MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Van Hunks and the Devil

Captain Van Hunks lived in the shadows of Table Mountain.  For many years he had sailed the seven seas, but now he was old and loved nothing more than taking a walk up the beautiful slopes of the mountain.  He would walk up to his favourite spot, under an ancient tree at the top of the mountain.  Once there he would settle himself on a large rock, take out his old pipe, light it, lean back against the trunk of the tree and gaze down at the beauty of Table Bay below him.  Van Hunks loved the peacefulness of this place – nobody else ever came this high up the mountain.

One day, as Van Hunks walked the last few paces towards his usual position, he was startled to see someone else sitting exactly where he normally sat.  It was a strange looking man, dressed all in black, with a large hat pulled down over most of his face.

Van Hunks was even more astonished when the man greeted him by his name.  However, not wishing to appear impolite, he sat down next to him and they began to talk.  Van Hunks started boasting about his tobacco and the fact that he was the only man who could smoke as much of it as he did.  The other man replied that he could easily smoke as much as Van Hunks.  Van Hunks was angry at this and challenged the man to a smoking contest.  He placed a huge pile of his tobacco between the two of them and they filled their pipes and lit them.

All day the two men sat, smoking the whole time and the clouds of smoke around them grew and grew.  People down below looked up and marvelled at the huge clouds of smoke that had started billowing around the Table Mountain.  As the day progressed the clouds grew bigger and bigger until the whole top of the mountain was covered.

Van Hunks was growing tired and hot and he noticed that the man with him was not looking too happy himself.  But still they continued to smoke.  Then suddenly the man leaned forward, unable to continue and his hat fell off revealing who he really was.  Van Hunks staggered back in fright.….. it was the devil himself!  He realised what he had achieved – he had beaten the devil in the contest.  But the devil was not pleased at being beaten by a human and in an instant, with a loud clap of thunder, both men vanished in a puff of smoke.

The legend goes that, when the south-easter wind blows and the cloud covers the mountain, Van Hunks and the Devil are smoking again.

Umlindi Weminigizimu

The African people believed that Qamata created the whole world.  When he wanted to create the dry land, Nganyamba – a dragon who slept under the sea – tried to stop him from doing this.  Qamata realised that he would need some help so he approached the one-eyed goddess, Djobela, and she cast a spell to create four giants who were to guard the land from the north, south, east and west.  There were many battles and eventually the giants were defeated, but, as they were dying, they asked the goddess to turn them into mountains, so they could continue to look down on the land and protect it.   She did this and the giant of the south, known as Umlindid Wemingizimu, became Table Mountain.

Adamastor

Adamaster is the spirit of the Cape of Storms.  The first story about him was told by the Portuguese poet, Camoens in the 1500’s.

Vasco Da Gama, the Portuguese explorer was approaching the Cape with his fleet, when they were surrounded by a huge dark cloud, in the shape of a gigantic human.  The figure asked them why they were so foolish as to attempt to sail in such dangerous and stormy waters and told them that there would be awful disasters if they tried to sail round the Cape of Storms.  He told the terrified sailors that he was Adamastor who had tried to overthrow the gods.  The gods punished him by turning him into a mountain and placing him at Cape Point to guard the seas of the south.

The Circle of Islam

The story goes that the Muslim, Nureel Mobeen escaped from the prison on Robben Island, made his way over to the mainland and hid in the caves on the mountainside, near the Twelve Apostles.  His tomb (kramat) is now a shrine at Oudekraal.

In Cape Town, there are six kramats that form the Circle of Islam – one in Somerset West, one on Robben Island and four in the Cape peninsula (including the one belonging to Nureel Mobeen).  Muslims believe that the Circle protects those who live within it from natural disasters such as earthquakes, tidal waves, fire, plague and famine.

The Flying Dutchman

Captain Hendrik van der Decken had just offloaded his cargo in Cape Town and was anxious to get back to sea again in his ship, the Flying Dutchman.  His crew, however, begged to to stay in port, as the weather was turning foul and they were scared to sail in the dangerous Cape waters in such conditions.  Van der Decken would not listen and he sailed out of Cape Town straight into a hurricane.  For days he fought against the elements, even lashing himself to the wheel, so that he would not be swept overboard.  His crew pleaded with hinm to turn back, but he would not listen.  He was like a madman – pitching his small vessel against the mighty storm. 

He cursed God, saying that even He could not make him change his mind and swore that he would sail on until he met the ends of the earth. As he said this, the storm seemed to instantly die down and a ghost appeared on the ship.  All the crew instantly fell down dead, but van der Decken fired his gun at the figure.  His arm immediately withered and became useless.  The shipp glowed a res colour and disappeared forever into the storm. 

The legend says that the Flying Dutchman continues to sail forever, as a ghost ship, trying still to sail around the Cape of Storms.

Over the years many people claim to have seen the Flying Dutchman off our shores, but no sensible captains will take their ship near the ghostly ship, because they believe that something terrible will happen aboard their ship if they do.

One of the most interesting sightings was made by the King George V of England, when he was a crewman aboard the HMS Bacchante in 1881. The sighting was even recorded in the ship’s log and tells how the ghostly ship seemed to glow red and how they could make out all her masts, spars and sails.  When the HMS Bacchante sailed closer, the vision seemed to disappear – like a mirage – and the sea was unnaturally calm in that spot.  Later that day, the crewman who had first reported the ghostly sighting, fell to his death from the crow’s nest.

Another sighting that bears out this story occurred in 1939 when hundreds of people saw the ship off the coast of False Bay.  It appeared to be sailing towards the shore at Muizenberg and seemed likely to end up on the beach..  Then suddenly it vanished! Many people were convinced that it was the ghost of the Flying Dutchman, still trying to sail round the Cape of Storms.

Ghosts at the Castle

The Lady in Grey is one of the most often seen ghosts in the Castle.  She is often seen with her hands covering her face, as though she is weeping.  Sightings of her have also been made at Government House and some people say that there was once a passage linking the Castle and Government House.  Recently the skeleton of a women was found during excavations – perhaps those of the Lady in Grey – as she hasn’t been seen since those bones were found!