Maljan
Maljan is the name for a gable sign that is still often attached to the gable of East Frisian houses today (often as a crowning of a crippled hip ), which goes back to mystical ideas of old times. In the simplest case, it is a vertically rising rod. More often, small shapes are found by sharpening the rod, adding a small cover, or breaking it up into a series of geometric shapes.
The name Maljan is derived from the East Frisian-Low German word “mall” (spoken with a long a , means something like crazy, ugly, bad, impetuous) and the name Jan , so it could be translated as “ crazy Jan”. In this case, “Jan” is to be understood as a corruption of the old Germanic god name “ Wodan ”, which then also gives an indication of the original meaning. So it is originally an incantation mark that the building in question z. B. should protect against destruction by the forces of nature.