Antwerp, Belgium

Legend tells us that Antwerp got its name from the Dutch ‘hendwerpen’, meaning 'hand throwing'.  The story says that Druon Antigoon was a giant who lived near the river Scheldt.  He would charge a toll to any passing boatmen and if anyone tried to get away without paying him, he would cut off one of their hands and throw it in the river.  The giant was eventually killed by a man named Silvius Brabo who, in a form of poetic justice, cut off the giant’s hand and flung it into the river.  This story is immortalised in the statue of Silvius Brabo in the centre of Antwerp, depicting his throwing of the giant’s hand.