring, this page also contains some of the poems he based on Germanic mythology and a poetical description of a local legend.



    Site information:


    Introduction:
    Greetings visitor, I am Ansuharijaz and I have created most of this site in 2002 and 2003, the building started on June 2002.
    I am from the Netherlands and have been interested in history since I was a little boy, during my childhood I was always fascinated by the ancient legends and fairy tales that were told to me and in my mind these stories brought me back to an ancient world with dark forests, mysterious rituals, and brave warriors.
    I was attracted by this world before our own and like many other people I was in search of my roots, when I got older I started searching for the answers to my questions and I wanted to know who my Germanic ancestors were, who these magnificant people were that left us such a beautiful heritage.
    During my search I noticed that many of the subjects I was interested in were surrounded with a taboo atmosphere and that there was very little information to be found about it, most of the information I found was incorrect and I also noticed that there are people out there who abuse the heritage of our ancestors for extreme political purposes, hence the taboo.
    Therefore I decided to create this site on which I shall try to provide accurate and historical information about a beautiful world which has been hidden away in a dark corner for over a thousand years.
    I hope you will find the information you are looking for and please don't be shy to email me if you have any further questions.
    Enjoy exploring the wondrous world of our ancestors.

    Statement of purpose:
    The purpose of this site is to provide information about the Germanic peoples who inhabited Europe in ancient times.
    Together with the Celts, Romans, Greeks, Slavs, and other peoples they laid the foundations of modern Europe and many people in Europe, North America, and Australia are their direct descendants.
    Their culture had a very ancient and mysterious background of which we have only limited knowledge, my goal and the goal of this site is to share that knowledge with as many people as possible in order to provide correct information and lift the stigma that is attached to these people whose legacy has been so shamelessly abused by evil ideologies.

    Differences between fact and fiction:
    I have decided to take a scientifical approach on this site though I may sometimes give my personal opinion or inform you about theories that have not (yet) been (fully) proven.
    Therefore I shall explicitly mention it when I am giving my or someone else's opinion instead of hard facts.
    If you see any theories or opinions of which you can't see clearly enough that it is an opinion, please notify me.
    Also, because I'm Dutch my English may be a little bit insufficient sometimes so it is possible that I have made some spelling/typing errors.

    What this site is NOT:
    This site is not politically orientated; unfortunately being interested in our Germanic ancestors is considered "suspicious" by some short-sighted people who immediately start accusing you of fascist sympathies, it is a shame that the culture, religion, symbols, and other aspects of our ancestors' heritage are still being abused for all kinds of activities by neo-nazi's and other unpleasant people; therefore I would like to distance myself and this site from any such activities.
    This is a purely informative site without any political agenda, please let that be clear.

    The definition of "Germanic":
    The definition of "Germanic" I use on this site is; "all subjects which can be traced back to a proto-Germanic origin."

    In the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century lots of writings concerning anything Germanic were based on all kinds of controversial hypotheses, racial theories and assumptions, works from that time must therefore be used with caution.
    One of the negative results of that time were the nazi's, who used our Germanic heritage as a nice wrapping paper to cover up their evil plans of world domination.
    After World War II everything which had something to do with the word "Germanic" became taboo and was viewed with suspicion, something that continues to this day.
    Because of the negative atmosphere surrounding this topic lots of researchers and historians have unfortunately chosen to avoid it, the same goes for most of the press and many history teachers who consider the subject "politically incorrect".
    On this site I will not follow "politically correct" or "politically incorrect" theories; I will try to stay as close to the truth as possible, no matter how "correct" or "incorrect" it may be.

    Furthermore, people sometimes confuse the words "Germans" and "Germanic" with the inhabitants of the modern country of Germany, which would be a far too limiting description of course, unfortunately the English language offers no useable alternatives so I shall refer to Germanic peoples with the word "Germans"; with this word I mean all the peoples of Germanic descent in northern Europe, Scandinavia, and Great-Britain.

    Technical details:
    On this site I will mainly use black letters on a white background, I know that it is a little bit boring but I want to allow visitors to print the information on this website for future reference.
    Also, this page may sometimes be offline because my webspace provider temporarily closes down websites that use too much bandwidth, in that case; please try again later.

    Pictures:
    You can hold your mouse pointer over some pictures to see a further description of them.