| Aamsveen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Province | Overijssel |
| City | Enschede
|
Aamsveen is a swampy region that lays partially in the Dutch province of Overijssel, close to the city Enschede and in Germany on the other hand. Presumably its name was derived from the germanic tribe "Ama", meaning "Course of water".[1] Many farmers used to come here to dig up peat. The place was also full of wildlife but not many hunters dared entering the swamp that deeply. Especially at night the civilians from Aamsveen steered clear for it was known to be haunted. Among the things people had witnessed there were Hémännekes, supernatural hares and black gnomes. There was a big lake people called the Grondelooze Plas[2][3] where a Witte Wief could be seen at her spinning wheel, as well as the cursed ghost of a former hunter. In 2011 a forest fire destroyed about 100 acres of the Aamsveen, 70 of which were on Dutch grounds.[4]
Black Gnomes
A hunter once took his gun to the Aamsveen and ran into a tiny black person who complimented him on his wonderful "pipe". Before the hunter could gather his thoughts, the gnome had already taken the gun from his hands and placed it to its lips. Soon enough smoke swirled from the trigger-end of the gun. The hunter panicked, left his gun and made a run for it.
Strange Hares
One story speaks of a hunter who sat in his boat when he spotted a hare nearby. He grabbed his gun and aimed at the animal, swearing that it was right within the crosshairs. Yet after he had fired his gun and got himself ashore, all he could find was an oak branch that looked like it had been shot in half. A much stranger story speak of a farmer digging for peat when he spotted a hare nearing the edge of the hole. It had a jug attached to each of its ears (much in the style of the jugs from German town of Ochtrup) which clicked against each other as the hare started moving around the hole at a growing pace. The farmer felt threatened and took a defensive stance but the hare was too fast and knocked him out after jumping right into him. He was found in the peat hole by 2 other farmers who had brought him home. It took him about a week to fully recover from the ordeal.[5]
References
- ↑ http://www.beleven.org/verhaal/het_aamsveen
- ↑ http://www.verhalenbank.nl/items/show/13090
- ↑ Uitgeverij Bert Bakker: Verhalen van Stad en Streek (Sagen en Legenden in Nederland)
- ↑ http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2532086/hulp-omliggende-korpsen-bij-brand-aamsveen.html
- ↑ Jacques R.W. Sinninghe: Nederlands Sagenboek