Flying Dutchman: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
The '''Flying Dutchman''' (named after the legend popularized by [[Richard Wagner]] in an opera of the same name) is cursed to go [[Walking the Earth]] (or sailing or flying or...) [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|forever]]. Most versions of this fall into one of two types: the ''Flying Dutchman'', cursed to sail the seas, and the Wandering Jew, forced to wander the earth.
The '''Flying Dutchman''' (named after the legend popularized by [[Richard Wagner]] in an opera of the same name) is cursed to go [[Walking the Earth]] (or sailing or flying or...) [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|forever]]. Most versions of this fall into one of two types: the ''Flying Dutchman'', cursed to sail the seas, and the Wandering Jew, forced to wander the earth.


The Wandering Jew story can be traced to medieval Christianity—in particular, a reference to [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:28&version=KJV Matthew 16:28], wherein Jesus states that some of the people listening to him speak would not die prior to Jesus "coming in his kingdom," which some believe to be a reference to the Second Coming. Since many ordinary lifespans had passed between Jesus' speech and the time of its progenitors, [[Tethercat Principle|the myth arose]] that at least one of those ancient audience members had been for some reason sentenced to immortality.
The Wandering Jew story can be traced to medieval Christianity—in particular, a reference to [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:28&version=KJV Matthew 16:28], wherein Jesus states that some of the people listening to him speak would not die prior to Jesus "coming in his kingdom," which some believe to be a reference to the Second Coming. Since many ordinary lifespans had passed between Jesus' speech and the time of its progenitors, [[Tethercat Principle|the myth arose]] that at least one of those ancient audience members had been for some reason sentenced to immortality.
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* The [[wikipedia:Flying Dutchman|Flying Dutchman]] himself cursed God while trying to sail through the Cape of Good Hope, vowing that he would succeed even if it took him until Judgment Day. [[Be Careful What You Wish For|He did.]] And then was forced to sail the seas forever.
* The [[wikipedia:Flying Dutchman|Flying Dutchman]] himself cursed God while trying to sail through the Cape of Good Hope, vowing that he would succeed even if it took him until Judgment Day. [[Be Careful What You Wish For|He did.]] And then was forced to sail the seas forever.
** Wonderfully subverted in [[Tom Holt]]'s ''Flying Dutch'', where the Flying Dutchman and his crew had accidentally drunk some elixir which gave them immortality, but also the most outrageous body odor for all but one month in every 7 years. In the book, Wagner is said to have been given direct inspiration from the captain of the crew...as well as a weird little psychological hang-up causing him to laugh maniacally upon hearing the name "Philip II of Spain."
** Wonderfully subverted in [[Tom Holt]]'s ''Flying Dutch'', where the Flying Dutchman and his crew had accidentally drunk some elixir which gave them immortality, but also the most outrageous body odor for all but one month in every 7 years. In the book, Wagner is said to have been given direct inspiration from the captain of the crew...as well as a weird little psychological hang-up causing him to laugh maniacally upon hearing the name "Philip II of Spain."
* ''[[The Rime of the Ancient Mariner]]'' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a rare variation on the Flying Dutchman version of this trope, whereby genuine repentance allows the mariner to escape his fate, with the only requirement that he tell his story to other people to warn them off his path.
* ''[[The Rime of the Ancient Mariner]]'' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a rare variation on the Flying Dutchman version of this trope, whereby genuine repentance allows the mariner to escape his fate, with the only requirement that he tell his story to other people to warn them off his path.
** Well, he also still has to move like night from land to land. Repentance just gets him off the ship; it doesn't completely uncurse him.
** Well, he also still has to move like night from land to land. Repentance just gets him off the ship; it doesn't completely uncurse him.
*** So he's also a Wandering Jew.
*** So he's also a Wandering Jew.
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* [[Robert Bloch]] published a story in a 1940s pulp magazine in which the captain of the original Flying Dutchman vessel now hijacks a modern subway train, evicting all the passengers except one elderly man and woman. The story consists of a diary kept by the elderly man: he and the woman, captives on the runaway subway train, continue to grow younger as the ancient Dutch sea captain pilots it backwards in time to a rendezvous with his ship.
* [[Robert Bloch]] published a story in a 1940s pulp magazine in which the captain of the original Flying Dutchman vessel now hijacks a modern subway train, evicting all the passengers except one elderly man and woman. The story consists of a diary kept by the elderly man: he and the woman, captives on the runaway subway train, continue to grow younger as the ancient Dutch sea captain pilots it backwards in time to a rendezvous with his ship.
