Monday 23 June 2008

W for Windmills in Kinderdijk





Origin of the name
The name Kinderdijk is Dutch for "Child's Dike". In 1421 during the Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421, the Grote Hollandse Waard flooded, but the Alblasserwaard polder stayed unflooded. It is said that when the terrible storm had subsided, someone went on to the dike between these two areas, to see what could be saved. He saw in the distance a wooden cradle floating. There was no hope that anything would be living in it, but when it approached, movement was seen. When the cradle came nearer, someone saw that a cat was in the cradle trying to keep it in balance by jumping back and forth so that no water could come into it. When the cradle eventually came near the dike, someone fished the cradle out and saw that in it a baby slept quiet and dry. In some of the stories the cat kept it balanced and afloat. This folktale and legend has been published as "The Cat and the Cradle" in English (Meder 2007; Griffis, 1918).

Look at http://mrsnesbittsplace.blogspot.com/ for other great posts

11 comments:

Kjersti said...

I love your W-choice! Så kjempefine vindmøller! Skulle gjerne hatt en slik her jeg bor.

Takk for hyggelig kommentar hos meg!

ellen b. said...

I really enjoy seeing windmills. These are beautiful!

esnorway said...

nice pics and info

Kyanite said...

Interesting post & really enjoyed the windmills slide show.

Miss_Yves said...

Magnifique !
Les Pays bas sont le royaume des moulins à vent...
En France, ils sont très rares.
Miss Yves

Dragonstar said...

Wonderful Water legend.

nonizamboni said...

Oh, there's nothing I love more than seeing photos of windmills! And reading Hans Brinker/The Silver Skates
Thanks for sharing your fine pictures of the water in your area too.
Happy Wednesday!

Cath said...

Excellent choice. And now I know where the term "Cats Cradle" comes from, which is also the name of a childhood game with string.

Great post. Thanks for visiting mine.

Tash said...

Thanks for the explanation on windmills. It's facinating to see the inside too. Also, beautiful photos of the waterlogged countryside. I really enjoyed my brief visit to Netherlands last September on business. I had fun trying to find similarities btw Dutch & English.

Dina said...

A cat on the water--must have been a brave one. Your slideshow is lovely. I keep expecting Don Quixote to ride in.

Tom said...

Excellent..

Tom