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Table Mountain Myths and Legends

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By Lisa Bartlett
April 21st, 2009

Table Mountain easily conjures up a feeling of pride for us locals. We are after all lucky enough to see it everyday.

Did you know that Table Mountain has been likened to a fortress, a sleeping goddess, the stairway to heaven, guardian of Cape Town, and even a warrior and watcher of the south?

For this reason the majestic mountain is the central character in many strange myths and legends.

Dragon of the Sea

According to African legend, Tixo who was God of the Sun, and Djobela who was the Earth Goddess conceived Qamata who created the world.

The Great Dragon of the Sea was so jealous that he fought with Qamata to try and stop him forming dry land.

In the battle Qamata was badly crippled, but the Earth Mother Djobela came to his aid by creating four mighty giants to guard the far corners of the earth.

Djobela placed the biggest and strongest giant at the gateway to the south where Cape Town now lies.

After many terrible battles with the great Dragon of the Sea, the giants were killed one by one. But before they died, they requested that the Earth Mother turn them into mountains, so that even in death, they could guard the world.

And so, the greatest giant of all - Umlindi Wemingizimu - became Table Mountain, the watcher of the south. (Who would have thought?)

Mountain Ghosts

With such beginnings, it is hardly surprising that other strange tales cling to this iconic landmark that looks out over the South Atlantic Ocean.

Do any of you remember that old saying: "Be good or Antjie Somers will get you". It is still used in the Cape to try and induce good behaviour in children.

Antjie Somers was a slave who worked herself to death and came back to avenge her hard life in the guise of a gnome-like spirit with poltergeist tendencies. (Pretty scary!)

She tormented those who did her wrong whilst she was alive.

There is another ghost tale that haunts Table Mountain.

The ghost of Verlatenbosch (Bush of the Forsaken). This tale surrounds a Governor's son, infected with leprosy by a vengeful citizen who held a grudge against the Governor.

According to the legend, the boy was tempted into using a flute that had been used by an old leper whose shrunken lips produced the most beautiful tunes. Soon the youth contracted incurable leprosy and was forced to live in isolation in a lonely hut in the forest where he died.

When evening falls, the haunting sounds of this flute may be heard in the breeze that whispers through the trees on the slopes of Table Mountain.

Some people have actually claimed to hear it!

There's more...

Apparitions are also a feature of Table Mountain. Since all the way back in the 1920 the prolific theosophical author, Geoffrey Hodson, wrote about the Table Mountain spirits that he encountered.

He described seeing these Mountain Gods as like entering a realm of light.

His friend Ethelwynne Quail was commissioned to illustrate his shimmering visions in drawings. She depicted their auras and wavelike layers.

According to Hodson they are forces flowing at their full power, producing great brilliance and dazzling brightness.

As you might have guessed, people found this very hard to believe.

Where to look

Several people in Cape Town have confirmed seeing these apparitions. They seem to think that given the right place, right time and a little imagination, you may well be able to see them for yourself.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is a good place to start looking, as Light Beings are known to inhabit the mountain slopes here.

According to the ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, Cape Town is the perfect city for Light Beings. This is because of its auspicious configuration in the shape of an armchair. One has the protection from Table Mountain to the rear, and Lion's Head and Devil's Peak acting as the armrests.

The city itself sits in an energy-filled bowl to the front. Add the wealth-creating properties of water and Robben Island to slow down the qui (energy) before it hits land, and you have the ultimate Feng Shui city.

Apparently, ghosts need ultimate calm to roam around once they die!

So next time you are walking around in Cape Town alone, remember, someone is watching.

Whether you believe it or not is up to you...

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User Comments

How could this be published?

Submitted by DragonSpirit on Wed, 09/09/2009 - 12:46.

I really enjoyed this article… It’s nice to read about the myths and legends of Cape Town and Table Mountain.
But what I really want to say is HD really wake up!!! You know some of us actually read articles like these so that we could enjoy ourselves and learn something in it, not to do intense deciphering on words and spell checking!! We are all human which means we make mistakes like spelling mistakes or writing a sentence the wrong way…
I quote, “a massacre of the English language.” Really that is sad to speak like that. I know one should be proud of your language (whatever it may be) but to use big words that some of us can’t even pronounce and to go over board like that about an article is a bit silly. I’m not the brightest kwagga around when it comes to languages or reading and what I say might not make any sense but if you really want to go way out on the whole spelling thing and all, go look for a job in the newspaper or internet as a proof reader.

HI HI HI HI HI

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 16:54.

HI HI HI HI HI

Antjie Somers

Submitted by Carina on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 10:33.