* Brian Jacques (of ''[[Redwall]]'' fame) wrote a book called ''Castaways of the Flying Dutchman'', as well as a couple of sequels, which feature not only the original Dutchman but a boy and dog who were allowed to leave the ship because they were pure of heart. An angel grants them immortality and a psychic link with each other, but they end up [[Walking the Earth]] and leaving behind everyone they ever love so no one will notice that they never age. The one time the boy tells their secret, it leads to disaster. (Though, really, it seems as if ''everyone they meet'' can sense that he's extraordinary just by looking into his eyes.) They're also constantly haunted by nightmares about the Flying Dutchman. Add in that the boy is forever stuck at age 14, and this is a definite case of [[Blessed with Suck]].
* Brian Jacques (of ''[[Redwall]]'' fame) wrote a book called ''Castaways of the Flying Dutchman'', as well as a couple of sequels, which feature not only the original Dutchman but a boy and dog who were allowed to leave the ship because they were pure of heart. An angel grants them immortality and a psychic link with each other, but they end up [[Walking the Earth]] and leaving behind everyone they ever love so no one will notice that they never age. The one time the boy tells their secret, it leads to disaster. (Though, really, it seems as if ''everyone they meet'' can sense that he's extraordinary just by looking into his eyes.) They're also constantly haunted by nightmares about the Flying Dutchman. Add in that the boy is forever stuck at age 14, and this is a definite case of [[Blessed with Suck]].
** Well, there was a prophecy in the book where he tells earlier that said that they shouldn't leave until the "Dark Angel" falls. It's obvious that {{spoiler|Serafina, a black girl who Ben rescues from slavery}} is not going to survive the rest of the book, because of how {{spoiler|she}} fits with the prophecy. But its implied that Ben gets a [[Spirit Advisor]], so it's not all bad.
** Well, there was a prophecy in the book where he tells earlier that said that they shouldn't leave until the "Dark Angel" falls. It's obvious that {{spoiler|Serafina, a black girl who Ben rescues from slavery}} is not going to survive the rest of the book, because of how {{spoiler|she}} fits with the prophecy. But its implied that Ben gets a [[Spirit Advisor]], so it's not all bad.
* The titular characters of the [[Diana Wynne Jones]] novel ''The Homeward Bounders'', one of whom is the actual Wandering Jew (and another is the actual Flying Dutchman).
* The titular characters of the [[Diana Wynne Jones]] novel ''The Homeward Bounders'', one of whom is the actual Wandering Jew (and another is the actual Flying Dutchman).
* [[Daniel Pinkwater]]'s book ''Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario'' is about a modern cursed Dutchman named Captain Van Straaten who sails Lake Ontario in a self sufficient submarine shaped like a giant pig. The curse is eventually broken not with [[The Power of Love]], but with the use of hydroplaning and a corned-beef sandwich.
* [[Daniel Pinkwater]]'s book ''Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario'' is about a modern cursed Dutchman named Captain Van Straaten who sails Lake Ontario in a self sufficient submarine shaped like a giant pig. The curse is eventually broken not with [[The Power of Love]], but with the use of hydroplaning and a corned-beef sandwich.
* The short story ''[http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/PetrRugg.htm Peter Rugg, the Missing Man]'', on which a ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' episode was based, featured a man who swore that if his carriage could not reach his Boston home one night, in spite of a gathering storm, that he might never return...
* The short story ''[http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/PetrRugg.htm Peter Rugg, the Missing Man]'', on which a ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' episode was based, featured a man who swore that if his carriage could not reach his Boston home one night, in spite of a gathering storm, that he might never return...
* The ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' novel ''Ghost Ship'' has the crew of a present day Russian naval vessel trapped as disembodied intelligences in a giant space going creature.
* The ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' novel ''Ghost Ship'' has the crew of a present day Russian naval vessel trapped as disembodied intelligences in a giant space going creature.
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* ''[[Suikoden IV]]'' takes place in an archipelago, so naturally, there's an optional encounter with a particularly creepy-looking Flying Dutchman.
* ''[[Suikoden IV]]'' takes place in an archipelago, so naturally, there's an optional encounter with a particularly creepy-looking Flying Dutchman.
