How the City of Antwerpen Got Its Name.

Hey Guys!

Yesterday was a big day. I learned all kinds of the things about people with names like Antigoon and Silvius. I met Jessie, the daughter of Di and we hung out together for 5 hours. I like Jessie and might see if I can bring her home with me. Sssh, don't tell Di.

Jessie and I had fun. She would lift me up and put me into the corner of any photographs Di was trying to take. We thought we were very funny. You can see how I am smiling in the first photograph.

The next photograph ... don't be afraid but can you see me?
I'm there, right in the bottom of the photograph, sitting at the feet of Lange Wapper, a giant water ghost from Antwerp's past.

Now the story goes that there was another giant called Antigoon living here in the city of Antwerp a long time ago. The River Scheldt runs past the city and this giant used to stop all the ships passing by. He would make the captains pay him money before he would let them continue on up the river.

Some captains dared to refuse and do you know what he did?

He would chop off one of their hands and throw that hand into the river!

One day, a Roman soldier called Silvius Brabo came to the city. The silly giant tried his old trick and Silvius killed him, then chopped off his hand and threw it into the river.

And this story is actually the story of how the city of Antwerp (Antwerpen in Dutch) got its name. You see, in Dutch, 'werpen' means 'to throw' and the 'Ant' at the start of Antwerpen used to have an 'H' in front of it a long time ago. 'H'Ant meant 'Hand'.

We took some more photographs of Silvius Brabo throwing the hand and of ships on the river ... without a real-life giant there to stop them.

Tot straks!
It means, see you soon!