Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Katzenfels Gnomes, Mamer Gnomes
Category: Gnome
The Myth
Near the rock known as Katzenfels, close to the road from Mamer to Kehlen, there was once a deep hollow in the rock where gnomes were said to live. Though they were never seen, they made their presence known through their work and their kindness.
When farmers plowed nearby fields and noticed smoke rising from Katzenfels, they would know the gnomes were baking bread. The plowman would then call toward the rock, “Dear gnomes, bake us a roll too!” When he later returned to his plow, he would often find a fresh roll lying there.
In those days, the good little gnomes were known to help people quietly and unseen. Once, when the water sources of the Bofort ironworks dried up and harvests were poor, a man from Mamer, father of seven children, went to Kehlen with his last money to buy bread. He returned late in a heavy snowstorm, sorrowful and empty-handed. After crossing the Kehlbach stream, he heard a loud knocking and noise ahead. Looking toward the Goldberg hill opposite Katzenfels, he saw a great furnace blazing and many shadows moving around it. These were the gnomes, working busily near their dwelling. Around them lay heaps of gold, and they were minting new coins.
The man stepped forward and told them of his misery. The little gnomes took pity on him and allowed him to take as much money as he needed to escape his hardship. But when he turned to thank them, the furnace, the gold, and the gnomes had vanished. After that time, no one ever again caught the gnomes minting gold, no matter how people tried to find their hidden riches.
The gnomes were also said to keep a cow, which they sent to graze with the cattle of the surrounding villages. Though they watched over it carefully, no shepherd ever saw the little guardians.
Another tale says that long ago, when the helpful gnomes still lived in the land, a man named Mamer passed by Katzenfels and heard cheerful hammering, like that of a blacksmith. Entering the hollow, he saw the little creatures forging gold and silver they had gathered from the mountains at night. The man later settled nearby, and the village of Mamer is said to have arisen there. The gnomes themselves have since disappeared, but their dwelling in Katzenfels can still be seen.
Gallery
Sources
sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelmännchen im Katzenfels. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Katzenfels.html
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 Gnome of Katzenfels