* The ghost ship in the third expansion of ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'', known as both The Black Coffin by the populous, and the Ashuu Talif by its crew and those who know the truth, is manned by a crew who had been killed when their nation was absorbed by the expansion's titular empire. Captain Luzaf's plot for revenge against the Empire is central to the expansion's plot.
* The ghost ship in the third expansion of ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'', known as both The Black Coffin by the populous, and the Ashuu Talif by its crew and those who know the truth, is manned by a crew who had been killed when their nation was absorbed by the expansion's titular empire. Captain Luzaf's plot for revenge against the Empire is central to the expansion's plot.
* In ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'', a magazine tells the story of a ship that disappeared on Toluca Lake, leaving the ghosts of the crew to reach up to boats that pass overhead. In ''[[Silent Hill 3]]'', the [[Sinister Subway]] is haunted by the wandering ghost of a train suicide, which pushes unsuspecting people onto the tracks.
* In ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'', a magazine tells the story of a ship that disappeared on Toluca Lake, leaving the ghosts of the crew to reach up to boats that pass overhead. In ''[[Silent Hill 3]]'', the [[Sinister Subway]] is haunted by the wandering ghost of a train suicide, which pushes unsuspecting people onto the tracks.


=== [[Real Life]] ===
=== [[Real Life]] ===
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* In Chaucer's ''[[The Canterbury Tales|The Pardoner's Tale]]'', the three rioters are approached by an old man doomed to wonder the Earth - he is frustrated that Death has not come for him. One interpretation is that he was the Wandering Jew.
* In Chaucer's ''[[The Canterbury Tales|The Pardoner's Tale]]'', the three rioters are approached by an old man doomed to wonder the Earth - he is frustrated that Death has not come for him. One interpretation is that he was the Wandering Jew.
* As [[Hyperion]] is pretty much [[The Canterbury Tales]] [[In Space]]!, there is a man called the [[Wandering Jew]] by many people. However, that man, Sol Weintraub, is not an actual example; while he does search for a cure to his daughter's temporal illness, his wandering comes to an abrupt end when he finally meets the Shrike.
* As [[Hyperion]] is pretty much [[The Canterbury Tales]] [[In Space]]!, there is a man called the [[Wandering Jew]] by many people. However, that man, Sol Weintraub, is not an actual example; while he does search for a cure to his daughter's temporal illness, his wandering comes to an abrupt end when he finally meets the Shrike.
** ''[[Illium]]'' by the same author also features a character called the Wandering Jew: her name is Savi and she's the last human left after the rest of the race was either wiped out by a virus, transformed into godlike "post-humans", trapped in a beam of blue light, or engineered into placid "eloi" and left behind.
** ''[[Illium]]'' by the same author also features a character called the Wandering Jew: her name is Savi and she's the last human left after the rest of the race was either wiped out by a virus, transformed into godlike "post-humans", trapped in a beam of blue light, or engineered into placid "eloi" and left behind.
* Baron Parok in David Eddings' ''Tamuli'' is subjected to an interesting variant, where he is not only put into {{spoiler|an alternative, eternal time-frame, where he will wander forever in an unchanging world, but also set on fire with a flame that will never go out.}}
* Baron Parok in David Eddings' ''Tamuli'' is subjected to an interesting variant, where he is not only put into {{spoiler|an alternative, eternal time-frame, where he will wander forever in an unchanging world, but also set on fire with a flame that will never go out.}}
* There's a short story about a man who, as a teenager, had stormed out of his parents' house and vowed never to come home for a hundred years. The end result was that he stopped aging sometime in adulthood, became uneasy and restless whenever he became attached to somewhere he'd been staying, and eventually had to leave it all behind every time—and, since so many years had passed by that point, he'd long since forgotten the reason. {{spoiler|It actually ends happily, though--his love interest chooses to accompany him on his endless journey.}}
* There's a short story about a man who, as a teenager, had stormed out of his parents' house and vowed never to come home for a hundred years. The end result was that he stopped aging sometime in adulthood, became uneasy and restless whenever he became attached to somewhere he'd been staying, and eventually had to leave it all behind every time—and, since so many years had passed by that point, he'd long since forgotten the reason. {{spoiler|It actually ends happily, though--his love interest chooses to accompany him on his endless journey.}}
* In ''[[The Riftwar Cycle]]'', it is suggested that the actual [[Wandering Jew]], cursed to be immortal by Jesus, was the father of Macros the Black, a powerful sorcerer who inherited his immortality. The description of the condemned man who cursed his father does ''sound'' like Jesus, right down to the holy artifacts that sprung up after his death including a cup (The Holy Grail) and a cloak (The Shroud of Turin). Considering that it's revealed later that Macros was lying about his origins when he told Pug and Tomas that story, the truth may be stranger still.
