Friesland (New English: Frisia; Old English: Frysland, Freslond) is a landship on the North Sea-coast of the Netherlands and Theechland, in the Theedish Sea. Oversettings in the leid of the land: Westfreesish: Fryslân; Northfreesish: Fraschlönj/Friislon; Saterish (Eastfreesish): Fräislound; Eastfreesish (Theechland): Friesland; Eastfreesish (Greenings): Fraislaand; Netherlandish: Friesland; Danish: Frisland. It takes its name from the Friesish folk who have dwelt along the seashore and eylands of this stretch of land since yore, and who speak an underdealing (NE subgroup) of the Ingvaeonish tungs (a samening of near-akin West Theedish tungs). Friesish is the nearest kintung to English, after Scotlowlandish. The leid known as East Friesish is not a Friesish leid at all, but still very near to it. It is a byleid of Saxish with a Friesish underleid (NE substrate). Before Saxish replaced Friesish as the leid of Eastfreesland, Old Eastfreesish was spoken. Old Eastfreesish became dead in Eastfreesland, but a small bit of it survives in Saterland where it is known as Saterish.
The landship is made up of sundry swathes (New English regions), each with its own folkways a.s.f:
- West Friesland in the Netherlandish shire of North Holland.
- The Netherlandish shire of Friesland (Netherlandish Friesland; Westfreesish and ambightly Fryslân)
- In the Dutch/Theetch shire of Nethersex:
- East Friesland (Ostfriesland)
- Saterland/Salterland (Saterland)
- The riding or Landkreis (NE district) of Friesland (Friesland) as well as the seatown of Williamshaven (Wilhelmshaven)
- The erstwhile, now long gone middleolderly shire of Ristrings (Rüstringen), nowadays: Boutyadings (Butjadingen), Steadland (Stadland), the Friesish Wood (Friesische Wehde), Farel (Varel) (The last two belonging to the Landkreis Friesland)
- Land Worthston (Land Wursten), Steading (Stedingen), and Easterstead (Osterstade)
- The Wade Sea (NE Wadden Sea, Theetch Wattenmeer, Nethl. Waddenzee, Westfreesish Waadsee) eyland of Newark (Neuwerk) in the Hamburgh boroughwick of the same name.
- In Sleswick-Holstone (Schleswig-Holstein):
- The North Sea eyland Heligoland (Helgoland)
- North Friesland (Nordfriesland), inholding the nowadays Kreis Nordfriesland. This is the northernmost deal of Friesland, lying between the mouths of the streams Eider (< OE *Ēgores-dōr ; Cf. ON Ægis-dyrr; a.k.a. in English as Fiveldore < OE Fīfeldōr) and Widea (Wiedau; OE *Widuēa < Ortheedish *Widu-aχwō)
In olden days lands reaching from the nowadays Iselmere (Nethl. IJsselmeer; Friesish Iselmar) to the mouth of the Rine, and the Umbland (Neth. Ommeland; a.k.a. 'Little Friesland') of Greenings (Nethl. Groningen) also belonged to Friesland. The Friesish folk also took deal in the besettling of England during the Folkwandering greatly shaping the speech that unfolded into the English tung, and leaving many a mark in steadnames in England.