Hello Canorky Stephen! It's just a note, no more: Please, don't call me Wolf. Call me Wolfgang or Wolfgadr (what's possibly closest to the Norse origin) or simply Charlie after my third name :-) or whatever you want. Wolf was the name of the sheppard dog of that guy with the funny moustache in the 1930ies and 1940ies, and if there is anything whereon I react somehow allergic . you know . :-) Well, when I am talking about underachievers or underachiement or underpriviledged people you should know that I am myself a descendent of an impoverished branch of a family that settled as protestant Salzburg Hugenottes in what was at that time (16th century) Eastern Prussia. Together with an amazing figure of Scotsmen (more than 30.000 in that century alone - who knows about that?) they did a good job and layed the foundations of what later became the Kingdom of Prussia, while the catholic main main branch of the said family (the Barons Schlick of Bohemia and Austria) had at least three Chancellors of the Holy Roman Empire at the same time. As far as I am concerned: I am now 55 years, 5 month and 12 days old . whereof I was been to Orkney for about 3 years and two month and another year and a couple of month or so to Shetland. That's no 'merit'; it simply indicates that it is easier to travel the islands from Hamburg, where I live than it is from the East Coast of Canada . :-) As far as history is concerned: I've finished with 'looking at heroes'. Hannibal?! Pah - Would he ever have crossed the Alpes without the boy who lead his elephant? Or even this General von Steuben - of course in terms of American history a prominent figure, a top ten politician and military of his days. But in terms of German or even European military history: just another staff officer amongst others in the second or third line. It is more or less by chance that those names survived due to the fact that they had the chance to command someone to write down their history. Then look at Dr John Rae, just to name an Orcadian: What would have happened to the young Canadian Nation and its economy without his skills and experience - but who knows about that today. And then look at the chap on bench N° 4 in Eric's or Leif's longship: He rowed his master's boat, he fished his master's fish, he ploughed his master's fields, he built his master's hall . he sang for him and he died for him when summoned up. It was David Hume another 18th century and long forgotten Scotsman who introduced this point of view into what later became 'social history' . :-) cu Wolfgang

Hi Wolfgang: So, in addition to having an interest in a tiny group of windswept isles, we are within a year of each other in age. I being only months older. I am looking forward to reaching sixty, because a recently departed old political figure from hereabouts assured us that people don't really know anything until they reach their sixtieth birthday! Frpm there onward life in a cruise for people still doing business. The apprenticeship is completed. I share your well-stated view or observations about manufactured written history. In some way, the gypsies who sang their tales as did the folksy hippies of Robin Hoods day, had a better idea, assuming they were handing down accurate second hand information from an unbiased observer, rather than recording dictation from some fellow with a whip and a bad temper. The one aspect of Orkney that cannot deceive us, is the stone-built ancient edifices which dot the land and speak of those ancient times. History "etched in stone' as they say. Of a similar note, are the ruins of the vikings in Labrador. HBC factor's notes were amazingly accurate, and their tallies had to match the products that arrived by ship and canoe from London, and the corresponding furs returning there, failing which the factor was promptly canned. Sorry for the Wolf abbreviation. My wife drove a diesel German car, and one of the chaps in the shop we would see when she went for her service appointments, was a German lad who liked the name Wolf rather than Wolfgang. Wolfgadr is an interesting version. The friend of yours on bench 4 of Eric's ship is the sort of chap that reminds me of the underachievers that some old writers coined young Orkneymen as. They propelled the Company to it's destination in history, in the same way your oarsman contributed to the power of that old viking boat. Off to work now. project up north to complete. I'll think of you the next time my neighbor offers me a German ale in a pewter stein. Yours Aye: Stephen On Monday, August 9, 2004, at 12:47 AM, Wolfgang Schlick wrote: > Hello Canorky Stephen! > > > > It's just a note, no more: Please, don't call me Wolf. Call me > Wolfgang or > Wolfgadr (what's possibly closest to the Norse origin) or simply > Charlie > after my third name :-) or whatever you want. Wolf was the name of the > sheppard dog of that guy with the funny moustache in the 1930ies and > 1940ies, and if there is anything whereon I react somehow allergic . > you > know . :-) > > > > Well, when I am talking about underachievers or underachiement or > underpriviledged people you should know that I am myself a descendent > of an > impoverished branch of a family that settled as protestant Salzburg > Hugenottes in what was at that time (16th century) Eastern Prussia. > Together > with an amazing figure of Scotsmen (more than 30.000 in that century > alone - > who knows about that?) they did a good job and layed the foundations > of what > later became the Kingdom of Prussia, while the catholic main main > branch of > the said family (the Barons Schlick of Bohemia and Austria) had at > least > three Chancellors of the Holy Roman Empire at the same time. > > > > As far as I am concerned: I am now 55 years, 5 month and 12 days old . > whereof I was been to Orkney for about 3 years and two month and > another > year and a couple of month or so to Shetland. That's no 'merit'; it > simply > indicates that it is easier to travel the islands from Hamburg, where > I live > than it is from the East Coast of Canada . :-) > > > > As far as history is concerned: I've finished with 'looking at heroes'. > Hannibal?! Pah - Would he ever have crossed the Alpes without the boy > who > lead his elephant? Or even this General von Steuben - of course in > terms of > American history a prominent figure, a top ten politician and military > of > his days. But in terms of German or even European military history: > just > another staff officer amongst others in the second or third line. It > is more > or less by chance that those names survived due to the fact that they > had > the chance to command someone to write down their history. Then look > at Dr > John Rae, just to name an Orcadian: What would have happened to the > young > Canadian Nation and its economy without his skills and experience - > but who > knows about that today. And then look at the chap on bench N° 4 in > Eric's or > Leif's longship: He rowed his master's boat, he fished his master's > fish, he > ploughed his master's fields, he built his master's hall . he sang for > him > and he died for him when summoned up. > > > > It was David Hume another 18th century and long forgotten Scotsman who > introduced this point of view into what later became 'social history' > . :-) > > > > cu > > Wolfgang > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the > word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >