Folklore of the Low Countries
Encyclopedia
Folklore of the Low Countries, often just referred to as Dutch folklore, includes the epic
s, legend
s, fairy tales and oral traditions of the people of the Netherlands, Luxembourg
and Belgium. Traditionally this folklore was written or spoken in Dutch
.
and Germanic mythology
in the naming of days of the week
and landmarks (see for example the 2nd century inscription to goddess Vagdavercustis
), the folk tales of the ancient Dutch people were not written down in the first written literature of the 12th century, and thus lost to us.
One of the older folk tales to be in a song is Heer Halewijn
(also known as Van Here Halewijn and in English The Song of Lord Halewijn), one of the oldest Dutch folk songs to survive, from the 13th century, and is about a prototype of a bluebeard
. This song contains elements mytheme
s of Germanic legend, notably in "a magic song" within a song, that compares to the song of the Scandinavian Nix
(strömkarlen), a male water spirit who played enchanted songs on the violin, luring women and children to drown.
Other folk songs from the Netherlands with various origins include: The Snow-White Bird, Fivelgoer Christmas Carol, O Now this Glorious Eastertide, Who will go with me to Wieringen
, What Time is It and A Peasant would his Neighbor See. Folk songs from Belgium in Dutch include: All in a Stable, Maying Song ("Arise my Love, Shake off this Dream") and In Holland Stands a House.
, elf and kabouter
continued, combining Christian and fairy tale
elements. The mythology of Wodan
on the Wild Hunt
sailing through the sky, is thought to have been one of the tales that changed into tales of Christian Sinterklaas
traveling the sky.
Dutch folk tales from the Middle Ages
are strong on tales about flooded cities and the sea. Legends surround the sunken cities lost to epic floods in the Netherlands
: From Saint Elisabeth's Flood of 1421
, comes the legend of Kinderdijk
that a baby and a cat were found floating in a cradle after the city flooded, the cat keeping the cradle from tipping over. They were the only survivors of the flood. The town of Kinderdijk is named for the place where the cradle came ashore.
The Saeftinghe legend
, says that once glorious city was flooded and ruined by sea waters due to the All Saints' flood, that was flooded in 1584, due to a mermaid
being captured and mistreated, and mentions the bell tower
still rings. This is much like the story The Mermaid of Westenschouwen (Westenschouwen
) which also concerns the mistreated mermaid, followed by a curse and flood. In some flood legends, the church bells or clock bells of sunken cities still can be heard ringing underwater.
Sea folklore includes the legend of Sint Brandaen and later the legend of Lady of Stavoren
about the ruined port city of Stavoren
.
The paintings of Pieter Brueghel the Elder
show many other circulating folk tales, such as the legend of Dulle Griet (Mad Meg)
, 1562.
of the Carolingian
s that usually are about Charlemagne
("Karel" in Dutch). Dutch folklore also concerned the Christian saints and British themes of King Arthur chivalry
and quest
s:
miracles were important genre in the Middle Ages. Original Dutch works of the genre are:
:
Fairy tale notes: The Little Dutch Boy is commonly thought to be a Dutch legend or fairy tale, but is in fact a fictional story inside of a novel, written by an American author, and not known in the Netherlands as traditional folklore. See Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
.
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Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
s, legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, fairy tales and oral traditions of the people of the Netherlands, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
and Belgium. Traditionally this folklore was written or spoken in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
.
Folk songs
The subject matter of the oldest Dutch folk songs (also called ballads, popular songs or romances) is very old and can go back to ancient fairy tales and legends. In fact, apart from ancient tales embedded in the 13th century Dutch folk songs, and some evidence of CelticCeltic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
and Germanic mythology
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
in the naming of days of the week
Week-day names
The names of the days of the week from the Roman period have been both named after the seven planets of classical astronomy and numbered, beginning with Monday. In Slavic languages, a numbering system was adopted, but beginning with Monday. There was an even older tradition of names in Ancient...
and landmarks (see for example the 2nd century inscription to goddess Vagdavercustis
Vagdavercustis
The goddess Vagdavercustis is known from a dedicatory inscription on an altar found at Cologne , Germany. The stone dates from around the 2nd century CE and is now in a museum in Cologne ....
), the folk tales of the ancient Dutch people were not written down in the first written literature of the 12th century, and thus lost to us.
