Table Mountain was first named Taboa de Cabo by the Portuguese Admiral Antonio de Saldanha. The mountain’s flat top is often covered by a thick cloud which is therefore known as the tablecloth. The San believe that the cloud is a huge white animal skin, thrown there by their god Mantis, to smother a blaze. The dassies (or hyrax) on the mountain are revered by the San as the reincarnation of Mantis’s wife. (The Mantis female eats the male after mating, so she is worth looking after). Another legend suggests that the cloud was deposited there during a smoking competition between the devil and a local pirate called Van Hunks. Great name for a pirate! The south-easter can blow over the mountain at up to 130 km/h and is known as the Cape Doctor because it clears the air of smog. And Van Hunks, obviously.