Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: The Firebal
Category: Flame
The Myth
Die Feuerkugel is a supernatural ball of fire that haunts the Höllenfeld near Bech, Luxembourg. It appears like a living bowling ball, rolling along the road and persistently moving beneath the feet of anyone who tries to step around it. Its strange movements make it almost impossible to avoid, as though it deliberately seeks to trip those who encounter it.
One evening, a winemaker from Bech passed the Höllenfeld late at night. He had often boasted that he had walked past the place a thousand times, at every hour of the night, without ever witnessing anything unusual. This time, however, a fireball appeared on the road before him. It rolled toward his feet, repeatedly threatening to slip beneath whichever foot he put forward. Unable to escape its path, the winemaker watched as the ball grew larger and larger before rising into the air and hovering above his head.
Suddenly, the enormous fireball exploded with a terrifying bang. A blazing figure sprang onto the road in front of the deathly pale winemaker, clapped its hands, and vanished. The encounter shattered the man’s confidence, and the once fearless winemaker could never again be persuaded to pass the Höllenfeld after nightfall.
Sources
La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.