Who doesn't know the famous "Flying Dutchman"? Probably, everyone at least once in their life heard about this legendary ship, plowing the expanses of the seas and oceans and terrifying the ships passing by. The history of this ship dates back to the 16th century. It was at that time that the famous legend of the ghost ship was born. There are many versions of this story, and we will give here two of the most popular versions of the origin of this myth.
According to the first of them, the ship of the same name actually existed. It was a fast merchant ship captained by a drunkard, atheist and blasphemer named Van der Straaten. The Flying Dutchman was famous for its speed, and one day the arrogant captain promised (not least because of the influence of alcohol) that he could round the Cape of Good Hope, even if for this he had to navigate the ship until the very end of the world. After these words allthe crew was punished by the devil himself, and to this day the terrible ghost of the ship floats on the sea surface, haunting the sailors and passengers of many ships.
The second version is no less exciting. According to this legend, the Flying Dutchman was struck by an epidemic, and not a single port agreed to let it in, fearing the spread of the disease. After several failures, the ship disappeared. Since then, restless, not finding a place for himself, he walks the ocean waters and takes revenge on people.
It is worth noting that these stories have the right to life, because the "Flying Dutchman", the legend of which has been alive for many centuries, according to people, really appeared in front of many ships. What is it - falsification or mass hysteria? Or perhaps a misunderstanding? One way or another, many sailors, being superstitious, really believe in the legend about this ship. According to maritime beliefs, any ship on the way of which the Flying Dutchman meets is doomed to crash, and all its crew members and passengers will surely lose their minds. In addition to the ghosts already described, sailors and residents of some coastal settlements have met ships more than once - empty, without a single soul, without a hint of the remains of the crew. Was there a real "Dutchman" among these ships? Or are they all victims of a ghost ship, and the people who were on these ships, frightened by it, were thrown overboard in horror?
The Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship that still exists todayexcites the minds of many sailors, has become popular in art. Probably, in the most appropriate series of films on the subject - "Pirates of the Caribbean" - this topic is played very well. This object appears along with its sinister captain in the famous animated series about Sponge Bob in square pants (“Spongebob”). Many literary works also contain references and references to the legendary ship. And today this legend excites the minds of millions of people around the world. And what is most striking is that from time to time there are still, according to eyewitnesses, real evidence of the existence of this mystical vessel.
