Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: Jordan, The Wild Man of the Kohlhütte
Category: Giant
The Myth
Jordan is a savage giant who once lived with his wife, Fangga, in the Kohlhütte, a remote hut situated high in the mountains near the Ungarkopf, above the cavern known as Eggerskeller. Surrounded by steep grey cliffs and a dangerous rocky chasm, the hut served as the lair of the monstrous couple. Jordan was notorious for stealing children and livestock to devour. He also hunted fairies, capturing and killing them or imprisoning them in underground cells.
One day, Jordan brought home a badly wounded fairy, intending to kill her. His wife, however, decided that the captive could be useful as a servant. The couple kept the fairy in their hut and called her Hitte Hatte. Forced to wear servants’ clothes and perform domestic chores, she worked so efficiently that Fangga was satisfied with her. Hitte Hatte also befriended a huge black cat that Jordan had previously captured in the mountains and given to his wife. She fed the animal regularly, allowed it to sleep in her bed, and grew deeply attached to it. Although she gradually adopted the habits of a human being, she longed to escape her captors.
When Jordan was away and Fangga was asleep, Hitte Hatte fled down into the valley, taking the black cat with her. She eventually reached the Seehaus farm near the village of Strad in the Gurgl Valley, where a kind but financially struggling farming couple named Krapf employed her without asking about her origins. Hitte Hatte proved to be an exceptionally capable and diligent servant, organizing the household with remarkable skill. She remained quiet and modest, and her only great attachment was to the cat. Although she feared that Jordan would come looking for her, she was protected in the valley by its Christian boundaries, which were blessed annually by the priest and marked by small crosses and chapels. The pagan giants were said to fear these sacred protections.
Jordan’s downfall began when two boys from Strad climbed the Ungarkopf to gather strawberries and accidentally approached his hut. Hungry and tired, they saw smoke rising from the chimney and hoped to obtain something to eat. Fangga invited them inside but, fearing her husband, instructed them to hide inside the stove. When Jordan returned, he immediately smelled human flesh and demanded to know where the boys were. Fangga angrily dismissed his suspicions, but the frightened children jumped out of their hiding place. Jordan seized them, locked them in a cupboard, and left to search for a missing goat. Although Fangga was cruel, she eventually took pity on the boys and forced the cupboard door open so they could escape.
When Jordan discovered their escape, he swore to kill them and pursued them through the mountains. The boys eventually reached a roaring torrent and crossed to the other side. Jordan, deceived by their directions, searched far upstream for a plank crossing and fell into the rushing water while attempting to cross a weak, bending board. He survived and continued the chase, eventually catching sight of the boys beyond a large lake. Unable to swim, he asked them how they had crossed it. The boys told him that they had tied large stones around their necks and used them to swim across. Jordan followed their instructions, tied a heavy rock around his own neck, and jumped into the lake. The weight dragged him under, and he drowned.
Some days later, Lorenz Mayrhofer, a friend of the Seehaus farmer, returned from the market at Imst. He recounted hearing a mysterious voice from the mountains telling him to inform Hitte Hatte that Jordan was dead and that she could now return home. When Hitte Hatte heard the news, she rejoiced, thanked the farmers for their kindness, and wished them good fortune. Before disappearing through the door, she urged them to take good care of the “hairy house-worm,” referring to her beloved black cat. She was never seen again.
The farmers regretted that they had not asked Hitte Hatte more about herself, believing that she might have revealed further secrets about the supernatural world. Her disappearance left the people of Strad wondering about the fairy who had lived among them, while Jordan’s death brought an end to the terror of the savage giant.
Sources
Von Günther, Amalia, Countess. Tales and Legends of the Tyrol. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874.