Frangokastello

Kreta · Greece · Fortress

At dawn in late May, the shadows of fallen warriors, the Drosoulites, are still said to march on the Venetian fortress.

This Venetian fortress of 1374 watches over the barren south coast of Sfakia in Crete. On 17 May 1828 the freedom fighter Hatzimichalis Dalianis fell here with hundreds of his men fighting the Ottomans, and every year around late May and early June locals speak of the Drosoulites, the dew people: shadows of armed warriors on foot and horseback that march at dawn from the Agios Charalambos monastery towards the fortress for a few minutes before dissolving. Scientists have suggested a mirage from the Libyan coast, but many in Sfakia remain convinced it is the army of the dead. The phenomenon ranks among Greece's most famous legends.

FAQ

Where is Frangokastello located?

Frangokastello is in Kreta, Greece.

More haunted places in Kreta

• Spinalonga Kreta · Fortress
• The Tomb of the Marathon Fallen (Tymvos Marathonomachon) Attica · Haunted site
• The Tower of Dreams (Pyrgos ton Oneiron) Attica · Tower
• The Weeping of the Caryatids (Erechtheion) Attica · Ruin
• The Funeral Procession of Piraios Street (Ta pnevmata tis Peiraios) Attica · Road
• The Haunted Shirt of Distomou Street (To stoicheiomeno poukamiso) Attica · Haunted site
• The Mavromichalis Mansion (Epavli Mavromichali) Attica · Manor
• The Athanasopoulos House (Oikia Athanasopoulou) Attica · Haunted house

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Olaf Tausch / CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons