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The Flying Dutchman, Albert Pinkham Ryder, 1887
Tales of the Sea Day
Jun 10
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.
Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,
Such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors,
And the answer from the shore!"
~ The Secret of the Sea, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
Ahoy there, dancers! Of all the beautiful and mysterious phenomena seen along the sea's horizon or the from depths of the deep ocean, one of the strangest is the surface weather mirage called Fata Morgana, named for the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay but noted since ancient times. These unusual distorted images, characterized by multiple and rapidly changing images with vertical and horizontal features that suggest architectural structures, were often seen in the Strait of Messina, and originally thought to be fairy castles in the air or false land created by witchcraft to lure sailors to their deaths. A Fata Morgana may be seen on land or at sea, in polar regions, or even in deserts, and may involve almost any kind of distant object, including boats, islands, and the coastline. Fata Morgana is one explanation for appearances of the legendary Flying Dutchman, which according to folklore, is a ghost ship that can never go home, doomed to sail the oceans forever. This namesake strathspey starts with a tourbillon-like variant called the "Turbolink" and continues with swirls and twirls and unlike the Dutchman, finally comes to rest after smooth sailing for 32 bars! 👻 🌊 ⛴️
The Flying Dutchman
According to the tale, this ghost ship, with its spectral crew, is doomed to sail the seas for eternity, never able to make port. Sightings of the phantom vessel, often reported shrouded in an eerie, glowing mist, are said to foretell disaster or imminent doom. The legend's origins can be traced back to the 17th century, with various accounts attributing the ship's fate to a cursed captain who, in his hubris, defied a violent storm by swearing to sail around the Cape of Good Hope even if it took him until Judgment Day. As such, The Flying Dutchman has captured the imaginations of sailors and storytellers alike, becoming a potent symbol of eternal struggle and the consequences of defying the natural order.
Sightings of The Flying Dutchman have been reported for centuries, often by sailors who claim to have seen the ghostly ship appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye, usually under stormy conditions. One of the most famous accounts comes from Prince George of Wales, the future King George V, who, while serving in the Royal Navy in 1881, reported seeing the eerie vessel off the coast of Australia. The ship, described as glowing with an unearthly light, vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. These sightings have fueled speculation about the real origins of the legend. Some historians suggest that the tale might have begun as a sailor's superstition, rooted in the treacherous waters and unpredictable weather around the Cape of Good Hope. Others believe it could be based on real-life accounts of ships that disappeared in storms, only to be spotted later, derelict and abandoned. The phenomenon of "ghost ships" could also be attributed to optical illusions like Fata Morgana, a type of mirage that can make distant objects appear closer and distorted, adding a supernatural element to the maritime lore.
For more mysterious ghost ships of legend and lore, click the painting below of The Flying Dutchman, by Howard Pyle.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
