A Germanic people who gave their name to islands off the coast of the Netherlands and Germany. The Byzantine historian Procopius, who was writing in the traditional Arthurian period, numbers the Frisians among the barbarian invaders of Britain. Layamon says that King Calin of Friesland (the land of the Frisians) was subject to Arthur. In the Alliterative Morte Arthure, King Frederick of Friesland was an ally of Mordred.
Frisian is today spoken as a lesser-used language in Germany and in the Netherlands. There are three main varieties of Frisian: West Frisian (Frysk), which is spoken in Friesland/Fryslan (Netherlands), North Frisian (Friisk), which consists of nine different dialects in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), and Sater Frisian (Seeltersk), which is spoken in Niedersachsen (Germany).
See also
Hengist | The Legend of King Arthur
Holland | The Legend of King Arthur