The Bahkauv [German folklore]
In the German city of Aachen, a local folktale concerns an aquatic monster that supposedly once inhabited the old drainage canal, specifically of the Büchel and Kaiser springs. The creature somewhat resembled a monstrous calf, so the locals took to calling it ‘Bahkauv’, meaning something like ‘creek calf’.
Accounts on the appearance of the Bahkauv tend to vary. While it always resembles a calf with monstrous characteristics, accounts disagreed on the details. Common characteristics for the Bahkauv are a thick shaggy fur, glowing eyes, sharp teeth, bear-like paws that ended in sharp talons, and a long tail that dragged behind it.
It was known to bite people: at least one account claims that a victim was bitten in the neck. It is also known that the monster was equipped with chains around its legs and neck. The rattling of these chains was often heard in the vicinity of the city’s waterways.
The Bahkauv was strictly nocturnal and preferred to attack drunkards at night. While there are accounts of the monster mauling its victims, it was actually more of a trickster than a real danger: the monster never killed people. Instead, it played a particular and supernatural prank: when the Bahkauv spotted a suitable victim, usually a drunk man trying to get home after a night out, the creature jumped on the victim’s back in order to be carried. As soon as the victim reached their home, the Bahkauv released him and disappeared. Interestingly, the creature would inexplicably become heavier if the victim tried to pray while carrying the unwanted rider. Conversely, if the victim cursed the monster, it would become lighter.
While this might seem like a strangely particular thing, the concept of a supernatural monster that hops on people’s backs and demands to be carried is actually a recurring trope in European folktales. In Germany, there are stories about a different bogeyman that does this, which is called Aufhocker. Usually, these unwanted piggyback riders have a wolf-like appearance but that is not always the case. In Austrian folklore, it was a witch, and yet another version featured an undead wandering spirit who needed to be carried to a church in order to redeem his soul.
Interestingly, it has been hypothesized in recent years that these mythological creatures were actually phantom-body connectomes, a neurological phenomenon in which the brain incorrectly believes that a heavy load is being carried, which is caused by the activation of the brain’s temporo-parietal junction. This would explain why a strangely specific premise is so common in folktales across several cultures.
For what it’s worth, the Bahkauv eventually disappeared. The locals theorized that when the entrances to the city’s underground waterways were closed, the creature ended up locked inside.
Sources: Braun, W. W., 2024, Sagenhaftes, Mythen, Märchen und Legenden aus Deutschen Landen und der Welt, BoD Books on Demand, 320 pp., p. 157. Lecouteux, C., 2016, Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic. Armand, F., 2021, Aufhocker: Quand l’Identité Alien d’un de nos corps-fantômes se porte sur le dos, Caietele Echinox, 41 :85-99. (Image source 1: Evgeny Shvenk, illustration for the TTG ‘Cryptic Nature’) (Image source 2: Phasemoth)
