The article seeks to encourage reflection about the creation and development of a cult
status in Dutch culture: in the Dutch past, but also in the present. It focuses on the case of
Michiel de Ruyter (1607–1676). He has long been represented as ‘zeeheld’ (naval hero),
but his status as hero is currently under scrutiny in the Netherlands. The article dissects
cultural representations of De Ruyter to explain why he turned from a typical exponent of
the seventeenth century ‘zeehelden’ into a – criticized – exponent of the Dutch merchant.
It also briefly explores the possibility of yet another turn in the way De Ruyter is memorized culturally in the Netherlands. Could the memory of De Ruyter, and more in particular
his linguistic and literary skills, serve as a shield against the growing illiteracy in the
Netherlands?