Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: The Twelve Goblins of Mamer
Category: Goblin
The Myth
The goblins of Mamer are supernatural beings said to haunt the churchyard of Mamer, Luxembourg. They appear in a legend involving a gravedigger who was known as a drunkard and thief. On Christmas Eve, while digging a grave in the churchyard, he encountered a boy walking along the path and singing. Enraged by the boy’s singing, the gravedigger attacked and beat him. When he later reached for his brandy bottle, he noticed a small man dressed in white sitting four graves away, his tongue hanging out.
Terrified, the gravedigger tried to flee, but the little man held him back. When the gravedigger struggled against him, the spirit struck a metal object with a small hammer, producing a ringing sound. A light then appeared in the sacristy, and twelve more goblins emerged. They seized the gravedigger and forced him into an open grave, where they surrounded him. The first goblin complained that he was cold, and the others brought him fire on a shovel, which he drank. The gravedigger was ordered to drink as well, but when he refused, the goblins forced the burning substance into his mouth.
The punishment grew more brutal as the goblins twisted the gravedigger’s legs over his back and forced his head between them. They eventually threw him out of the grave and back into the churchyard, where he lay unconscious. The following day, he became ill, and the boils covering his body convinced him that the encounter had not been a dream. The legend presents the goblins as frightening supernatural enforcers who punish the gravedigger after his cruel behavior on Christmas Eve.
This account was recorded by Nikolaus Gredt in Treasure of Legends of the Luxembourg Country, published in 1883.
Sources
“Kobolde auf dem Mamer Kirchhof.” SAGEN.at – Luxemburger Sagen. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Kobolde_Mamer.html