#obscurefolklore

[theyoungwaldschrat]

The wild hunt 1

“Between Onstmettingen and Bitz on the Swabian Alb lies the Linkenbol, a small hill, avoided by locals. On cold days the fog creeps out of the hill. That is the steam from the cauldron of the Linkenbold, who’s cooking for his bunch. In the rough nights they ride out, galloping over the sky. The Linkenbold leads Mottes Heer, the wild hunt.”

Oral tradition from the Swabian Alb

The old German word Bol refers to a homestead, burrow or holy hill. Linkenbol is very likely a reference to the Swabian nickname for Odin, Lingowalt (The distributor of luck). The connection is strengthend by the mention of Mottes Heer (Motte’s army), also called the wild hunt, a common folklore element in south-west Germany. The name Mottes is derived from Wuotes (1550s) and ultimately from the West-Germanic name of Odin, Wuotan. The wild hunt rides across the sky with the Einherjar, the army of the fallen, making lots of noise and mischief. It is linked to the Rauhnächte (rough nights) between winter solstice and new year, when the veil between worlds is said to be thin. There are dozens of sightings recorded throughout the centuries, but this one stands out, as it gives a location of origin. The mentioned hill contains a large cave which was only discovered in 1761, but it explains the fog rising from the small holes in the ground. 

see Wilhelm Hertz “Mythologie der schwäbischen Volkssagen” 1884

little known German folklore 2/?

[theyoungwaldschrat]

Milking the axe

“ ‘There used to be many sorcerers in the Schapbach valley forty and more years ago.’ told an old lumberjack whose co-workers died or emmigrated to Transylvania. He said that there were a few amongst them that were capable of more than just eating bread. For example, once, when they were cooking coffee in the forest, they noticed they forgot the milk. ‘No worries, I got this’ one of them said and proceeded to strike his axe into a big root. He put a bowl under it and started to milk the handle until the bowl was full. ‘This milk is from farmer X’s cows.’ he claimed, and sure enough, when farmer X’s maiden tried to milk the cows, she found them milked dry. There were many useful talents, but no witch nor sorcerer ever got rich off them.”

Translated from Alemannia 23, 1895

little known German folklore 3/?

[animalcaretips555]

Obscure Folklore Stories from Rural America

Rural America is a landscape rich with tradition, history, and stories that have been passed down through generations. Among these stories, some remain tucked away in the quiet corners of small towns and deep woods—obscure folklore that reflects the unique cultures and fears of the people who first told them. Read more

[theyoungwaldschrat]

The little earthmen 1

“Every night, two little earthmen or little mountainmen used to come to the innkeeper of the “Lamm” in Neubulach and baked the bread for him. He only had to put out the flour in the evenings and found the bread ready in the morning. One night, he peeked and watched them work and saw that they were naked and had big eyes. The innkeeper felt sorry for them, so he had two new clothes made for them and put them next to the flour. The next morning, the clothes were gone, but so were the earthmen and they never came back. He had “payed them off” and they don’t like that, because they want to do their favors for free. Back when the little earthmen ruled, the world looked much nicer than now.”

Oral tradition from Neubulach, recorded by Maier, 1852

Little known German folklore 1/?