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Flying Dutchman, the
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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"Flying Dutchman, the." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Flying Dutchman, the." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-FlyingDutchmanthe.html "Flying Dutchman, the." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-FlyingDutchmanthe.html |
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Flying Dutchman
Flying DutchmanThe Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship in several maritime legends, was a sign of bad luck, particularly for sailors. In most versions, the ship appeared off the Cape of Good Hope, the southern tip of Africa. The legend was inspired by the story of a Dutch sea captain named Vanderdecken who boasted that he could complete the journey around the cape during a fierce storm. He swore that he would do so or keep trying forever. As punishment for his rashness, he was condemned to sail around the cape until the end of time. A similar version of the legend involves another captain who was forced to sail across the ocean forever because he had sold his soul to the devil. In 1843 the composer Richard Wagner wrote art opera based on the tale of the Flying Dutchman, which spread the story's popularity. |
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"Flying Dutchman." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Flying Dutchman." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900196.html "Flying Dutchman." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900196.html |
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Flying Dutchman, The
Flying Dutchman, The ( Wagner). See Fliegende Holländer, Der.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "Flying Dutchman, The." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "Flying Dutchman, The." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-FlyingDutchmanThe.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "Flying Dutchman, The." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-FlyingDutchmanThe.html |
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