One of the older folk tales to be in a song is Heer Halewijn
Heer Halewijn
Heer Halewijn is a Dutch-Flemish folk tale which survives in folk ballad. Although the first printed version of the song only appears in an anthology published in 1848, the ballad itself dates back to the 13th century and is one of the oldest Dutch folk songs with ancient subject matter to be...
(also known as Van Here Halewijn and in English The Song of Lord Halewijn), one of the oldest Dutch folk songs to survive, from the 13th century, and is about a prototype of a bluebeard
Bluebeard
"Bluebeard" is a French literary folktale written by Charles Perrault and is one of eight tales by the author first published by Barbin in Paris in January 1697 in Histoires ou Contes du temps passé. The tale tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the...
. This song contains elements mytheme
Mytheme
In the study of mythology, a mytheme is the essential kernel of a myth—an irreducible, unchanging element, a minimal unit that is always found shared with other, related mythemes and reassembled in various ways—"bundled" was Claude Lévi-Strauss's image— or linked in more...
s of Germanic legend, notably in "a magic song" within a song, that compares to the song of the Scandinavian Nix
Nix
The Neck/Nixie are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form. The spirit has appeared in the myths and legends of all Germanic peoples in Europe....
(strömkarlen), a male water spirit who played enchanted songs on the violin, luring women and children to drown.
Other folk songs from the Netherlands with various origins include: The Snow-White Bird, Fivelgoer Christmas Carol, O Now this Glorious Eastertide, Who will go with me to Wieringen
Wieringen
Wieringen is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It consists of a former island, also named Wieringen, and there are plans to make Wieringen an island again by widening the Amsteldiepkanaal into a lake called the Wieringerrandmeer.-Population centres :The...
, What Time is It and A Peasant would his Neighbor See. Folk songs from Belgium in Dutch include: All in a Stable, Maying Song ("Arise my Love, Shake off this Dream") and In Holland Stands a House.
In folk tales
Some of the Pre-Christian Dutch mythology took less sacred forms in the Middle Ages folklore and fairy tales, for example tales of the witte wievenWitte Wieven
In Dutch mythology and legends, the Witte Wieven are spirits of "wise women" . The mythology dates back at least to the pre-Christian era and was known in the present-day regions of the Netherlands and Belgium and parts of France...
, elf and kabouter
Kabouter
Kabouter is the Dutch/Afrikaans word for gnome or leprechaun. In folklore, the Dutch Kabouters are akin to the Irish Leprechaun, Scandinavian Tomte, the English Hob or Brownie and the German Klabauter or kobold. The term kabouter was also adopted by a 1970s hippie movement in Amsterdam that sprang...
continued, combining Christian and fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
elements. The mythology of Wodan
Woden
Woden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
on the Wild Hunt
Wild Hunt
The Wild Hunt is an ancient folk myth prevalent across Northern, Western and Central Europe. The fundamental premise in all instances is the same: a phantasmal, spectral group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, horses, hounds, etc., in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground,...
sailing through the sky, is thought to have been one of the tales that changed into tales of Christian Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure still celebrated today in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as French Flanders and Artois...
traveling the sky.
Dutch folk tales from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
are strong on tales about flooded cities and the sea. Legends surround the sunken cities lost to epic floods in the Netherlands
Floods in the Netherlands
This is a chronological list of floods that have occurred in the Netherlands, until 1500 most parts of the Netherlands were in Frisia.*838 December 26: A large part of the northwest of the Netherlands was flooded by a storm. Lack of good dikes was an important cause of this flood disaster...
: From Saint Elisabeth's Flood of 1421
St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)
The St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was a flooding of an area in what is now the Netherlands. It takes its name from the feast day of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary which was formerly November 19....
, comes the legend of Kinderdijk
Kinderdijk
Kinderdijk is a village in the Netherlands, belonging to the municipality of Nieuw-Lekkerland, in the province South Holland, about 15 km east of Rotterdam. Kinderdijk is situated in a polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built...
that a baby and a cat were found floating in a cradle after the city flooded, the cat keeping the cradle from tipping over. They were the only survivors of the flood. The town of Kinderdijk is named for the place where the cradle came ashore.