Hi there! Thanx for the article! I have another version of Antjie Somers. My grandma use to tell me it was a man in old Cape Town that would dress up in women's clothes and steal little boys and girls that would run around outside after dark.

Lees maar weer

Submitted by Mariet on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 15:04.

Ek het! Ek het!! That is why I sincerely apologised! HD just got me hot under the collor!

Actually I understand the

Submitted by Drake M on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 14:44.

Actually I understand the above quite well...and if you had bothered reading correctly, I was in favor of the overall presentation of the article ! It was a certain Mister HD who left the negative comments...lees maar weer!

interesting, but average

Submitted by myphotographer on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 14:06.

Perhaps a Google copy and paste piece by a newbie? If so, was ok.

If it was by an educated journo then perhaps a job at the IEC is a possibility?

Most locals will know this History but foreners cud find it intresting wit there limeted Englesh skilsz

Good Read

Submitted by Nicola on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 13:38.

Thank you for this wonderfully informative piece. I can’t wait for my first expedition “up the mountain” to go and look for those “enlightened” beings myself, or maybe try a hand at taunting Antjie Somers, who knows?
As for the “massacre”… I wouldn’t even had noticed was it not for our so-called linguistics expert. Quite frankly, I’ve read through quite a few magazines in recent years that blatantly rape most of our official languages, not just English.
And yes, there is obviously a reason you don’t speak Afrikaans, Mr. HD and it’s because there’s no more space for a HAT after shoving an Oxford up your…… Nicola

How could this be published?

Submitted by Mariet on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 13:36.

My sincere apologies to Drake M, I was actually typing a response to HD.

How could this be published? Poor Mr Drake M

Submitted by Mariet on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 13:32.

Dit is so! Gewoonlik is dit maar die Engels man wat ongeduldig is met enigiemand wat nie sy taal perfek magtig is nie!! Dit was vir my heerlik om hierdie stukkie te lees oor Tafelberg! Dit laat my erg verlang na my kinderdae en die bangmaak met Antjie Somers. As die uwe Drake M dalk net gelees het vir die plesier daarvan sou hy die stuk baie meer geniet het, maar om alles te lees met die doel om spelling en taalgebruik reg te maak, vat baie van die plesier daaruit. Ek is seker Mnr Drake is 'n onaangename, depressiewe, klein verkreukelde ou mannetjie. Om sprokies en gelowe oor spoke en drake af te maak as "centuries old words (i.e. 'drivel')" laat my glo hy is 'n pateet wat geen se het by sy eie huis nie, en dit nou uithaal op iemand wat probeer om die magiese wonder van Tafelberg vas te vang!

I am truly sad that you will not be able to understand the above Mr Drake!

dear HD

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 13:17.

They say jealousy make you nasty... I think it's no different in this case.

Re: How could this be published?

Submitted by Drake M on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 11:25.

"There is a reason I don't speak Afrikaans; I can't. Clearly you cannot speak English."

Sheesh! Does the phrase 'lighten up' mean anything to you? I found the article to be rather educational albeit the somewhat formulaic use of misplaced nouns. It's a common error and the writer is clearly writing from the heart. In this twitterific bloglorious day and age do we even need linguistics? Furthermore, do we need pompous old farts who hold onto every misplaced conjunction, adjective and proposition as if their lives depended on it, verbally abusing innocent pieces of humble origin with their excessive use of centuries old words (i.e. 'drivel') ?

Point fingers at Politicians who are incapable of even spelling their names correctly and leave us ghost-seeking mountain-dwellers alone. Else, we may just conjure up a ghastly thesaurus to haunt the drivel out of your inability to speak the language of Table Mountain - Afrikaans.

Thank you

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 09:58.

I thoroughly enjoyed this article and have sent it to relatives in the UK reminding them on what they are missing! Thank you for the enlightenment.

Your comment.

Submitted by Bryan Porter on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 09:27.

HD, I agree the openening sentence was a little clumsy - we should have picked that up in sub-editing. However, I do not agree that this constitutes "a massacre of the English language". It's a well-researched piece, which I felt was nicely delivered.

Bryan Porter
GoTravel24

How could this be published?

Submitted by HD on Wed, 04/22/2009 - 14:25.

I have never, ever witnessed such a massacre of the English language.

I quote, "When one thinks of Table Mountain, it conjures up a various amount of things. " It is intolerable that such drivel could ever have made it as far as this website. It gets worse, of course, but I cannot bring myself to read it again.

There is a reason I don't speak Afrikaans; I can't. Clearly you cannot speak English.

You should be ashamed.