Das Petermännchen
Petermännchen (the little Peter manikin) is the ghost of the castle of Schwerin, who, according to several legends, had one of his places of work in the cellar vaults of the Schwerin landmark.
According to folk memory, the vaults of the castle were connected to the Petersberg in Pinnow, where the good-natured goblin with a dark facial expression worked as a blacksmith. In other versions, the figure travels the way from Pinnow to the castle over the lake or even through the air. The place where he sleeps also varies in different versions of the legend.
The dwarf-shaped figure, which always carried a lantern, a sword and a keychain, is said to have punished thieves and intruders with plagues, jokes and nightly rumbles and driven them to flee while he rewarded honest people. In addition, the goblin woke up soldiers, who had fallen asleep during the night watch.
One of Petermännchen's most consequential devilries, involved general Wallenstein during the Thirty Years' War. Legend has it that Petermännchen pestered Wallenstein, who was enfeoffed in 1628 by emperor Ferdinand II. with the Duchy of Mecklenburg, during his first night in the castle of Schwerin so badly that the great general left totally sleep-deprived and never returned again to Schwerin. Instead, the residential town of Güstrow became Wallenstein's capital.