The Saeftinghe legend
Saeftinghe legend
The Saeftinghe Legend is an Old Dutch folk tale that explains the sunken city of Saeftinghe in eastern Zeeuws-Vlaanderen near Nieuw-Namen, The Netherlands, that existed until it was entirely flooded by sea waters in 1584. The legends says the city grew to be the most prosperous city on the fertile...
, says that once glorious city was flooded and ruined by sea waters due to the All Saints' flood, that was flooded in 1584, due to a mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
being captured and mistreated, and mentions the bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
still rings. This is much like the story The Mermaid of Westenschouwen (Westenschouwen
Westenschouwen
Westenschouwen is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 21 km north of Middelburg.Westenschouwen was a separate municipality until 1816, when it was merged with Burgh....
) which also concerns the mistreated mermaid, followed by a curse and flood. In some flood legends, the church bells or clock bells of sunken cities still can be heard ringing underwater.
Sea folklore includes the legend of Sint Brandaen and later the legend of Lady of Stavoren
Lady of Stavoren
The Lady of Stavoren is a folk tale from the Netherlands which originated in the 16th century.The tale has inspired songs, plays, operas and films...
about the ruined port city of Stavoren
Stavoren
Stavoren is a small town on the coast of the IJsselmeer, about 5 km south of Hindeloopen. It lies within the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. Stavoren was granted city rights in 1118, making it the oldest city in Friesland...
.
Pieter Brueghel the Elder
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a Flemish renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and peasant scenes . He is sometimes referred to as the "Peasant Bruegel" to distinguish him from other members of the Brueghel dynasty, but he is also the one generally meant when the context does...
show many other circulating folk tales, such as the legend of Dulle Griet (Mad Meg)
Dull Gret
Dull Gret, also known as Mad Meg, is the anglicized version of Dulle Griet, a figure of Flemish folklore who is the subject of a 1562 painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. The painting depicts a peasant woman, Mad Meg, who leads an army of women to pillage Hell...
, 1562.
In first literature
The first written folklore of the Low Countries is not specifically derivative of French folklore. In this class are the romances of epic poetryEpic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
of the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
s that usually are about Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
("Karel" in Dutch). Dutch folklore also concerned the Christian saints and British themes of King Arthur chivalry
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
and quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
s:
Epic poetry
- Karel ende Elegast (Dutch for Charlemagne and Elegast, or more simply Charles and Elegast) is an original Dutch poem that some scholars think was written end of the 12th century, otherwise in the 13th century. It is a Frankish romance of CharlemagneCharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
("Karel") as an exemplary Christian kingMythological kingA mythological king is an archetype in mythology. A king is considered a "mythological king" if he is included and described in the culture's mythology. Unlike a fictional king, aspects of their lives may have been real and legendary, or that the culture believed to be real...
and his friend ElegastElegastElegast is the hero and noble robber in the poem Karel ende Elegast, a Medieval Dutch epic poem that has been translated into English as Charlemagne and Elbegast. In the poem, he possibly represents the King of the Elves. He appears as a knight on a black horse, an outcast vassal of Charlemagne...
, whose name means "elf spirit" or "elf guest." Elegast has supernatural powers such as ability to talk to animals and may be an ElfElfAn elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
. He lives in the forest as a thief. The two go out on an adventure and uncover and do away with Eggeric, as a traitor to Charlemagne.
- De Reis van Sint Brandaen (Dutch for The Voyage of Saint Brandan) is a sort of a ChristianizedChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
OdysseyOdysseyThe Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
, written in the 12th century that describes the legend of Sint BrandaenBrendanSaint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert called "the Navigator", "the Voyager", or "the Bold" is one of the early Irish monastic saints. He is chiefly renowned for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed," also called St. Brendan's Island. The Voyage of St...
, a monk from Galway, and his voyage around the world for nine years. Scholars believe the Dutch legend derived from a now lost middle High German text combined with Celtic elements from Ireland and combines Christian and fairy tale elements. The journey was begun as a punishment by an angel. The angel saw Brandaen did not believe the truth of a book on the miracles of creation and saw Brandaen throw it into the fire. The angel tells him that truth has been destroyed. On his journeys Brandaen encounters the wonders and horrors of the world, people in distant lands with swine heads, dog legs and wolf teeth carrying bows and arrows, and an enormous fish that encircles the ship by holding its tail in its mouth. The English poem Life of Saint Brandan is an English derivative.