* In ''[[The Riftwar Cycle]]'', it is suggested that the actual [[Wandering Jew]], cursed to be immortal by Jesus, was the father of Macros the Black, a powerful sorcerer who inherited his immortality. The description of the condemned man who cursed his father does ''sound'' like Jesus, right down to the holy artifacts that sprung up after his death including a cup (The Holy Grail) and a cloak (The Shroud of Turin). Considering that it's revealed later that Macros was lying about his origins when he told Pug and Tomas that story, the truth may be stranger still.
** For that matter, Macros himself is a [[Wandering Jew]] figure, as most of the origins he gives for himself and most of the evidence to back them up suggest divine influence upon his life and wanderings.
** For that matter, Macros himself is a [[Wandering Jew]] figure, as most of the origins he gives for himself and most of the evidence to back them up suggest divine influence upon his life and wanderings.
* A variant seen on occasion has the [[Wandering Jew]] as Judas Iscariot, cut down after his hanging and resurrected by Christ with the promise of redemption once He returns. For an example of this, see ''Angels of Light and Darkness'' by [[Simon R. Green]].
* A variant seen on occasion has the [[Wandering Jew]] as Judas Iscariot, cut down after his hanging and resurrected by Christ with the promise of redemption once He returns. For an example of this, see ''Angels of Light and Darkness'' by [[Simon R. Green]].
* The titular characters of the [[Diana Wynne Jones]] novel ''The Homeward Bounders'', one of whom is the actual Wandering Jew (and another is the actual Flying Dutchman).
* The titular characters of the [[Diana Wynne Jones]] novel ''The Homeward Bounders'', one of whom is the actual Wandering Jew (and another is the actual Flying Dutchman).
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* In both ''[[Cryptonomicon]]'' (WWII to present) and ''[[The Baroque Cycle]]'' (Baroque period) by Neal Stephenson, a character named Enoch Root appears. This is a subversion, however, because he's actually a Jesuit.
* In both ''[[Cryptonomicon]]'' (WWII to present) and ''[[The Baroque Cycle]]'' (Baroque period) by Neal Stephenson, a character named Enoch Root appears. This is a subversion, however, because he's actually a Jesuit.
** In ''[[The Baroque Cycle]]'' we learn that he was an alchemist before becoming a Jesuit, and there are hints that he may have found the Philosopher's Stone, which grants eternal life... then again, there are also hints that he was just that way all along.
** In ''[[The Baroque Cycle]]'' we learn that he was an alchemist before becoming a Jesuit, and there are hints that he may have found the Philosopher's Stone, which grants eternal life... then again, there are also hints that he was just that way all along.
** His name is a pun on the * NIX command "chroot" and the man Enoch in the Bible, who never died.
** His name is a pun on the * NIX command "chroot" and the man Enoch in the Bible, who never died.
* The {{spoiler|death}} of the Wandering Jew is an incidental part of Eugene Sue's massive potboiler, ''Le Juif Errant'' (1844–45).
* The {{spoiler|death}} of the Wandering Jew is an incidental part of Eugene Sue's massive potboiler, ''Le Juif Errant'' (1844–45).
* The Wandering Jew is the star of clergyman George Croly's ''Salathiel'' (1829).
* The Wandering Jew is the star of clergyman George Croly's ''Salathiel'' (1829).
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* The speaker of the Anglo-Saxon poem ''The Wanderer'' laments his roamings over the earth and sea as an exile, having lost his lord and his companions to war and fate. The images and devices of the poem invoke not only the Wandering Jew story, but also the lore of Wodan, suggesting archetypal similarities between the Germanic god and this trope. The similarity is not unprecedented: German philologist Karl Blind discusses the correlation in his paper, "Wodan, the Wild Huntsman, and the Wandering Jew."
