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Flying Dutchman, the
The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea
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2006
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© The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information)
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Flying Dutchman, the, perhaps the most famous of all legends of the sea. There are several variations of it. The most usual story is that of a Dutch skipper, Captain Vanderdecken, who, on a voyage home from Batavia and faced with a howling gale, swore by
Donner and
Blitzen that he would beat into Table Bay in spite of God's wrath. His ship foundered as he had this oath on his lips, and he was condemned to go on sailing until eternity in his attempt to reach Table Bay. The spectre of his ship is supposed to haunt the waters round the Cape of Good Hope and a strong
superstition among sailors is that anyone who sets eyes upon her will die by
shipwreck. A German legend concerns a Herr von Falkenberg condemned to sail for ever around the North Sea in a ship without
helm or helmsman and playing dice with the devil for his soul. A similar Dutch legend equates the Flying Dutchman with the ghost of the Dutch seaman van Straaten.
The theme of the Flying Dutchman has been used by novelists, poets, and dramatists in
marine literature, among the best known being
Captain Marryat in his book
The Phantom Ship, Scott in his poem ‘Rokeby’, and Wagner in his opera
Der Fliegende Holländer. In the opera the captain, Vanderdecken, is allowed ashore once every seven years to find a woman whose love alone can redeem him.
The origin of the legend is uncertain but it is possibly derived from a Norse saga which tells of the Viking Stöte who, having stolen a ring from the gods, was found later as a skeleton in a robe of fire seated on the mainmast of a black spectral ship.
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Black flies surge in Maine's clean rivers ; Citing environment's gain, state declines to curb the biting bugs
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 6/23/2008; ; 700+ words
; ...Maine - Mainers call the black fly the state bird. Residents...themselves against the flies' annual warm-weather...Clemson University who is a black fly specialist. He recently...you have seen one black fly, you have not seen them...stagnant pools, black flies ...
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 "Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)")
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OH, THOSE PESKY BLACK FLIES.(SPORTS)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 6/19/1994; 700+ words
; ...blood-slurping variation of black flies are pervasive, officials use...population down. The black flies, part of the simuliidae family...how the demise of the black flies would affect the lower links of the food chain. The black fly larvae apply themselves to rocks...
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THE MAINE PROBLEMS ARE THOSE BLACK FLIES
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 5/24/1988; ; 700+ words
; ...t have a story about black flies. Not one. In fact...well stocked with black fly tales that they stop...slow them down. The black fly is around everywhere, any time." Like many fly species, the black fly...an increase in black flies, since they ...
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Flowers, trout and biting things ; Springtime brings out the black flies
Newspaper article from: Concord Monitor; 5/9/2009; ; 700+ words
; ...are fascinated by the minutia of entomology, a black fly is a black fly is a black fly - except that you are more likely to see thousands...fact, for what it's worth: Only female black flies and mosquitoes drink blood. The males are harmless...
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BLACK FLIES READY TO TAKE A BIG BITE OUT OF SUMMER FUN.(MAIN)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 4/22/2001; 700+ words
; ...in the North Elba Black Fly Control office...streams in which black fly eggs and larvae linger...point where black flies begin changing from...landscape with prime black fly breeding habitat...to have a lot of flies early, and then...business. The black ...
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 "Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)")
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BLACK FLIES ARE NASTY THEY'RE MEAN BITERS, THEY GO AFTER KIDS, AND THEY'RE HERE.(FRONT)
Newspaper article from: Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI); 5/24/2008; 700+ words
; ...bigger than a fruit fly that can send blood...sandbox player. Called black flies, the critters normally...very aware of the black flies. She said the bites...is checked for black flies by her mother...the biting black fly, which leaves hard...last week by ...
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AS GOLF SEASON NEARS, CLUBS PLOT AGAINST BLACK FLIES
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 3/2/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...agencies do not deal with black flies. Bidlack will collect black flies at area golf courses...identifies the species of fly, he will locate the...effective way to control black flies. "It has to be...kills certain species of fly that are closely related to mosquitoes ...
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Flying pests, ticks pose greater risk this spring Arizona lab asks for thousands of black flies
Newspaper article from: Bangor Daily News Bangor, ME; 6/9/2005; ; 700+ words
; ...was real, the black fly group recognized...sorting of the black flies. Holly...advocate of black flies, largely because...promotion of black fly jokes produces...many dead black flies they want...one dead black fly weighs, so that...just what ...
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 "Portland Press Herald (Maine)")
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Fewer bugs in your area? Enjoy it while you can ; A lack of black flies and mosquitoes in parts of Maine may be because of an unusual winter.
Newspaper article from: Portland Press Herald (Maine); 7/27/2007; ; 700+ words
; ...while you can ; A lack of black flies and mosquitoes in parts...nuisances are the black fly and the mosquito, which...shirts, such as "Black flies bite!" Like the tourists...there might be fewer black flies and mosquitoes...there seems to be a black fly ...
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 "The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)")
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HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON BEATING BLACK FLIES.(Sports)
Newspaper article from: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY); 5/11/2007; 700+ words
; ...warning: "West Canada Creek - Black flies will eat you alive after...mosquitoes. Right now, the black flies are at the top of their game...this," he said. "The black flies have been out the past couple...alternative, particularly for black flies, has been Skin So Soft, ...
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black-flies
Book article from: A Dictionary of Zoology
black-flies See SIMULIIDAE .
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black fly
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
black fly name for any of the flies of the family Simuliidae. The black fly is about 1/8 in. (3.2 mm) long and has large...large mammals may be bitten to death by swarms of black flies; the black fly problem of some subarctic regions is...
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True Flies
Encyclopedia entry from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
...separately, as in: house fly, horse fly, or black fly. However, when used to refer to non-dipteran insects, the ‘ fly ’ portion of a species...order Lepidoptera). The true flies have a complete metamorphosis, characterized...
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Flies
Encyclopedia entry from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
...act of mimicking the garish black and yellow colors of these insects...predatory and often blood-feeding flies include the much larger and more robust horse flies (Tabanidae) and the highly specialized robber flies (Asilidae) that lie in ambush...passing insect; once the robber fly has ...
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fruit fly
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
fruit fly common name for any of the flies of the families Tephritidae...Drosophilidae. All fruit flies are very small insects...characterized by wide heads, black or steely green or...Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata...the goldenrod gall fly, Eurosta ...
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