Tales of saints & miracles
Biographies of Christian saints and stories of ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
miracles were important genre in the Middle Ages. Original Dutch works of the genre are:
- Het Leven van Sint Servaes (Dutch for The Life of Saint ServatiusSaint ServatiusSaint Servatius was bishop of Tongeren—Roman Atuatuca Tungrorum the capital of the Tungri—one of the earliest dioceses in the Low Countries. Later in his life he fled to Maastricht, Roman Mosae Trajectum, where he became the first bishop of this city...
), was a poem written circa 1160-1170 by Hendrik van Veldeke, a Limbourg nobleman, is notably the first literature on record written in Dutch. This is an adaptation of the Latin, Vita et Miracula.
- Seven Manieren van Minnen (Dutch for Seven Ways of Love), by Beatrijs van NazarethBeatrice of NazarethBlessed Beatrice of Nazareth or in Dutch Beatrijs van Nazareth was a Flemish Cistercian nun. She was the very first prose writer using the Dutch language, a mystic, and the author of the notable Dutch prose dissertation known as the Seven Ways of Holy Love...
, nun, of the 13th century. This describes seven stages of love purification and transformation in Christian mysticism.
- BeatrijsBeatrijsBeatrijs , was a poem written in last quarter of 14th century , possibly by Diederic van Assenede, and is an original Dutch poem about the legend of a nun who deserted her convent for the love of a man, who lives with him for seven years and has two children...
(Dutch for Beatrice), written in last quarter of 13th century, possibly by Diederik van Assenede, is an original poem about the existing folklore of a nun who deserts her convent for the love of a man, and lives with him for seven years and has two children. When he deserts her, she becomes a prostitute to support her children. Then she learns that Mary (mother of Jesus)Mary (mother of Jesus)Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
has been acting in her role at the convent and she can return without anyone knowing of her absence. This legend is the Dutch adaptation of the Latin, Dialogus Miraculorum of 1223 and Libri Octo Miraculorum of 1237.
Arthurian romance
- WaleweinGawainGawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
is a notably original poem written in Dutch by two authors Penninc and Vostaert and is a story of Walewein (Dutch for "Gawain"), one of King Arthur's knights on a series of quests to find a magical chessboard for King ArthurKing ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. - Lancelot is a translation from British Arthurian romance.
- Perceval is a translation from British Arthurian romance.
- Graal queeste (Dutch for Quest of the Grail) is a translation from British Arthurian romance.
- Arthurs Dood (Dutch for Arthur's Death) is a translation from British Arthurian romance.
Animal fables & mock epics
- Van den Vos ReinaerdeReynardReynard is the subject of a literary cycle of allegorical French, Dutch, English, and German fables largely concerned with Reynard, an anthropomorphic red fox and trickster figure.-Etymology of the name:Theories about the origin of the name Reynard are:...
(Dutch for About Reynard the Fox) is the Dutch version of the story of the ReynardReynardReynard is the subject of a literary cycle of allegorical French, Dutch, English, and German fables largely concerned with Reynard, an anthropomorphic red fox and trickster figure.-Etymology of the name:Theories about the origin of the name Reynard are:...
the fox by WillemWillemWillem is a Dutch given name. The name is Germanic, and can be seen as the Dutch equivalent of the name William in English, Guillaume in French, and Wilhelm in German...
before 1200, that derives and expands from the French poem Roman de Renart. However, the first fragments of the tale were found written in Belgium. It is an anthropomorphic fableFableA fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
of a fox, trickster. The Dutch version is considered a masterpiece, it regards the animals' attempts to bring Renard to King Nobel's court, Reynard the fox outwits everyone in avoiding being hung on the gallows. The animals in the Dutch version include:- Reinaerde or Reynaerde or Reynaert the fox
- Bruun the Bear
- Tybeert the Cat
- Grimbeert the badger
Grimm's Fairy Tales 19th century
The following tales collected by the Grimm brothers :- Karl Katz - similar folktale retold by Washington Irving as the story of Rip Van WinkleRip Van Winkle"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving published in 1819, as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. Written while Irving was living in Birmingham, England, it was part of a collection entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon...
.
