Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana from The Netherlands & Belgium
Basilisk
Location: Utrecht (Netherlands, Utrecht) - Unnamed brewery
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A Basilisk moved in to the basement of a brewery, killing a man who had spotted the creature. No one in the city dared enter their own cellars, as they were all interconnected. In the end the creature was defeated by a man wearing mirrored armour, reflecting the Basilisk's deadly gaze.
Nobleman
Location: Vaassen (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Cannenburgh Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Said to be the ghost of a nobleman who, after upsetting a former owner, was locked up and left to die in a secret room, this phantom is still trying to find a way out of the castle.
Beautiful Ann
Location: Velp (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Biljoen Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This phantom white woman uses her beauty to attract men into the nearby waters, where she drowns them.
Sunken Monastery
Location: Veluwe (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Solse Gat, near Drie
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Ringing said to occur every night, from midnight until dawn
Further Comments: A monastery was said to have sunk deep under the ground on Christmas Eve after the Devil corrupted all its occupants. Now, at midnight, the bells can be heard to ring and a phantom monk or two are said to manifest.
Ossaert
Location: Veluwe (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Hoge Duvel
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The Ossaert, a water demon which takes the form of a large black dog was banished to the Hoge Duvel for 99 years by a monk.
Schinderhinke
Location: Venlo (Netherlands, Limburg) - Hill in Maagdenberg
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A feared robber, Schinderhinke become even more terrifying after his death, manifesting as a burning figure. One story says that the entity left a scorched handprint on a barn door.
Murdered Girl
Location: Voerendaal (Netherlands, Limburg) - Cortenbach Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Stormy nights in November (reoccurring)
Further Comments: When Herman of Cortenbach returned home from the crusades to see his fianc
Fenneke
Location: Vorden (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Den Bramel Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Said to appear every night
Further Comments: Fenneke was raised at a nearby farm and moved away to the East Indies where she died. Why she is said to haunt Den Bramel is unknown, but Fenneke is said to emerge from the staircase once a night and wander around.
Footsteps
Location: Waardenburg (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Waardenburg Castle (aka Kasteel Waardenburg)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Disembodied footsteps have been heard on the staircase, while in other locations furniture has been reported moving around. One story says that Doctor Faust once lived here.
Waaslandwolf
Location: Waasland (Belgium, East Flanders) - General area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Late 2000
Further Comments: While farmers could never say whether the Waaslandwolf was actually a wolf or a dog, the creature was blamed for killing 35 over sheep and dozens of chickens before vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared.
Emerging Dragon
Location: Warns (Netherlands, Friesland) - Red cliffs in the area
Type: Dragon
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: For three days flames came from the land here, and on the forth day a great dragon emerged. The creature flew around for around half an hour before disappearing back into the ground.
Sophie
Location: Well (Netherlands, Limburg) - Kasteel Well
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Born in the 1800s, Sophie died when she was aged 14 at Kasteel Well. This is did not stop her wandering around the castle at night, normally around Room 19 or floating a few feet above the ground in the park. People have also reported knocking on doors - when opened, no one is ever there.
Merman's Curse
Location: Westenschouwen (Netherlands, Zeeland) - Off coast
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The town of Westenschouwen was said to be one of the most prosperous in the Netherlands, until the local fishermen caught a mermaid. The mermaid's husband requested her return, but the fishermen refused. As punishment, the merman cursed the town - the harbour silted up and sand covered buildings, collapsing roofs and damaging brickwork.
Gloeiende Gerrit
Location: Woeste Hoeve, Apeldoorn (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Wooded areas
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Many years ago, Gerrit fell in love with a girl, but she ended up marrying his brother. On their wedding night, Gerrit set fire to the hotel where they were staying, killing both. A figure is still said to be seen playing with fire amongst the trees at night.
McCrae and Helmer
Location: Ypres (Belgium, West Flanders) - John McCrae Bunker
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: John McCrae was inspired to write 'In Flanders Fields' after the death of his friend Alexis Helmer. McCrae would later die after contracting pneumonia and cerebral meningitis. Visions of both McCrae and Helmer have been reported in this bunker, as have the sound of gunfire and voices.
Black Dog
Location: Zutphen (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Library at St Walburgis church
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown, footprints still present
Further Comments: Jaromir, a fasting monk at this church broke his vow and ate a cooked chicken which someone had left in the library. As soon as he finished the meal, a large black dog with burning eyes appeared, took the monk's keys and locked him in the library. The dog's footprints are still said to be found on the floor.
Farmer's Son
Location: Zutphen (Netherlands, Gelderland) - Farm between Brummen and Zutphen, known as Dijkzicht or 'de spookboerderij'
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Post January 1841
Further Comments: The farmer's son, after arguing with his father over marrying a maid, hanged himself from a nearby tree. The son's ghost returned, creating such havoc in the farmhouse at the farmer moved away.
Witte Wieven
Location: Zwiep (Netherlands, ) - Witte Wieven Hole
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Pit still present
Further Comments: There are several Witte Wievenkuil in The Netherlands, home to white women who are part ghost, part fairy, and who normally appeared in three. They could be summoned (or antagonised) by throwing a sharp iron stick into the pit where they lived.
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