Dove Waander

Dove Waander
The Border Stone that divides Amen, Grolloo, Hooghalen and Zwiggelte
Also Known As	Dove Wander, Waander Ottens
Province	Drenthe
City	Aalden, Amen, Grolloo, Hooghalen, Wezup, Zwiggelte
Natural Habitat	City Borders

Several places in Drenthe speak of Dove Waander (translation: Deaf Waander) or Dove Wander, sometimes mentioned in the same breath as Dove Peter. This man named Waander had an important role in the placement of boundary markers that divided Wezup and Aalden, but also made an appearance in sagas up north, where he took part in dividing Amen, Grollo, Hooghalen and Zwiggelte. Waander's convincing statements weren't always untruthful and led to him being cursed. As such, people claim to have seen his ghost. The stones that were named after him did not only mark the borders, but also served as a warning to never mess with their position. Similar stories revolve around the Dove Tonnes marker in Rhee.

A Plausible Origin

Not much is certain about the actual origin of his many different stories, but an old source tells of Wezup and Aalden in an argument about the border stone. Someone had moved it, but two men from the border council claimed to know exactly where it had been. They pinpointed the location and the marker was returned. Three days afterwards they both turned deaf. Whether this was a coincidence is not clarified, but it formed the basis of telltale that got out of hand. People accused these men of lying and their loss of hearing was supposedly a punishment of God.

Dove Peter & Dove Waander

A saga tells of Wezup and Aalden finding themselves in an argument about their borderstone as it had apparently been moved. The farmers from Aalden claimed that Wezup had much more land than they had, but the people from Wezup disagreed and would rather not move the marker. These discussions heated up, threatening to turn both parties into sworn enemies. They would still visit eachother's fairs where the arguments continued. At one such convention Peter and Waander looked onto the affairs. They were farmers, brothers, both single and greedy. Never before had they involved themselves with these discussions, as they finally took a stand and proclaimed that these quarrels were pointless. Being the eldest of farmers helped back their claim that the stones used to be elsewhere. The people from Wezup turned suspicious when they learned these markers stood on Wezup grounds, but Peter and Waander happily pointed out the location. They swore if it wasn't the truth, they'd be smitten by God. These daring words convinced the people from Wezup of their credibility and they promised to drop the issue forever. The next day however, both Peter and Waander woke up deaf. Afraid to own up to their lies they never faced the council members, mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again. Both stones have been named after the brothers.

Dove Wander and Dove Peter in Oud Aalden. These stones used to divide Aalden and Wezup.

Dove Waander & The Witte Wieven

This saga refers to Waander by his full name, which may or may not have been official. Wezup's farming land had been divided over all the farmers, but Waander Ottens was not pleased with these decisions. The piece of land he'd been given was much too small, and he decided to do something about it. Late at night he went to the border stones and changed their positions. When the farmer council caught wind of this, Waander was confronted but he did not confess. He claimed it must have been the work of Witte Wieven. The Witte Wieven of the area heard of the accusation and decided to curse Waander by making him deaf. This wasn't nearly enough, so they also cursed his newborn child. The baby would never stop crying, which drove his wife insane. An exorcist from Dwingeloo had a trick to find out who had cursed their child, but his evidence pointed towards Waander. Everyone concluded the exorcist had it backwards until their neighbors came across a band of Witte Wieven late at night. The Wieven meant no harm and explained the gist of Waander's curse: As soon as he told everyone the truth, his curse would be lifted. They managed to explain this to Waander, who confessed his crimes. This brought back his sense of hearing and his child finally stopped crying.

Waander the deaf Consultant

Not too far from Assen, a saga tells of a bordering council made up of farmers from the area. The four towns Amen, Grolloo, Hooghalen and Zwiggelte were at an impasse about the border location. After much bickering, the council agreed to consult a deaf man whose impairment ensured that he could not be manipulated by supposed lies that people tried to tell him. His neutral view was exactly what they needed! The deaf Wander was a naive man, however. He thought nothing of it when council members from Zwiggelte filled his shoes with sand from their soil. Escorted by the council, Wander arrived at a big stone in the middle of the heather (this grew out into a forest over the years). The council then asked if he could tell them what soil he was standing on and he answered them: "Zwiggelte." This became official and the stone was named after Wander. His words were not truthful, however. Eventually Dove Wander passed away, but his afterlife wasn't peaceful. It was said his hazy shade could be found roaming the heather.

Waander the deaf Shepherd

Alternatively one spoke of four Shepherds from Amen, Grolloo, Hooghalen and Zwiggelte, among which was the deaf Wander. Whereas nowadays there is nothing but forest, the area around the stone used to be a nothing but heather and all shepherds met here to make conversation. One day the men found themselves discussing the stone's whereabouts and could not come to an agreement. They decided to ask Wander, who was deaf and could not have picked up on any lies. He told them the stone stood on Zwiggelte soil. The stone has been named after him ever since. Some say his house used to be close to the border stone, possibly explaining why he was a reliable source of information. After his death, it was said he roamed the heather as a hazy shadow.

References

<references>