Lang Fairy Books 1890
- The Nettle SpinnerThe Nettle SpinnerThe Nettle Spinner is a Flemish and French fairy tale collected by Charles Deulin. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
(DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
) - published by Andrew Lange in The Red Fairy Book (1890).
Griffis Collection of 1918
The following fairy tales retold in English in 1918 were based on Dutch legends and collected in the book, Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks, 1918, compiled by William Elliot GriffisWilliam Elliot Griffis
William Elliot Griffis was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer, and prolific author....
:
- The Entangled Mermaid
- The Boy Who Wanted More Cheese
- The Princess with Twenty Petticoats
- The Cat and the Cradle - This is a version of KinderdijkKinderdijkKinderdijk is a village in the Netherlands, belonging to the municipality of Nieuw-Lekkerland, in the province South Holland, about 15 km east of Rotterdam. Kinderdijk is situated in a polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built...
- Prince Spin Head and Miss Snow White
- The Boar with Golden Bristles
- The Ice King and His Wonderful Grandchild
- The Elves and Their Antics
- The Kabouters and the Bells
- The Woman with Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Children
- The Oni on His Travels
- The Legend of the Wooden Shoe
- The Curly-Tailed Lion
- Brabo and the Giant
- The Farm that Ran Away and Came Back
- Santa Klaas and Black Pete
- The Goblins Turned to Stone
- The Mouldy Penny
- The Golden Helmet
- When Wheat Worked Woe - This is a version of Lady of StavorenLady of StavorenThe Lady of Stavoren is a folk tale from the Netherlands which originated in the 16th century.The tale has inspired songs, plays, operas and films...
, or The Most Precious Thing in the World - Why the Stork Loves Holland
Fairy tale notes: The Little Dutch Boy is commonly thought to be a Dutch legend or fairy tale, but is in fact a fictional story inside of a novel, written by an American author, and not known in the Netherlands as traditional folklore. See Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates
Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates is a novel by American author Mary Mapes Dodge, first published in 1865...
.
Legendary people
- Arumer Zwarte HoopArumer Zwarte HoopThe Arumer Zwarte Hoop was an army of peasant rebels in Friesland fighting the Dutch authorities from 1515 to 1523....
(The Arumer Black Gang), a select group of highly specialized and legendary warriors, led by Grutte Pier - BeatrijsBeatrijsBeatrijs , was a poem written in last quarter of 14th century , possibly by Diederic van Assenede, and is an original Dutch poem about the legend of a nun who deserted her convent for the love of a man, who lives with him for seven years and has two children...
- an errant nun alleged to be saved by Mary (mother of Jesus). See tales of saints & miracles. - BrandaenBrendanSaint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert called "the Navigator", "the Voyager", or "the Bold" is one of the early Irish monastic saints. He is chiefly renowned for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed," also called St. Brendan's Island. The Voyage of St...
- a monk from Galway who takes a vogage around the world for 9 years (epic poetry). - Dulle Griet (Mad Meg)Dull GretDull Gret, also known as Mad Meg, is the anglicized version of Dulle Griet, a figure of Flemish folklore who is the subject of a 1562 painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. The painting depicts a peasant woman, Mad Meg, who leads an army of women to pillage Hell...
- the legendary mad woman - Duchess Marie of Brabant, Genevieve of BrabantGenevieve of BrabantGenevieve of Brabant is a heroine of medieval legend.-Legend:Her story is a typical example of the widespread tale of the chaste wife falsely accused and repudiated, generally on the word of a rejected suitor. Genovefa of Brabant was said to be the wife of the palatine Siegfried of Treves, and was...
- Finn (Frisian)Finn (Frisian)Finn, son of Folcwald, was a legendary Frisian lord. He is mentioned in Widsith, in Beowulf, and in the Finnsburg Fragment. There is also a Finn mentioned in Historia Brittonum....
- Frisian lord, son of FolcwaldFolcwaldFolcwald is the father of Finn, a legendary Frisian king. He is mentioned in Widsith and in Beowulf; a passage from Beowulf as translated by Seamus Heaney reads:... - Flying Dutchman - A pirate and his ghost ship that can never go home, but is doomed to sail "the seven seas" forever. Note this legend originated in England theater. According to some sources, the 17th century Dutch captain Bernard FokkeBernard FokkeBernard or Barend Fokke, sometimes known as Barend Fockesz, was a 17th-century Frisian-born captain for the Dutch East India Company. He was renowned for the uncanny speed of his trips from Holland to Java...
is the model for the captain. - Jan van Hunks - Alleged Dutch pirate whose soul was taken by the devil after beating the devil at pipe-smoking contest on Table MountainTable MountainTable Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...
