Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Gnome
The Myth
In the Kempen, people once spoke of Kyrië, the king of all kabouters. His name meant “lord,” and he ruled over the little folk from within a kabouterberg hidden in one of the ancient burial mounds on the heath near Hoogeloon. From this mound, Kyrië was said to watch over his people and the land they inhabited, maintaining the quiet balance between humans and the hidden world beneath the earth.
One day, tragedy struck. A hunter, unaware of whom he faced, wounded Kyrië and killed him. Soon after, a mournful cry echoed across the heath, a voice filled with grief calling out: “Kyrië is dood! Kyrië is dood!” The lament was taken up by the kabouters themselves, mourning the loss of their lord.
After Kyrië’s death, the kabouters vanished. It was said that all of them left the Kempen, abandoning their hills and hidden homes forever. From that moment on, the burial mounds grew silent, and the land lost the unseen presence that had once dwelled beneath it. To this day, the story explains why the kabouters no longer walk the Kempen heath—and why the hills feel emptier than they once did.
Gallery
Sources
Abe de Verteller contributors. (n.d.). Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten. In Abe de Verteller, from https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Kyrië