See full version: Three Great Short Legends for Children
Legends are often a great source of knowledge which we can use to teach values to our children. Short legends for children can become wonderful tools to help them dream. When they read them, they can imagine themselves starring in their very own stories. We can use these legends to help them become better people: more responsible, autonomous, and understanding.
However, the legend of Krampus can be softened using characters such as Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, or the Three Wise Men. What all these characters have in common is that they reward children for their good behavior. [links]
Of course, some have adapted them to modern times. Others have softened them somewhat, and a prime example of this is Disney in their film adaptations. Also, some have been changed completely.
The Flying Dutchman was a sea captain who once found himself struggling to round the Cape of Good Hope during a ferocious storm. He swore that he would succeed even if he had to sail until Judgment Day. The Devil heard his oath, and took him up on it; the Dutchman was condemned to stay at sea forever. His only hope for salvation was to find a woman who loved him enough to declare herself faithful to the Dutchman for life — no matter what. To top it off, he could only stop sailing once every seven years, to go ashore and search for that one true love.
When the Dutchman professes his love, Senta agrees to marry him. She swears she'll be faithful to him forever, and the Dutchman dares to think that he has finally beaten the curse. [links]
Following that stormy overture, we see a ship struggling to reach port in a sheltered cove. The captain is a Norwegian named Daland, who lives nearby with his daughter, Senta.
The most important idea in the story as told by Wagner is redemption through love. It was a favourite idea of Wagner, who used it a lot in his later operas. more
Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) is an opera by Richard Wagner. Wagner wrote the libretto himself. The story comes from the legend of the Flying Dutchman, which is about the captain of a ship. It is his fate that he has keep sailing the sea, without ever going on to land, until Judgment Day. more
Wagner conducted the first performance at the Semper Oper in Dresden, in 1843. It is an early opera of Wagner, but it shows his mature style. It is very different from the previous opera Rienzi which is still quite similar to operas that other composers were writing. In Der fliegende Holländer the drama is very important. Wagner uses a number of leitmotifs: musical ideas associated with particular characters and themes in the story. The leitmotifs are all introduced in the overture. We hear the famous leitmotif of the ocean and then those of the Dutchman and of Senta, the girl he falls in love with.
Wagner originally wrote Der fliegende Holländer to be performed without any breaks (intermission). Sometimes it is performed like that today, but Wagner also made a version with three acts.
The basic premise of this legend is that centuries ago a ship, due to the actions of its captain and crew, became cursed to roam the high seas for eternity. It may never lay anchor in a port and the seamen may never return to solid ground. more
When encountered by a crew of the living, the men aboard the phantom ship will ask that you take a letter for them to a loved one, not realizing that the person they wish to contact is no longer alive. If you accept this letter or message to the dead then you too will be condemned to a life of tragedy and despair. more
The ship is most often seen during a violent storm. This echoes the circumstances in which it was cursed and sightings may even cause ships carrying living sailors to be led to their deaths.
It is also generally agreed upon that the ship is cursed because of the actions of one man – the captain. In a perhaps confusing twist, the name “The Flying Dutchman” does not actually refer to the title of the ship as one would think.