Nearly 200 years ago, one of the many glorious chapters of the 1821 Greek War of Independence was written in Crete. Although its outcome was far from victorious.
It was the battle between the men of the brave commander Hatzimichalis Dalianis, who were defending Frangokastello — an imposing Venetian-built fortress — against the hordes of Mustafa Pasha. It was May 18, 1828. The battle was fierce but unequal. The Greeks were defeated, leaving behind 338 dead, among them Dalianis.
From this sacrifice, another legend was born. As the bodies of the Greeks remained unburied and were quickly covered by sand, their souls were said to never find rest. And since then, every year around this time — in the days following the battle, late May or early June — just before dawn, human-shaped shadows appear on the castle walls, moving one after another for 8–10 minutes, resembling the heroic warriors of Dalianis. In a silent, otherworldly procession of mourning, a kind of annual memorial they hold for their disembodied selves before disappearing into the sea.
These are the famous Drosoulites. Well known in Crete ever since, but their fame has spread beyond the island and Greece, attracting significant international scientific interest.
Scientists from various fields have at times visited Frangokastello to observe the phenomenon firsthand and attempt to interpret it. Visitors from around the world patiently wait for hours, trying to confirm a reality that fuels their imagination.
Some claim they have clearly seen the Drosoulites — as shadows under specific conditions of high humidity and calm winds, just before sunrise during the relevant time period mentioned above. However, the phenomenon has never been officially recorded, as the light at those hours is minimal.
The first sightings were made by shepherds, who saw above the Monastery of Agios Charalambos an entire army of black human-like shadows, foot soldiers and horsemen with weapons and swords advancing toward the sea. Frangokastello — the “castle of the Franks” — is located in southwestern Crete, in the Chania region, about 12 km east of Chora Sfakion.
It was built between 1371–1374 by the Venetians at the request of the Sfakians to protect the area from pirates, and later came under Ottoman control when they conquered Crete. It was used as a base to suppress ongoing Cretan uprisings. This brings us to 1828.
The legend of the Drosoulites is so strong that much later, one morning in 1942, German soldiers also claimed to have seen several armed men in formation walking into the castle. They took defensive positions thinking they were rebels or intruders; according to some accounts, they even opened fire on the shadows.
Some scientists attributed the human shapes to shadows cast from the mountains onto the water vapor over the beach in front of the castle, others to mass autosuggestion, and others to mirages from soldiers in distant Libya under certain atmospheric conditions.
The most widespread explanation attributes the phenomenon to a simple optical illusion caused by the evaporation of morning dew. The light mist often created can produce shapes on the walls that may be perceived as human figures.
SOURCE: Legends and Mysteries Haunting Greece
