Dalfser muggen

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Hoofdstuk 16
English summary

Folk tales from the Council area of Dalfsen

Legends have existed since time immemorial. Numerous stories have time and again been shared with others and passed on to new generations. In the process, the stories rarely bother about national borders or language boundaries, and are widely circulated as a result. No wonder then, that the people of the Dalfsen area have also embraced many of these tales and added ‘couleur locale’.

Folk tales are stories passed on by word of mouth, which circulate among people for varying periods of time. When considering classic genres of folk tales, we include myths, fairy tales, legends, jokes and anecdotes. These genres are also known in the Dalfsen area. The people of Dalfsen are known as ‘moppen’ (the Dutch, word ‘moppen’ refers to a type of cookies) and ‘muggen’ (mosquitos), but the inhabitants of ‘Nieuwleusen’ (rats) and ‘Lemelerveld’ (sugar beets and grasshoppers) were also given nicknames. These nicknames often have folk tales associated with them. For example, the people of Dalfsen were called ‘mosquitos’, because a story has it, that they once thought their tower was on fire. However, the smoke turned out to be a huge swarm of mosquitos floating around it.

The nickname ‘moppen’, which was given to the people of Dalfsen, refers to a biscuit that turned out badly, and can still be bought everywhere today.

The Dalfsen area is full of myths about elves and goblins. These are (super)natural evil ghosts or demons. A statue in the centre of the city is still reminiscent of these creatures. Also widely known, are the tales about the ‘witte wieven’ (white women) living in the ‘Rechteren’ woods. Many old rituals and customs such as the Easter bonfires and ancient children's songs and games are said to hark back to a Germanic past, however, modern investigation tells us that this theory is incorrect. In any case, the witches, elves and the devil have left their mark on the dialect, the names of plants and trees, houses and buildings. The public really believed in witches who, according to the stories, travelled through the air riding their brooms and casting their spells over the people. Once, even the devil's number, ‘666’, was reported to have been seen appearing in the sky in Hoonhorst. The ‘Wilde Jacht’ (Wild Hunt) and ‘Derk met de hondjes’ (Derk with the dogs) also rendered the sky unsafe in the region. Nowadays people see UFOs, which, all things considered, fits in well with a long tradition of unexplained phenomena observed in the sky. Comets, meteorites and extreme weather conditions often led to the creation of stories, especially because the events were given a prophetic meaning, in many cases as a warning sign from God.

Legend has it that giants living in the east battled with gods living in the north. Two of the giants set forth to find a new place

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to live, which is how they found themselves in the Dalfsen region.

Even today, many believe in pixies and elves. Sometimes, people recognise them as helpers, at other times as the personification of evil demons.

Shamans are once again walking the streets of the city in 2006 and are giving lessons in how to summon ghosts. Seers, healers, diviners and fortune tellers are everywhere these days. Spectres and ghosts appear all over the place and everyone knows stories about haunted houses. For example, ghosts of people supposed to have been hanged in the alley behind the Scapino shop in the centre of Dalfsen are still thought to be roaming around in their medieval clothing.

These phenomena are useful and handy according to some, harmful and sinful according to others, especially the many Christians living in the area. The latter wonder whether it is wise to tell young children fairy tales about pixies and elves, without mentioning the associated dangers. According to this point of view, folklore and fairy tales are not figments of the imagination, but can be traced back to pre-Christian times, when forces of the earth and ghosts in the sky ruled the world. Children do not need to be brought up unaware of fairy tales, but their imagination should be stimulated carefully so as not to allow it to run away with them.

Among Christians, weird testimonies and tales of conversions abound that provide an illustration of current religious experience and traditional story telling. Light-hearted stories such as comic and legendary fairy tales also remain widely known in an oral tradition passed on by word of mouth. Stories about the ‘little man in the moon’ who was sent there for punishment, the wisdoms of Tyl Uylenspiegel and the tall stories about Baron von Münchhausen are still very much alive among the people today.

Myth has it, that there is still a cauldron full of gold in the ‘Kettelkolk’ of the Mataram area, and a wagon full of Spaniards at the bottom of the ‘Wienkolk’ on the Markeweg. Stories about hidden treasures in The Netherlands have a tradition that is centuries old.

It is remarkable how many forms of traditional medicine for getting rid of warts, boils and fleas are still known in the Dalfsen area today. Many a Dalfsen resident still resorts to diviners and healers to get rid of malicious or cancerous earth rays. Some healing methods are still used today, others hark back to ancient beliefs. Superstition and popular belief are also found in old funeral rites and the customs surrounding births and weddings.

The ‘Muggen’ (Mosquitos) from the Dalfsen area, which includes the towns of Dalfsen, Hoonhorst, Lemelerveld and Nieuwleusen, provide a good illustration of popular beliefs and the ancient but living folk tales in the rural areas of the Province of Overijssel.