The letter that writer and cartoon artist Marten Toonder wrote to John Gigengack (Duivendrecht, the Netherlands) in 1987
	Translation of the letter from Marten Toonder to John Gigengack     Wammes Waggel and Tom Poes     Dear mister Gigengack, The troubadour explanation is plausible for sure, and also romantic. In middle Dutch for gigen there is also another explanation. The word ghighen means namely pant, and also hiccup. Gack or gak however is in all considerable languages the sound of a goose (gakken or gacken). It is of course possible, that your forefather had his own style when he sung a ballad. That is likely, because both ghighen and the gak have to do with making sound. My own Giegelgak [the story, EG] is just mentioned after a giggling goose; in this case Wammes Waggel, and the similarity therefore is completely coincidental. But I agree with you, it is curious. Kind regards, Marten Toonder
	The letter that was first sent to Marten Toonder by John Gigengack
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