My Dear Friends,
In a recent discussion with our friend and Brother Libertine, he disclosed a deep and abiding (indeed so extreme as to be cartoonish) hatred for the Dutch. The unusual vitriol he spewed during our conversation convinced me that there was much more to the story than simple dislike of a nationality, but perhaps some personal issues, possibly tied in with some form of trauma. After much research, my suspicions were borne out.
In fact, he is a man of Dutch heritage as I surmised, and a traumatic experience caused him to irrationally lash out against his own culture, resulting in a long-held hatred based on fear since his youth.
It took considerable doing, but I was able to unearth records of a young Libertine from Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The National Library of the Netherlands. The research process was intense, but here you will view never-seen-before images of a young Libertine, as depicted in medieval woodcuts, and from these, I think it can be fairly said that we can discern with certainty the root of his Dutchophobia.
Young Libertine.
Here, we see a young Libertine, with telltale eyebrows, happy in his decidedly Dutch wooden clogs. I think you’ll agree with me that the likeness is truly uncanny -- a testament to the acumen of artists of the time -- though there is one notable inaccuracy... In a bit of artistic liberty, they decided to generously give him a wisp of hair. I wanted this record to be absolutely accurate, so I’ve tried to minimize editing, but if you question the likeness, just cover the bit of hair, and I’m sure you’ll see just how close to today’s Libertine he looks -- the likeness is positively photographic -- which is to say, if nothing else, the man’s aged well.
Condemned to Dance for Impiety.
Ordinarily, young Libertine was given to many a gay dance, but here, he dances with villagers condemned to do so for a year in penance for their impiety. Of note is that despite a year-long dance marathon, his footwear of choice remained his favorite wooden clogs.
Young Libertine at his first BDSM event.
He’s barely noticeable in this one, but you can make him out in the second frame, joyously viewing his first BDSM event, which apparently included stocks and fireplay. Granted, there is no indication of his Dutch heritage in this one, as his clogs are obscured by one of the Doms, but I felt it was important to include for context.
Young Libertine at Tulipfjest.
Here we see a young Libertine at home in the Netherlands’ annual Tulipfjest -- a celebration of the tulip, marked by the villagers dancing naked while wearing large, tulip-inspired headdresses. This work was edited for the sake of our more sensitive viewers, but of note are his ever-present wooden clogs.
Young Libertine clearly was living an idyllic medieval Dutch life. He had his clogs, he had his tulips, he danced gaily every day. He loved his life, his culture and his homeland. But then, tragedy struck...
The Incident.
Whilst again dancing gaily, young Libertine fell victim to that plague of all Klompendansers -- the fact that wooden clogs have no traction. As he lay on his back in agony, he silently cursed the Netherlands, the Dutch, and everything they make, love, or stand for. He rebuked his own ancestry and the foolishness of wooden shoes. His fearful fall had sparked a hatred for the Dutch that would endure to this day.
Afterward.
Most young people would forget such a matter in short order, but not young Libertine. Even after getting proper leather shoes, he was unable to accept any of the fault of the fall as his, and laying it all at the wooden-shod feet of the Dutch, his heart became bitter, twisted, and turned against his very heritage. His denial of his Dutch descent made him a man without a country, and he developed a fixation on Denmark, traces of which are still evident today. His love of Denmark begat a fascination with Shakespeare’s Danish Prince Hamlet, which in turn begat a love of theatre and Great Britain, his adopted homeland which he claims to hail from today.
It is truly a shame that even today, hundreds of years later, our dear friend and Brother Libertine has been unable to accept his own Dutch origins. If you could, please offer a message of support for him here and on his visitor messages page, and encourage him to embrace his true, Dutch heritage. A man of his age has to come to terms with who he is sooner or later, and his irrational denial has made acceptance of his true self impossible until now. Let’s not let him go another day without confronting the truth, and embracing it.
Let him know we care about him, no matter how Dutch he is.
In a recent discussion with our friend and Brother Libertine, he disclosed a deep and abiding (indeed so extreme as to be cartoonish) hatred for the Dutch. The unusual vitriol he spewed during our conversation convinced me that there was much more to the story than simple dislike of a nationality, but perhaps some personal issues, possibly tied in with some form of trauma. After much research, my suspicions were borne out.
In fact, he is a man of Dutch heritage as I surmised, and a traumatic experience caused him to irrationally lash out against his own culture, resulting in a long-held hatred based on fear since his youth.
It took considerable doing, but I was able to unearth records of a young Libertine from Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The National Library of the Netherlands. The research process was intense, but here you will view never-seen-before images of a young Libertine, as depicted in medieval woodcuts, and from these, I think it can be fairly said that we can discern with certainty the root of his Dutchophobia.
Young Libertine.