* The speaker of the Anglo-Saxon poem ''The Wanderer'' laments his roamings over the earth and sea as an exile, having lost his lord and his companions to war and fate. The images and devices of the poem invoke not only the Wandering Jew story, but also the lore of Wodan, suggesting archetypal similarities between the Germanic god and this trope. The similarity is not unprecedented: German philologist Karl Blind discusses the correlation in his paper, "Wodan, the Wild Huntsman, and the Wandering Jew."
* [[Simon Ark]] claims to be over 2000 years old and says that he was cursed by God for refusing to allow Jesus to rest while he was carrying the Cross. Whether this is true, a delusion, or an elaborate deception on Simon's part is left as an exercise for the reader.
* [[Simon Ark]] claims to be over 2000 years old and says that he was cursed by God for refusing to allow Jesus to rest while he was carrying the Cross. Whether this is true, a delusion, or an elaborate deception on Simon's part is left as an exercise for the reader.
* He appears as the main character of the short story titled "King of the planet" by Wilson Tucker.
* He appears as the main character of the short story titled "King of the planet" by Wilson Tucker.
* The title character of the ''[[Indigo]]'' series, on account of having let the [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealed evil out of its can]]. {{spoiler|Of course, it ends up being more complicated than that.}}
* The title character of the ''[[Indigo]]'' series, on account of having let the [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealed evil out of its can]]. {{spoiler|Of course, it ends up being more complicated than that.}}
* ''[[Casca the Eternal Mercenary]]'', a series by [[Barry Sadler]], centers on Casca Rufio Longinus, the Roman legionary who thrust his spear into Jesus' side on the cross. He's cursed by Jesus to not only walk the earth til the Last Judgement, but to always be a soldier as well. While he can't be killed, he still feels pain when injured.
* ''[[Casca the Eternal Mercenary]]'', a series by [[Barry Sadler]], centers on Casca Rufio Longinus, the Roman legionary who thrust his spear into Jesus' side on the cross. He's cursed by Jesus to not only walk the earth til the Last Judgement, but to always be a soldier as well. While he can't be killed, he still feels pain when injured.
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* Dr. Sam Beckett in ''[[Quantum Leap]]''. A botched time-travel experiment is the "curse" here.
* Dr. Sam Beckett in ''[[Quantum Leap]]''. A botched time-travel experiment is the "curse" here.
* The [[Big Bad]] of the mid-90s adventure show ''[[Roar]]'' was Longinus, the Roman Centurion who stabbed Jesus with the Spear of Destiny, and who was therefore condemned to remain alive until he could be stabbed by the Spear again.
* The [[Big Bad]] of the mid-90s adventure show ''[[Roar]]'' was Longinus, the Roman Centurion who stabbed Jesus with the Spear of Destiny, and who was therefore condemned to remain alive until he could be stabbed by the Spear again.
* Thomas Veil in ''Nowhere Man''. A documentary photographer has his entire life erased by...[[Powers That Be|we don't know]], after he takes an incriminating photo, and must evade capture while trying to find out who is responsible. Veil (subtle, that) meets many different people whom he petitions for help, though he's [[Paranoia Fuel|never sure who he can trust]], as he tries to stay one step ahead of [[The Government|whoever is pursuing him]].
* Thomas Veil in ''Nowhere Man''. A documentary photographer has his entire life erased by...[[Powers That Be|we don't know]], after he takes an incriminating photo, and must evade capture while trying to find out who is responsible. Veil (subtle, that) meets many different people whom he petitions for help, though he's [[Paranoia Fuel|never sure who he can trust]], as he tries to stay one step ahead of [[The Government|whoever is pursuing him]].


=== [[Music]] ===
=== [[Music]] ===
* Lupe Fiasco's character Michael Young History. After being killed, he was denied entry into Heaven for how he lived his life. Since he didn't want to go to Hell, he [[Back From the Dead|came back]] as The Cool, who haunts The Streets.
* Lupe Fiasco's character Michael Young History. After being killed, he was denied entry into Heaven for how he lived his life. Since he didn't want to go to Hell, he [[Back from the Dead|came back]] as The Cool, who haunts The Streets.
* The country song "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," covered by [[Johnny Cash]] among others, concerns a cowboy who sees a group of men on horseback chasing a [[The Wild Hunt|herd of demonic cattle]] across the horizon. Apparently, cowboys who sin in life are condemned to ride after the Devil's herd unto eternity.