, and Devil's Peak (Cape Town)Devil's Peak (Cape Town)Devil's Peak is part of the mountainous backdrop to Cape Town. When looking at Table Mountain from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or when looking at the standard picture postcard view of the mountain, the skyline is from left to right: the spire of Devil's Peak, the flat mesa of Table Mountain,...
, South Africa. Whenever the a cloud appears of Table Maintain it is said that van Hunks and the devil are at it again. - Ing (Ingwaz, YngviYngviYngvi, Yngvin, Ingwine, Inguin are names that relate to an older theonym Ing and which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr ....
) - founder of the IngaevonesIngaevonesThe Ingaevones or, as Pliny has it, apparently more accurately, Ingvaeones , as described in Tacitus's Germania, written c. 98 AD, were a West Germanic cultural group living along the North Sea coast in the areas of Jutland, Holstein, Frisia and the Danish islands, where they had by the 1st...
, son of MannusMannusMannus is a Germanic mythological figure attested by the 1st century AD Roman historian Tacitus in his work Germania. According to Tacitus, Mannus is the son of Tuisto and the progenitor of the three Germanic tribes Ingaevones, Herminones and Istvaeones.-Tacitus' account:Tacitus explicitly... - Istaev, founder of the IstvaeonesIstvaeonesThe Istvaeones, also called Istaevones, Istriaones, Istriones, Sthraones, Thracones, Rhine Germans and Weser-Rhine Germans , were a West Germanic cultural group or proto-tribe...
, son of MannusMannusMannus is a Germanic mythological figure attested by the 1st century AD Roman historian Tacitus in his work Germania. According to Tacitus, Mannus is the son of Tuisto and the progenitor of the three Germanic tribes Ingaevones, Herminones and Istvaeones.-Tacitus' account:Tacitus explicitly... - Kobus van der SchlossenKobus van der SchlossenKobus van der Schlossen was a late-seventeenth century Dutch thief who features prominently in folktales from the North Brabant region. After serving as a soldier in the many wars which left the Netherlands in turmoil, he joined a gang of ex-soldiers called 'de zwartmakers'. Eventually he was...
, a Robin Hood-like character - Little Dutch Boy - or Hans Brinker or the Silver SkatesHans Brinker or the Silver SkatesHans Brinker, or The Silver Skates is a novel by American author Mary Mapes Dodge, first published in 1865...
or Edward Patson, who plugs a hole in a dam with his finger. This is from American fiction, but has roots in Dutch flood legends. - Little Father Bidou
- Lady of StavorenLady of StavorenThe Lady of Stavoren is a folk tale from the Netherlands which originated in the 16th century.The tale has inspired songs, plays, operas and films...
- a proud woman, sea legends - Dorus RijkersDorus RijkersTheodorus "Dorus" Rijkers was a famous Dutch lifeboat captain and folk hero, most famous for his sea rescues of 487 shipwrecked victims over a total of 38 rescue operations, and at least 25 before joining the lifeboat-service....
, the legendary sailorman, lifeboat-captain and savior of over 500 people from drowning at sea - LohengrinLohengrinLohengrin is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival , he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, is a version of the Knight of the...
- the son of ParzivalParzivalParzival is a major medieval German romance by the poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, in the Middle High German language. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, is itself largely based on Chrétien de Troyes’s Perceval, the Story of the Grail and mainly centers on the Arthurian...
(Percival), in Arthurian legend. - Liudger - a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons
- MannusMannusMannus is a Germanic mythological figure attested by the 1st century AD Roman historian Tacitus in his work Germania. According to Tacitus, Mannus is the son of Tuisto and the progenitor of the three Germanic tribes Ingaevones, Herminones and Istvaeones.-Tacitus' account:Tacitus explicitly...
