Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: De Slepers
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Slepers are two ghostly sailors who haunt the Sleperspad, a road between Nes and Ballum on the island of Ameland in the Netherlands. They appear at night, dragging a headless corpse behind them. The terrifying procession wanders along the lonely path, repeating a grim task from which the two spirits can never escape.
The corpse they drag is their former captain, whom they murdered. After committing the crime, the sailors discovered that they could never rid themselves of his body. Bound to their victim by their terrible deed, they are condemned to drag him behind them forever. Their endless nocturnal wandering serves as a punishment for their murder, leaving them trapped in an eternal cycle of guilt and torment.
Sources
Van der Veen, Abe. “Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/