* The country song "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," covered by [[Johnny Cash]] among others, concerns a cowboy who sees a group of men on horseback chasing a [[The Wild Hunt|herd of demonic cattle]] across the horizon. Apparently, cowboys who sin in life are condemned to ride after the Devil's herd unto eternity.
* The folk song ''M.T.A.'', (the best known version is by The Kingston Trio) tells the story of Charlie, who boarded a [[Boston MTA]] subway and couldn't get off at his stop due to not having the money to pay the exit fare<ref>For a number of years, rather than retool all the turnstiles to accept a new, higher fare, the conductor simply collected the difference between the fare you paid to get on and the total fare when you left the train. The nickel that Charlie didn't have was this "exit fare".</ref>
* The folk song ''M.T.A.'', (the best known version is by The Kingston Trio) tells the story of Charlie, who boarded a [[Boston MTA]] subway and couldn't get off at his stop due to not having the money to pay the exit fare<ref>For a number of years, rather than retool all the turnstiles to accept a new, higher fare, the conductor simply collected the difference between the fare you paid to get on and the total fare when you left the train. The nickel that Charlie didn't have was this "exit fare".</ref>
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** Other versions have it as some random guy who was present when Jesus said the second coming would be in the lifetime of at least one of his audience.
** Other versions have it as some random guy who was present when Jesus said the second coming would be in the lifetime of at least one of his audience.
** It's also implied that the Wandering Jew is [[The Bible|Cain]] himself.
** It's also implied that the Wandering Jew is [[The Bible|Cain]] himself.
** In the [[Mormon]] tradition, they believe that there are three disciples of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as "The Three Nephites", whom were chosen to wander the Earth until his second coming. However, their purpose is benevolent, as there have been folklore about their appearances, helping dozens people along their journey.
** In the [[Mormon]] tradition, they believe that there are three disciples of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as "The Three Nephites", whom were chosen to wander the Earth until his second coming. However, their purpose is benevolent, as there have been folklore about their appearances, helping dozens people along their journey.
* ''The Soldier and Death'', a Russian folk tale told in the first episode of ''The Storyteller'', ends with the titular soldier being unable to enter either heaven or hell, and thus condemned to walking the earth forever. To the story's credit, mentioning this doesn't actually give away anything that makes it interesting.
* ''The Soldier and Death'', a Russian folk tale told in the first episode of ''The Storyteller'', ends with the titular soldier being unable to enter either heaven or hell, and thus condemned to walking the earth forever. To the story's credit, mentioning this doesn't actually give away anything that makes it interesting.
* In medieval legend, King Herla and his court visited [[The Fair Folk]]. He was given many gifts, including a dog, with just one condition—he couldn't touch the earth again until the dog died. Naturally, that never happened. Herla and his court were doomed to spend the rest of eternity on horseback, eternally wandering as [[The Wild Hunt]].
* In medieval legend, King Herla and his court visited [[The Fair Folk]]. He was given many gifts, including a dog, with just one condition—he couldn't touch the earth again until the dog died. Naturally, that never happened. Herla and his court were doomed to spend the rest of eternity on horseback, eternally wandering as [[The Wild Hunt]].
* There is a myth of a man in southern USA who tricks the devil multiple times so the man doesn't die when he is supposed to. The man thinks that all he has to do is become religious in the extra time, and the devil won't be able to take him anyway. Unfortunately the man blows it each time he tricks the devil and gains more time (he spends all the extra time drinking) When he finally dies completely, heaven refuses to let him in. Then hell refuses to let him in because the devil doesn't want to put up with him after all the tricks. The man begs a lantern from the devil to let him see his way back to the land of the living, which is supposedly all you can see of him now.
* There is a myth of a man in southern USA who tricks the devil multiple times so the man doesn't die when he is supposed to. The man thinks that all he has to do is become religious in the extra time, and the devil won't be able to take him anyway. Unfortunately the man blows it each time he tricks the devil and gains more time (he spends all the extra time drinking) When he finally dies completely, heaven refuses to let him in. Then hell refuses to let him in because the devil doesn't want to put up with him after all the tricks. The man begs a lantern from the devil to let him see his way back to the land of the living, which is supposedly all you can see of him now.
** That's basically the old Irish tale of [[wikipedia:Jack Ochr(27)Lantern#Folklore|Jack O'Lantern]], whom the cute little Halloween pumpkins (originally turnips) were named for. The tale was used to explain why there are these floating fires in swamps.
