Gouden-Handrei Canal, Bruges

Long ago, when the Golden Handrei was still called Saint-Gillisreitje, the water of the bridge channels was so pure that it was swarming with fish. Perch, bream, pike, carp, roach, cole and eel. You just had to eject a net or a wire and a few minutes later you already had a bite. There was also a lot of fishing in the canals. But, as was well known, it would be better to stay away from eels. Eel has something like a snake. Moreover, it is buried for most of the day to emerge at night. So the animal had to be possessed by the devil. There was an unwritten law prohibiting eel fishing. You better do not bring the devil out of the water ... Well, there was a man, they say, he came from Lissewege, who paid little attention to these laws and traditions.
One night he laid a trap in the Saint-Gilles train. The next morning he picked her up full of writhing eels. His eyes glittered with pleasure as they saw so many delicious fish. His wife would make a nice pot out of it. They would not have to fear a hungry stomach for several days.
But to his surprise, he saw that a beautiful golden eel wiggled among the others. Inquisitive, he pulled the fuse even higher to lift the eel on dry land. Until suddenly a strong, golden hand rose from the water. He grabbed the man by the ankle and dragged him into the water. Never has anyone heard of the poor bastard and since then the inhabitants of Lisseweg are referred to as scornful "eel catcher".
Since then, at night, in the light of the moon, a glowing golden hand, from which a golden eel spun, could rise from the water.
It was as if the devil himself warned the fishermen not to fish for eels. It was not possible because since that day all the eels disappeared from the Reien and she never returned.
To commemorate this weird incident, a hand lifting an eel across the water was cut into bluestone. This stone is still on the south side of the bridge, which has since been called the Golden Hand Bridge. And the Sint-Gillisreitje?
That became the Golden Handrei. And the Sint-Gillisnieuwstraete became the Gouden-Handstraat.
brugselegenden.blogspot.de/2014/10/de-legende-van-de-gouden-paling.html

The Golden Handrei was originally named "Saint-Gilles" after the parish of Saint-Gilles in the north. Later, after 1700, the Rei was named after a house in the Gouden-Handstraat.

The Golden Handrei is part of the first Bruges city wall and was dug in 1127-1128 together with the Smedenrei, the Speelmansei and the Augustijnenrei. Possibly the water and perhaps partly the bed of the stream, albeit unsightly, could be used. In 1270, the Golden Handrei was deepened along with the other indoor units to enable shipping. Until the beginning of the 20th century, ships that moored regularly on the golden hand and the golden hand bridge were a swing bridge.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouden-Handrei