- ancestor of a number of Germanic tribes, son of Tuisto - Saint Martin of ToursMartin of ToursMartin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
- Pier Gerlofs DoniaPier Gerlofs DoniaPier Gerlofs Donia was a Frisian warrior, pirate, and rebel. He is best known by his West Frisian nickname "Grutte Pier" , or by the Dutch translations "Grote Pier" and "Lange Pier", or, in Latin, "Pierius Magnus", which referred to his legendary size and strength. His life is mostly shrouded in...
"Grutte Pier"- a Frisian pirate and freedom fighter (known for wielding a 2.15 meter sword, and able to behead several enemies at the same time), who was around 7.5 feet in tall. - Saint RadboudSaint RadboudSaint Radbod was bishop of Utrecht from 900 to 917.He was a descendant of the last King of the Frisians. He spent his youth with his uncle Gunther, Archbishop of Cologne. After that, he served at the court of Charles the Bald.When he was appointed as bishop of Utrecht in 900, the city was in...
- bishop of Utrecht from 900 to 917, grandson of the last King of the Frisians. - SinterklaasSinterklaasSinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure still celebrated today in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as French Flanders and Artois...
(Dutch for St. Nicholas) - Tuisto (Tuisco) - the mythical ancestor of all Germanic tribes.
- Thyl UylenspiegelThe Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme GoedzakThe Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak is a 1867 novel by Charles De Coster. Based on the 14th century Low German figure Till Eulenspiegel, Coster's novel recounts the allegorical adventures as those of a Flemish prankster Thyl Ulenspiegel during the Reformation wars in the...
- Zwarte PietZwarte PietIn the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Belgium, Zwarte Piet is a companion of Saint Nicholas whose yearly feast in the Netherlands is usually celebrated on the evening of 5 December In the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Belgium, Zwarte Piet (meaning Black Pete) is a...
(Dutch for Black PeteBlack PetePete, also called Peg-Leg Pete, and Black Pete among other names, is a cartoon character created in 1925 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. He is a licensed character of The Walt Disney Company and often appears as a villain in Mickey Mouse universe stories...
) - the assistant to Sinterklaas. - WaleweinGawainGawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
(Dutch for "Gawain") - a knight in Arthurian legend.
Legendary creatures
- AntigonusDruon AntigoonDruon Antigoon was a mythical giant who lived in Antwerp.Guarding a bridge on the river Scheldt, he exacted a toll from those crossing the river. For those who refused, he severed one of their hands and threw it into the river...
- a giant from Brabo and the Giant - ElegastElegastElegast is the hero and noble robber in the poem Karel ende Elegast, a Medieval Dutch epic poem that has been translated into English as Charlemagne and Elbegast. In the poem, he possibly represents the King of the Elves. He appears as a knight on a black horse, an outcast vassal of Charlemagne...
(Dutch for "King of the Elves.") - See poem Karel ende Elegast. Elegast can put people to sleep magically, opens locks without keys, and has a magic herb that when he puts in his mouth allows him to talk to animals. - BoemanBogeymanA bogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour...
- the bogeymanBogeymanA bogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour...
of the Netherlands - Dwarfs - a short, stocky humanoid creature
- GnomeGnomeA gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
s - dwarf-like beings who instruct the kabouters in smithing and construction. They design the first carillonCarillonA carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
s (groups of bells) of the Netherlands - from The Kabouters and the Bells - GoblinGoblinA goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
s - or sooty elves, have both dwarf and goblin traits, from The Goblins Turned to Stone, - KabouterKabouterKabouter is the Dutch/Afrikaans word for gnome or leprechaun. In folklore, the Dutch Kabouters are akin to the Irish Leprechaun, Scandinavian Tomte, the English Hob or Brownie and the German Klabauter or kobold. The term kabouter was also adopted by a 1970s hippie movement in Amsterdam that sprang...
- (Dutch for gnomeGnomeA gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
) short, strong workers. They build the first carillonCarillonA carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
s (groups of bells) of the Netherlands - from The Kabouters and the Bells - Klaas VaakSandmanThe Sandman is a figure in folklore who brings good sleep and dreams.Sandman may also refer to:-People:*Mark Sandman, singer and co-founder of the band Morphine*Charles W...
(Dutch version of the "SandmanSandman (folklore)The Sandman is a mythical character in Western folklore who brings good dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto the eyes of children while they sleep at night.-Representation in traditional folklore:...
