Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: The Phantom Beast of the Falcon Barracks
Category: Horse
The Myth
Around fifty years before the story was told, a soldier was stationed at the Falcon Barracks in Antwerp, where he and his fellow soldiers took turns guarding the banks of the Scheldt. During one eight-day period, three sentries disappeared while standing guard at the same spot beside the water. The soldiers suspected that the missing men had been thrown into the river, and fear spread throughout the barracks. Nobody dared to stand guard alone at that location anymore, so the military authorities ordered that two soldiers be stationed there together. From then on, no further incidents occurred, and eventually the soldiers forgot about the disappearances. The guard was once again reduced to a single man.
One night, while the narrator himself was on duty, a soldier came rushing into the guardroom at around one o’clock in the morning. His face was whiter than a wall, and he seemed close to death from fright. He explained that he had been standing inside his sentry box when a terrifying creature suddenly appeared beside him. It was about the size of a yearling foal and was completely engulfed in flames, with fire blazing across its entire body.
Overcome with terror, the soldier had abandoned his post and fled. His fear was so severe that he had to be put to bed and later carried to the hospital. Three days after the encounter, he died. The strange fiery beast was never explained, but its appearance brought the soldiers’ earlier fears back to life, leaving them to wonder whether a supernatural creature haunted the lonely stretch of riverbank.
Sources
De Cock, Alfons. Vlaamsche sagen uit den volksmond. Amsterdam: Maatschappij voor Goede en Goedkoope Lectuur, 1921.