Creeping with the White Wolves in the Achterhoek region
The Dutch are known for being nice and down-to-earth, but our country also has myths, sagas and legends. One persistent legend is that of the Witte Wieven.
Restaurant and Playground De Witte Wieven
If you happen to be in the Achterhoek and you are in the area, you should definitely visit Restaurant en Speelderij de Witte Wieven in Lochem. A rural restaurant where you can order the most delicious Zwiepse bolus with your coffee, but also enjoy lunch or dinner in a beautiful rural setting. And in addition, you can enjoy scary things with your children. They have created a small theme park around the legend of the Witte Wieven and even organize a ghost tour. The ghost tour is suitable for children 12 years and older. Furthermore, you can of course enjoy hiking in the Achterhoek!
Witte Wieven; what are they anyway?
Do you not know exactly what the myth of the White Wives is about? Because are they witches? Here is a bit of history. The mythical white women are found throughout Europe. For example, in France they are called Dames Blanches (I actually think of ice creams, but what does that say about me?) while in Ireland they prefer to call them Banshees. In all countries it boils down to the same thing: they are said to be witches who dance swaying across the moors and heralding death. They confuse walkers by assailing them with mist, luring them along and getting them lost. But stories have also been told that they help pregnant women give birth. So are they good or bad? In any case, people in the northern and eastern Netherlands got the shivers from them.
Especially in the northern and eastern Netherlands
White Wolves prefer to hide near dolmens or other burial mounds. But there are also stories that they prefer to hide in pits. For example, near Lochem there is a Witte Wievenkoele (cool = pit) where one can run into Witte Wieven during the witching hour. The town of Zwiep in the Achterhoek (near Lochem) loves the legend: the mist witches have even been given a small theme park there!
The Saga of Johanna and Albert
There are many tales about White Witches. My favorite tale though is the one about Johanna and Albert. Johanna was the only daughter of a rich farmer in Zwiep. She had lost her heart to the poor farmer’s son Albert, but her parents preferred her to marry Hendrik, who came from a well-to-do family of farmers. Johanna, however, was to have nothing to do with Hendrik.
The Wievenkoele
When Albert visits Johanna one day, her father sends the poor farmer’s son away. Albert rides away from the farm on his old nag with a broken heart. He keeps riding until it gets dark. He does not even realize that he is riding his horse toward the deep pit in which the White Wolves live!
They emerge screaming and this startles Albert so much that he turns his horse away from the pit just in time. Later, when he realizes that the White Wolves have saved his life, he asks his sister to bake him a large cake as thanks. The next day, he brings the cake on a tray to the pit.
Competing for the hand of the daughter
Johanna’s father has also seen that his daughter cares more for Albert than for Hendrik and wants the men to accept a challenge. They must go to the White Wolf Pit on the ghost hour and throw an iron hair spit into it. That’s some kind of farm tool. The first one to arrive at the farm gets Johanna’s hand. Albert looks bleak because his tuber is much slower than Henry’s horse.
But when night has fallen, Hendrik gets on his nerves and takes off. The brave Albert, however, throws his spit into the pit and gets the screaming White Wolves after him! Together with his tuber, he manages to stay just ahead of the witches.
Happy ending
When Albert arrives at the farm, Johanna is already waiting for him. She slams the door right in front of the White Wolves and they fall into each other’s arms. One Wief just barely throws the spit into the wooden door of the farmhouse. A few weeks later Johanna and Albert marry.
On the morning after the wedding, Albert finds his bowl in the mist where the cake had been lying. This bowl is now made of pure gold! They are rich! So the story of Johanna and Albert has a happy ending, but the spit was so stuck in the door that it never came out.
Johanna and Albert’s farm no longer exists, but part of the door with the spit can still be seen in Zwiep! Want to read more about creepy places in the Netherlands? Then download our e-book for free!
Credits photos: www.canva.com
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