Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Head That Sought Confession
Category: Ghost
The Myth
A monk from the monastery in Krummau once set out on a pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary at Gojau. He intended to arrive at the Church of Our Lady and confess something that troubled his conscience. Before nightfall, however, he had to pass through a dangerous forest known for its robbers. As he made his way along the path, a band of robbers suddenly sprang from the thicket and attacked him. One of them struck him so fiercely with a sword that his head was severed from his neck.
Although the monk’s body lay dead, his bloody head continued to live. It rolled along the forest paths, tumbling both uphill and downhill, and even floated through streams. Wherever it went, it uttered the same desperate plea: “Confess! Confess!” Unable to find peace, the severed head continued its strange pilgrimage toward the holy church.
At last, the head reached the Church of Our Lady in Gojau. There, a priest heard its confession and granted absolution. Only after the monk’s sins had been forgiven did the bloody head finally die, ending its terrible journey. The legend tells of a soul so burdened by its conscience that even death could not prevent it from seeking forgiveness.
Sources
Watzlik, Hans. “Die wilde Wallfahrt.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/wildewallfahrt.html