The name of the Belgian port city of Antwerp is said to have derived from 'hand werpen' which literally means 'hand throw'. Legend has it that around the beginning of the Gregorian calender the giant Druoon Antigoon stood guard at the bend in the Scheldt and levied a heavy toll on every passing ship. Any shipmaster who did not pay had a hand cut off. However, this practice was brought to an end when Silvius Brabo, a Roman soldier, slew the giant and promptly chopped off one of his hands and threw it into the River.
For what it is worth, nobody believes this except the folks of Antwerp who to this day commemorate their liberator on the main square. It is probably the most colourful of the theories on how Antwerp got its name however it does symbolise the freeing of the river from oppressive taxes levied by wealthy landowners. But there is also a scientific explanation. Antwerpen probably derives from 'aanwerp': a promontory created by alluvial deposit near the Steen stronghold.
