The Flying Dutchman (Art by Tithi Luadthong)
| “ | Legend tells that the Flying Dutchman is allowed to land once every seven years to look for the woman who can redeem him. He's doomed to wander the sea until judgment day, unless he can find a woman who loves him; loves him enough to die for him. | „ |
| ~ Legend of the Flying Dutchan |
The Flying Dutchman, or the De Vliegende Hollander, is an infamous ghost-ship from 17th-century sailor-folklore, that is doomed to sail the sea forever. The origin of the ship is shrouded in mystery, but some connect it to the marine-gods of Classical mythology, like Calypso and Neptune.
Overview[]
The Flying Dutchman, according to folklore, is a ghost ship that can never go home, and is doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The Flying Dutchman is usually spotted from afar, sometimes seen to be glowing with ghostly light. The ship is considered a terrible omen if seen at sea, signaling some upcoming doom for other ships and sailors unlucky enough to see the vision.
Depending on the story, the ship was captained by a Dutchman named Hendrick Van der Decken or perhaps Captain Falkenberg, who may have been trying to sail through the North Sea or around the Cape of Good Hope. Hendrick Van der Decken is described as gambling his life and his soul, for a good trip but is then condemned to sail that course for the rest of time. On the other hand, Captain Falkenberg played dice for his soul with the devil, some stories state. No matter which version of the story is told, the devil or some other horror is involved, as are the deaths of everyone on board and the ship’s perpetual trip through the ocean waters.
Explanation[]
One of the possible explanations of the origin of the Flying Dutchman legend is a Fata Morgana mirage seen at sea. A Fata Morgana superior mirage of a ship can take many different forms. Even when the boat in the mirage does not seem to be suspended in the air, it still looks ghostly, and unusual, and what is even more important, it is ever-changing in its appearance. Sometimes a Fata Morgana causes a ship to appear to float inside the waves, at other times an inverted ship appears to sail above its real companion.
In fact, with a Fata Morgana it can be hard to say which individual segment of the mirage is real and which is not real: when a real ship is out of sight because it is below the horizon line, a Fata Morgana can cause the image of it to be elevated, and then everything which is seen by the observer is a mirage. On the other hand, if the real ship is still above the horizon, the image of it can be duplicated many times and elaborately distorted by a Fata Morgana.