** That's basically the old Irish tale of [[wikipedia:Jack Ochr(27)Lantern#Folklore|Jack O'Lantern]], whom the cute little Halloween pumpkins (originally turnips) were named for. The tale was used to explain why there are these floating fires in swamps.
** This is similar to the old one-liner, "Heaven won't have him, and Hell is afraid he'd take over."
** This is similar to the old one-liner, "Heaven won't have him, and Hell is afraid he'd take over."
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=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
* ''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]'' has the [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Lancea Sanctum]], who revere Longinus as Vampire Jesus. The story goes that Longinus was turned into a vampire when he stabbed Christ's side and the savior's blood dripped onto his lips; after that, he wandered for years until God revealed the purpose of vampires—to [[Scare'Em Straight|harrow humanity back into righteousness]].
* ''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]'' has the [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Lancea Sanctum]], who revere Longinus as Vampire Jesus. The story goes that Longinus was turned into a vampire when he stabbed Christ's side and the savior's blood dripped onto his lips; after that, he wandered for years until God revealed the purpose of vampires—to [[Scare'Em Straight|harrow humanity back into righteousness]].
** And on that note, ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' has Caine, who was cursed with vampirism for slaying Abel. He wandered the earth and eventually settled a city of his people... and then God sent the Flood.
** And on that note, ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' has Caine, who was cursed with vampirism for slaying Abel. He wandered the earth and eventually settled a city of his people... and then God sent the Flood.
** The ''[[Changeling: The Lost]]'' book Grim Fears: Night Horrors has Jack of the Lantern, who is pretty much a straight retelling of the folk figure of the same name.
** The ''[[Changeling: The Lost]]'' book Grim Fears: Night Horrors has Jack of the Lantern, who is pretty much a straight retelling of the folk figure of the same name.
* In ''[[Promethean: The Created]]'', it is difficult to play a character who isn't a Wandering Jew on account of a curse that all Prometheans share that gradually spoils the land and turns the locals against them.
* In ''[[Promethean: The Created]]'', it is difficult to play a character who isn't a Wandering Jew on account of a curse that all Prometheans share that gradually spoils the land and turns the locals against them.
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* Embi, a minor character in ''[[Girl Genius]]'', swore an oath to his gods when he was young to see the world before he died.
* Embi, a minor character in ''[[Girl Genius]]'', swore an oath to his gods when he was young to see the world before he died.
{{quote|'''Embi:''' When I was young and rash, I made a sacred vow to see the world before I died. Frankly, I didn't know how ''big'' it was at the time.}}
{{quote|'''Embi:''' When I was young and rash, I made a sacred vow to see the world before I died. Frankly, I didn't know how ''big'' it was at the time.}}
** This is mostly played for laughs though.
** This is mostly played for laughs though.
{{quote|'''Agatha Clay:''' ...But what has that got to do with your long life?
{{quote|'''Agatha Clay:''' ...But what has that got to do with your long life?
'''Embi:''' One of the problems with people here is that they do not take sacred vows ''at all'' seriously! }}
'''Embi:''' One of the problems with people here is that they do not take sacred vows ''at all'' seriously! }}
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=== [[Literature]] ===
=== [[Literature]] ===
* Edward Everett Hale's short story ''The Man Without a Country'' (1863) is probably the earliest version of the modern variant of the trope. In it, a man is exiled from America due to his expressed hatred of it, and is forced to live on U.S. Navy ships for the rest of his life, without ever hearing about his home country.
* Edward Everett Hale's short story ''The Man Without a Country'' (1863) is probably the earliest version of the modern variant of the trope. In it, a man is exiled from America due to his expressed hatred of it, and is forced to live on U.S. Navy ships for the rest of his life, without ever hearing about his home country.
** At least, not directly. There is one point where, upon receiving some news from another ship, the Captain tells the man "You may now remove Texas from your atlas."
** At least, not directly. There is one point where, upon receiving some news from another ship, the Captain tells the man "You may now remove Texas from your atlas."
** That said, "The Ship that Never Returned" (because it couldn't pay the docking fees) (1830) straddles the line between this variant and the Flying Dutchman one.
** That said, "The Ship that Never Returned" (because it couldn't pay the docking fees) (1830) straddles the line between this variant and the Flying Dutchman one.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Flying_Dutchman"