Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternative names: —
Category: Bird
The Myth
Many years ago, laborers working on the land behind Uskwerd witnessed a miracle. Two swans swam ashore carrying a dark object floating between them. When they reached the land, they beat their wings and flew away, revealing that they had brought a large wooden cross.
The people gathered around the miraculous find. Some believed a chapel should be built on that very spot to house the holy cross, while others argued that the location was unsuitable because the sea regularly flooded the land, and there were no dikes to protect it. Unable to decide, they sought a sign from Heaven.
A wise man proposed placing the cross on a wagon drawn by two oxen. The animals were to be left entirely alone, without guidance or command. Wherever the oxen stopped of their own accord would reveal the place chosen by the Higher Power for the cross.
The oxen began walking by themselves while the people followed in silence with uncovered heads. They continued until they reached the monastery of Wijtwerd, where they stopped and refused to go any farther. The cross remained there for as long as the monastery existed. The place where the swans first brought the holy cross ashore became known as Kruusstee (“Cross Place”), a name that has endured ever since.
Sources
Ter Laan, K. (1959). Groninger volksleven. Deel 1: Verhalende folklore. P. Noordhoff, p. 15.