Fasta (Frisian)

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Fasta was the first folk-mother, or head of the order of priestesses, of the Frisians according to the Oera Linda Book, which is generally considered to be a hoax. Appointed directly by the goddess Frya, Fasta ruled from 2194 BC and was still reigning forty-nine years later (2145 BC).

Probably inspired by knowledge of the Roman goddess Vesta, Fasta was said to head an order of priestesses that, just like the Vestal Virgins, were vowed to absolute celibacy, and who guarded a sacred, eternally burning flame. The Oera Linda Book describes the daily routine of the priestesses, which included spending six hours a day, in two shifts of three hours each, bending their knees in devotion before the flame. Each temple, of which there were many, had its own sacred flame and twenty-eight priestesses, so that seven would always be in attendance at any one time. The order of priestesses governed Frisian society for many centuries until it eventually lost power to a militaristic monarchy.