One of the first things that comes to my mind is the legend of the 'bokkeNrijders' (translated it is 'buckriders' or 'goatriders', also spelled as 'bokkenrijders'): a group of highwaymen that pillaged and plundered large parts of the Belgian and Dutch Kempen (a region in the south of the Netherlands and in the north of Belgium) and who where also active in the western part of Germany in the second half of the 18th century. There was poverty in these regions at that time, and these highwaymen were angry, for the Church had all the wealth.

It started of with plundering abbeys, churches and cloisters. But like with so many things, the success of the raids got into their heads and they started plundering villages. Excesses started to surface, and this is were the legend begins. The people were getting frightened of these highwaymen, who sometimes appeared out of nowhere, raided churches and abbeys, and spat on the cross. Because of this the people thought they had made a pact with the devil, and some 'eye witnesses' had seen them riding through the nightly heavens, sitting on bucks (the buck is symbolic for satan; a lot of images from that time pictured the devil with buck hooves), and their eyes glowing in the dark. So it was said. That is why they were called 'bokkenrijders'.

The story is about Hugo van den Loonsche Duinen, who was a member of these highwaymen and who is one of the most famous of them. One night, when he and his mates came back from a raid, they wanted to spend the night indoors, but couldn't find a village. They came across the Abbey of Postel, entered the building, and there they saw all the gold and gems lying on the altar. They packed up, when suddenly a woman in white, floating in the air, appeared before Hugo. She said that he should stop at once, and turn to the Lord, or else His wrath would turn upon him. He ignored the woman, and when he got back home he saw the same woman, standing on the top of his roof, waving her arms, saying: "Nowhere in your own house, wherever on this earth, you will find peace now that you have violated God's house. Only when a noble person, pure at heart, will enter this house, the curse will be removed".

Research and participation of this page is credited to Lia, Thank you *S*  

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