Here, we see a young Libertine, with telltale eyebrows, happy in his decidedly Dutch wooden clogs. I think you’ll agree with me that the likeness is truly uncanny -- a testament to the acumen of artists of the time -- though there is one notable inaccuracy... In a bit of artistic liberty, they decided to generously give him a wisp of hair. I wanted this record to be absolutely accurate, so I’ve tried to minimize editing, but if you question the likeness, just cover the bit of hair, and I’m sure you’ll see just how close to today’s Libertine he looks -- the likeness is positively photographic -- which is to say, if nothing else, the man’s aged well.
Condemned to Dance for Impiety.

Ordinarily, young Libertine was given to many a gay dance, but here, he dances with villagers condemned to do so for a year in penance for their impiety. Of note is that despite a year-long dance marathon, his footwear of choice remained his favorite wooden clogs.
Young Libertine at his first BDSM event.

He’s barely noticeable in this one, but you can make him out in the second frame, joyously viewing his first BDSM event, which apparently included stocks and fireplay. Granted, there is no indication of his Dutch heritage in this one, as his clogs are obscured by one of the Doms, but I felt it was important to include for context.
Young Libertine at Tulipfjest.

Here we see a young Libertine at home in the Netherlands’ annual Tulipfjest -- a celebration of the tulip, marked by the villagers dancing naked while wearing large, tulip-inspired headdresses. This work was edited for the sake of our more sensitive viewers, but of note are his ever-present wooden clogs.
Young Libertine clearly was living an idyllic medieval Dutch life. He had his clogs, he had his tulips, he danced gaily every day. He loved his life, his culture and his homeland. But then, tragedy struck...
The Incident.

Whilst again dancing gaily, young Libertine fell victim to that plague of all Klompendansers -- the fact that wooden clogs have no traction. As he lay on his back in agony, he silently cursed the Netherlands, the Dutch, and everything they make, love, or stand for. He rebuked his own ancestry and the foolishness of wooden shoes. His fearful fall had sparked a hatred for the Dutch that would endure to this day.
Afterward.

Most young people would forget such a matter in short order, but not young Libertine. Even after getting proper leather shoes, he was unable to accept any of the fault of the fall as his, and laying it all at the wooden-shod feet of the Dutch, his heart became bitter, twisted, and turned against his very heritage. His denial of his Dutch descent made him a man without a country, and he developed a fixation on Denmark, traces of which are still evident today. His love of Denmark begat a fascination with Shakespeare’s Danish Prince Hamlet, which in turn begat a love of theatre and Great Britain, his adopted homeland which he claims to hail from today.
It is truly a shame that even today, hundreds of years later, our dear friend and Brother Libertine has been unable to accept his own Dutch origins. If you could, please offer a message of support for him here and on his visitor messages page, and encourage him to embrace his true, Dutch heritage. A man of his age has to come to terms with who he is sooner or later, and his irrational denial has made acceptance of his true self impossible until now. Let’s not let him go another day without confronting the truth, and embracing it.
Let him know we care about him, no matter how Dutch he is.
Last edited: