A local legend...

I would like to tell you a legend that many Capetonians hold dear to their heart. It is a legend that has been passed on down through the years and is still fondly shared today. It is the legend of Table Mountain’s snowy table cloth and where it came from. It is the legend of how Devil’s Peak got its name. It is the legend of Van Hunks and the Devil.

In summer months, the South Easter blows a cloud cover over Table Mountain, which has become fondly identified as its table cloth. It is a peculiar phenomenon and here is the legend that explains it...

Van Hunks and the Devil, taken from1horsetown.co.za

A retired pirate named Van Hunks (in some adaptations he is said to have been the fierce pirate Blackbeard) had had enough of the cruel seas and had decided to settle down in Cape Town with his wife. They lived in a little house at the base of Table Mountain and every sunny day Van Hunks would climb the mountain to the slope now known as Devil’s Peak to smoke his beloved tobacco as his wife could not handle the smell. He would light his pipe as he watched the boats in the harbour. He believed no one could smoke as much tobacco as he could.

One day he climbed to his favourite spot to find a stranger in a black cloak and wide-brimmed hat already sitting there. The stranger greeted him by name. Out of manners, Van Hunks decided to sit with the man and smoke his pipe. The stranger lit his own pipe with a flame conjured out of thin air. Van Hunks did not pay much attention.

The two men began to chat and soon an argument about who could smoke the most tobacco ensued. This led to a smoking competition between the two men. They smoked throughout that day, into the night and were still puffing away the next day. The clouds of smoke they created covered the mountain.

Soon the stranger started turning green and fell off his seat. His hat fell off, showing the two horns that were hiding under it. Van Hunks was delighted at beating the devil but his victory was short-lived.  The devil disappeared with Van Hunks and he was never seen again. Today when the cloudy table cloth covers Table Mountain, Capetonians will tell you that Van Hunks and the Devil are at it again. It is from this legend that the slope received its name, Devil’s Peak.

Table Mountain's table cloth taken from andrewcurrie.ca

Devil's Peak taken from pamgolding.co.za