Creatures on the ship

Author: Brian Jacques
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: The mysterious ship "The Flying Dutchman" is a famous story in European maritime legends. The ship is hideous, with its mast, sails, and all other equipment worn out or damaged by wind and rain, and its bow covered with clinging sea shells. It is called a ghost ship because Captain Vanderdecken committed heinous crimes, and the ship was destined to sail endlessly across the sea, often appearing to sailors in bad weather, bringing them misfortune. Sailors regarded it as an omen of disaster. The famous opera "The Flying Dutchman" by German composer Wagner is based on this story. In that opera, pure love ultimately saves the captain. The book "Creatures of the Wicked Ship" also begins with this ghost ship, first dedicating one-sixth of its length to narrating what heinous crimes Vanderdecken committed that earned him the punishment of eternal wandering, and then it tells the story of two survivors who once lived on the ship—a boy and a hunting dog—guiding them by angels as they travel to various places in the world, extending a helping hand to those who need it most: they first arrive at Tierra del Fuego, helping the old shepherd Louis resist the attack of a great storm and protecting his flock; then, they come to a small village in 19th-century England, Chapeltown, which is in danger of being destroyed.