") - The MarkThe MarkThe Mark is a 1961 film which tells the story of a convicted child molester, now out of prison, who is suspected in the molestation and beating of another child. It stars Maria Schell, Stuart Whitman, Rod Steiger and Brenda De Banzie....
- a night demon of Walloon areas of Belgium and Flander's borders. - MaraMara (folklore)A mare or nightmare is a spirit or goblin in Germanic folklore which rides on people's chests while they sleep, bringing on bad dreams . The mare is attested as early as in the Norse Ynglinga saga from the 13th century, but the belief itself is likely to be considerably older...
- from Scandinavian countries, a malignant female wraith who causes nightmares. - Moss MaidensMoss peopleThe moss people or moss-folk , also referred to as the wood people or wood-folk or forest-folk , are a class of fairy-folk, variously compared to dwarves, elves, or spirits, described in the folklore of Germany as having an intimate connection to trees and the forest...
- who can make leaves look like anything, from The Elves and Their Antics - NightmareNightmareA nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
s - female horses who sit on people's bellies at night after they've eaten toasted cheese. They are female goblins in their true form. - from The Goblins Turned to Stone - PukPuck (mythology)In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. Puck is also a generalised personification of land spirits. In more recent times, the figure of Robin Goodfellow is identified as a puck.-Etymology:...
(Dutch for puckPuck (mythology)In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. Puck is also a generalised personification of land spirits. In more recent times, the figure of Robin Goodfellow is identified as a puck.-Etymology:...
) - Staalkaar, or Stall Elves who live in animal stalls
- Styf - an elf who invents starch, from The Elves and Their Antics
- White elves - from The Elves and Their Antics
- Witte WievenWitte WievenIn Dutch mythology and legends, the Witte Wieven are spirits of "wise women" . The mythology dates back at least to the pre-Christian era and was known in the present-day regions of the Netherlands and Belgium and parts of France...
(In a Dutch dialect it means "white women") - similar to völvaVölvaA vǫlva or völva is a shamanic seeress in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology....
, herbalists and wise women.
Mythological deities
From ancient regional mythology, names of ancient gods and goddesses in this region come from Roman, Celtic and Germanic origins.Legendary places
- CockaigneCockaigneCockaigne or Cockayne is a medieval mythical land of plenty, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist...
(also called Luilekkerland) - Dutch for "lazy luscious land", a "land of plenty". - Saeftinghe legendSaeftinghe legendThe Saeftinghe Legend is an Old Dutch folk tale that explains the sunken city of Saeftinghe in eastern Zeeuws-Vlaanderen near Nieuw-Namen, The Netherlands, that existed until it was entirely flooded by sea waters in 1584. The legends says the city grew to be the most prosperous city on the fertile...
- The legend of St Gotthard Pass is a Devil's BridgeDevil's BridgeDevil’s Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement...
folktale.
Other folklore
- Baker's Dozen
- Doed-koecksDead-cakesDead-cake is a type of food that is traditionally eaten at a deceased persons' wake. It is closely related to the folklore of funeral customs.- Dead-Cakes in Culture :the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica states:...
(Dutch for dead-cakes) - a food closely related to the folklore of funeral customs. - Oliebollen (Dutch doughnut) - A Yule food related to the folklore of Berchta
- Public holidays in the NetherlandsPublic holidays in the NetherlandsThe Netherlands has 13 main holidays. The Holidays in the Netherlands are:Even though Good Friday is a National Holiday, it is not a mandatory day off for commercial companies. However, most governmental organizations, banks, and insurers honor this day with a day off work...
- WellerismWellerismWellerisms, named after Sam Weller in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers, make fun of established clichés and proverbs by showing that they are wrong in certain situations, often when taken literally. In this sense, wellerisms that include proverbs are a type of anti-proverb...
Sources
- Encyclopedia Mythica.
- Griffis, William Elliot. Dutch Fairy Tales For Young Folks. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1918. (English). Available online by SurLaLane Fairy Tales. File retrieved 1-17-2007.
- Karpeles, Maud, editor. Folk Songs of Europe. New York: Oak Publications, 1964.
- Meder, Theo. Dutch folk narrative. Meertens Instituut, Amsterdam. File retrieved 3-11-2007.
- Meijer, Reinder. Literature of the Low Countries: A Short History of Dutch Literature in the Netherlands and Belgium. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1971.