A map of ghost ships and seabound spectres around the province has been garnering a lot of interest online.
Karin Murray-Bergquist, a PhD student in Folklore, is from Ottawa and has found a fascination with the province’s history since she started putting together the map.
It tracks locations around Newfoundland and Labrador where people have reported uncanny sightings of phantom vessels or folk tales have surfaced of strange appearances. The map breaks down pieces of folklore related to these unexplained sights and sounds.
For example:
- Fogo Harbour: A man, three sons, and a nephew were lost at sea, and people report seeing a ghost light coming through the tickle and breaking into five parts.
- Glovertown:The sounds of flapping sails, people’s voices, and crates being moved could be heard.
- St. Lawrence:There was a ship beached here during a storm, which was subsequently taken back out by the waves, and nicknamed “The Devil’s Ship” by the community.
She says learning about the province’s history through gathering information on the ghost ships in the surrounding waters was one of the most interesting aspects of her project.
Murray-Bergquist says where she is new to the province, reading about tales of strange sounds thought to be French soldiers who were stationed nearby, and other ghost stories helped paint a picture of Newfoundland and Labrador’s history.
