Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: Der Krügekrämer, The Jug Peddler
Category: Giant
The Myth
The Krügekrämer was a mysterious, gigantic figure said to haunt the northeastern corner of the Remich Forest in Luxembourg, near a salty spring known as the Salzbur. The spring flowed into the Moselle almost as soon as it emerged from the ground. Fishermen traveling home by boat at night frequently encountered the strange, tall man near the spring. They gave him the name Krügekrämer, meaning “Jug Peddler,” because he carried a large number of earthenware jugs that clattered together ominously as he moved.
The apparition reportedly followed the fishermen along the river until they reached a nearby small ravine, where he vanished without a trace. His immense height made him especially frightening to those who encountered him in the darkness.
One fisherman recounted seeing the Krügekrämer himself on a late winter evening. He and a companion had gone fishing and intended to land near the Salzbur to unwind their fishing line. As they approached, the fisherman heard the unmistakable clatter of clay vessels striking one another. When the moon emerged from behind a cloud, he saw the figure standing close before him, as tall as a poplar tree. His companion had noticed nothing, but the fisherman quickly signaled to him, and they hurriedly rowed to the opposite bank of the Moselle to escape the uncanny apparition.
Sources
La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Gesammelt und herausgegeben von Ed. de la Fontaine. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.