Beware on the high seas for the
Flying Dutchman, mateys. All right, it’s not actually Davy Jones’s ship, but it
is a rather famous ghost ship with several variation of the legend.
In the Dutch version, Captain van
Straaten vowed to sail around the Cape of Storms, now known as the Cape of Good
Hope during a bad storm. The ship was lost and it is said the ship and its crew
of dead men are condemned to sail the spot forever. Seeing their ship during stormy weather is an
omen for disaster. The Germans say the Captain was named von Falkenberg and the
ship can be seen in the North Seas. In this tale, the Devil visited the ship
often and played dice on deck with the captain for his soul. The captain lost,
of course, and was condemned to sail the seas for eternity. Hmm, now I see where
the movie got the dice game. In the British version, the ship was sailing in
the Cape of Good Hope and a storm arose. The crew begged the captain to turn to
a safe port, but he refused. He challenged God to sink his ship. Instantly an
apparition appeared. The captain told it to leave, but it remained. So, he drew
his pistol and fired on it. The gun exploded in his hand. Then the apparition
cursed him and his crew to sail forever. In another legend, a goddess appeared
on deck and was mistreated. So, she cursed the ship to sail until the end of
days.
In 1923, a ghost ship believed to
be the Flying Dutchman was seen by four sailors at the Cape of Good Hope.
According to the fourth officer, it was seen 15 minutes past midnight, which is
supposed to be the witching hour.
Have you ever seen an apparition?
Perhaps not a ghost ship, but something else?
Do you like stories about angels, demons, and the supernatural? Pick up a copy of "A Prescription for Delirium" available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.
