Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Pfaffenkellerin, The Priest’s Cellar Woman of Zug
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Priest’s Cellar Woman, known in German as the Pfaffenkellerin, is a restless female spirit said to haunt parts of central Switzerland, particularly the Lucerne region, the canton of Schwyz, and the canton of Zug. During her lifetime, she was believed to have served as the housekeeper of a clergyman. When an illegitimate child was born in the parish, she was chosen to be its godmother. However, the housekeeper was extremely vain and spent so long attending to her appearance and arranging her hair that she arrived too late for the baptism. The child consequently died without being baptized. Soon afterward, the housekeeper herself died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Her death did not bring her peace. Condemned to wander through pitch-black nights, she became a miserable, moaning apparition whose uncombed hair fluttered wildly in the wind. Her lamentations could be heard in lonely places after dark, and her appearance was regarded as a frightening reminder of the consequences of vanity and neglecting one’s religious duties.
The Priest’s Cellar Woman was especially feared around Roßweidli on the Zugerberg. Three hardworking young women from Walchwil regularly helped local farmers with difficult agricultural tasks and were well liked for their strength and willingness to work. One Saturday evening, they were gathering cherries at Roßweidli. As darkness approached, two of the women decided to return home, but the eldest remained behind, determined to fill her basket with more fruit. Despite warnings that the Pfaffenkellerin wandered the area at night, she continued picking cherries alone.
A short time later, a terrified cry rang out, and the young woman rushed into the farmhouse. Her face was deathly pale, and she trembled so violently that she could scarcely speak. When she finally recovered enough to explain what had happened, she described how the dreadful Priest’s Cellar Woman had suddenly appeared and tried with all her strength to drag her down into a nearby ravine. The encounter confirmed the danger of remaining outdoors after dark in places haunted by the restless spirit.
Sources
“Die Pfaffenkellnerin.” SAGEN.at – Zuger Sagen. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/pfaffenkellnerin.html