An Abandoned Castle in Greece and an Army of Spirits
On the southern coast of Crete, Greece sits an abandoned castle where once a year the spirits that died there come back to visit. Frangokastello.
It’s settled in a very remote area and was built in 1371-74 by the Venetians. It was to deter pirates and protect the nobles and their belongings. It was named the Castle of St. Nikitas based on a nearby church but locals said fuck that, and named it Frangokastello which means “castle of the Franks” aka “catholic foreigners”.
Locals were not super welcoming and when the castle was being built, locals would sneak in at night and basically dismantle everything that had been built during the day. The earliest of trolls. After some time of this, the Venetians brought in some troops to protect the construction. The instigators were caught and hanged.
But what about the ghosts right? Well, in 1828 there was an epic battle fought at the castle. It involved hundreds of soldiers led by Hatzimichais Dalianis. He was trying to spread the Greek War of Independence. But he was stopped by the Turks and many people were slaughtered in the battle on both sides. The bodies were left to rot on the beach.
Now, once a year around the anniversary of the battle (May 17th) there are shadows of soldiers that march towards the fortress at dawn.
They have been dubbed Drosoulites (dew-men). They appear as human-like shadows dressed in black either walking or riding horses, armed with weapons. The army is led by Hatzimichalis along with the 350 people who lost their lives in the battle over 7 days. These spirits are only seen when the sea is calm and lasts about 10 minutes.
Scientists have tried to investigate these spirits and at one time it was said to be a mirage but that was never fully proven. They all agree it most likely is a meteorological phenomenon but can’t agree on what it is. The ghosts have been seen since at least 1890 when a Turkish army saw them and thought they were rebels and fled. And during the second world war they were seen by a German patrol that actually fired at the spirits.
So, what’s the tea? Are they really spirits forever marching towards their death, or just a perfect mirage created year after year? Guess you’ll need to go visit in May and find out….
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