The Story of The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman is an old myth about a legendary ghost ship that never made port and was doomed to sail the oceans forever. The tale is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Our project and artwork are based on this myth.
God or the devil
It is the seventeenth century when Willem van der Decken leaves Holland on Easter Sunday on his way to Asia. A blasphemous fact; working on a Christian holiday. That was acting like the devil! Everything had to give way for a quick crossing to Asia. The fastest route to Asia was around the Cape of Good Hope. To the south of Africa, the weather got worse and worse, but Van der Decken insisted: he must and will set sail. He did so in order not to hinder the trade and to pocket the money that could be earned. His crew begs him to lie out in the open for a day, but Van der Decken does not want to hear about it and even throws his helmsman overboard. He spoke the words: “God or the devil, I will sail around that Cape! Even if I have to sail until the last judgment.
A ghost ship was born
These sounds came to the devil’s ears. If this was what Van der Decken wanted, he could get it that way. The devil took over the ship from the sinful captain and made the ship sail around in circles until eternity. The ship became a true ghost ship, able to do things that a normal ship could never do. Like sailing against the wind. The colors of the sails changed to blood red and often the ship was spotted ‘floating’ ‘above’ the waves, where a regular ship makes its passage through the water. The crew members became living dead: the ship was possessed by the devil from that Easter Sunday and was popularly called a ghost ship that was still often seen on the horizon. There are even people from the 1990s (yes, our 1990s) who claim to have seen the ship.
We will be posting regularly on Medium with news, announcements, and behind-the-scenes development. This will help bring transparency and exposure to The Flying Dutchman. So, stay tuned!
