The Lady of Stavoran

A town legend

The Lady of Stavoren
18 March 2019
13:06
Stavoren is a town on the Eastern shore of the Ijsselmeer Holland

At one time Stavoren was a rich town the merchants and captains were known worldwide They travelled wide To Northern and Eastern places bringing back great richness and wealth
That was until changes to the river and sea flows brought silt to block the port
The richness waned; other towns and harbours gained from these changes
This has been told by the legend of 'The Lady of Stavoren'

The Lady of Stavoren was the widow of a rich merchant she took over the running of her late husband's business
One day she ordered her captain to go out and find the most precious thing he could find
After a long voyage he returned laden with his precious cargo
The Lady went down to the harbour to inspect the goods
The most beautiful wheat he had ever seen
The Lady was furious. She ordered she captain to go out and dump all the wheat overboard

An old 'sea salt' who was watching said "Your recklessness will be punished; a time will come when you will have to beg for bread"
The widow took her diamond ring and threw it into the sea "Just as this ring will never return from the sea. Will I be left a pauper!

Sometime later the ring was served at dinner inside a haddock.
The same day she received a disastrous message
'Her whole fleet had been lost with all hands in a terrible storm'
She never recovered from this blow

A sand bank had sprung up covering the harbour mouth 'The Woman's Sand'
Upon it grew sprigs of corn, it never had any ears of corn

STAVOREN PROMOTIE