Glüenden Gerrit

Glüenden Gerrit is one of the many flaming ghosts spotted on the heather around a small village known as Woeste Hoeve in Gelderland. Originating from the 18th century, the story tells of a dim-witted boy named Gerrit who had a crush on a beautiful girl. This girl fell head over heels for his brother however, and the feeling was mutual. The young couple did very little to hide their affection, leaving Gerrit to look on as the lovebirds went about their ways. By the time Gerrit's brother was getting married, the sibblings had lost their mother and Gerrit's jealousy had taken on grand proportions of pure hatred. He didn't help out with any of the wedding planning around the inn and consumed alcohol all day. His drinking did little to numb his emotions though and despite the intoxication, his thoughts were keeping him awake. That night, driven by his feelings, Gerrit got out of bed and went downstairs where the fireplace had gone out and radiated but a faint orange glow. He opened the door, stirred the coal, placed a bale of hay inside and watched the flames reach for the ceiling as they culminated from out of the hearth. Alternatively, he took out some hot coals and dropped them in a nearby bail of hay. In little time the inn was ablaze with no one but Gerrit to survive the ordeal. Some stories say Gerrit could not remember what he had done that night. , while other versions had him on the run. Either way he was found and put to justice. Several Gloeiige can be seen in the heather to this day. One gloeiige walks around with a firebox and is known as Gleuënde Gerrit. Other such ghosts walk around in a sea of flames and are visible from far across the area.

The Woeste Hoeve inn was rebuilt in 1771 and has since offered shelter for emperror Napoleon, his wife Marie-Louise and King Willem III. Due to its rich history, the building was declared a cultural monument. Nowadays it is a restaurant.