The Myth of the

The flying dutchman has long been a symbol in popular In 1881, almost 40 years after the premiere of Wagner’s culture, most recently appearing in the children’s television opera, King George V of England, aboard the Royal Navy show SpongeBob SquarePants and Disney’s feature , Bacchante, claimed that his crew saw the ship before filmPirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, but one member suffered a terrible accident: many are not sure where the legend came from. While Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman premiered in 1843 and At 4 a.m. the Flying Dutchman crossed our bows. A the book that inspired the opera, Memoiren von Herr strange red light as of a phantom ship all aglow, in von Schnabelewopski (The Memoirs of Mister von the midst of which light the masts, spars, and sails Schnabelewopski) by Heinrich Heine was published in of a 200 yards distant stood out in strong relief 1833, the myth of the flying dutchman actually originated as she came up on the port bow… Thirteen persons much earlier, in 1641. altogether saw her... At 10.45 a.m. the ordinary seaman who had this morning reported the Flying The legend emerged when a Dutch ship sank off the Dutchman fell from the foretopmast crosstrees on to coast of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Captain the topgallant forecastle and was smashed to atoms. Hendrik van der Decken and his crew were said to be sailing home to Holland from a trip to Eastern Asia when While Wagner’s Flying Dutchman is doomed to sail until he they encountered bad weather. Some accounts claim can find his true love, the cursed ship of the legend has no that the ship came across violent winds and others say a hope of being released from its fate, making it a story that turbulent storm, but all sources agree that Captain van der has transcended several centuries. So, if you’re ever sailing Decken was a tough and stubborn man who would not turn the seas in the middle of a storm, you may want to look out his ship around. for the ship… or maybe not, since you never know what may happen! Having difficulty maintaining control of his ship, the Captain cursed the weather. As the situation worsened and crew members were injured, the Captain vowed to continue. He proclaimed, “May I be eternally damned if I [make it through FACT OR FICTION: the storm], though I should beat about here till the Day of A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION? Judgement,” dooming himself to sail his ship until the end It’s now suspected that sightings of the of time. Flying Dutchman were actually examples of an atmospheric phenomenon known Sailors reported seeing the ship in the 18th and 19th as fata morgana, a type of mirage that centuries during stormy weather. Some say if one results from specific temperature encounters the ship, he or she is doomed to a horrible fate conditions, and can make it appear that but there have been reports from those who have seen it , islands, or other invisible objects and survived. below the horizon line are floating above it. You can see a video of the phenomenon by clicking here.

Canadian Opera Company ~ Education and Outreach ~ The Flying Dutchman Study Guide 2009/2010 ~ coc.ca ~ 416-306-2392