Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Bartringen Stable Gnome, Bartringen Brownie
Category: Gnome
The Myth
In Bartringen, a little gnome once served as a stable boy in a nearby household. Each evening, after the farmer had thrown the fodder down from the hayloft into the stable, he would call out, “Tomorrow you feed the horses at such and such an hour!” Then he would go to bed.
The little fellow, who usually sat high up in the barn, heard the order but gave no answer. Still, he obeyed with perfect punctuality. When the farmer came to the stable in the morning, he would find the industrious helper already at work, sometimes sitting on one of the horses with a comb in his hand. In a moment, the gnome would dart through the hayloft door and disappear back into his place.
The farmer was grateful for the help. Each day, the doors from the stable to the kitchen hearth were left open, and a bowl of food — though without a spoon — was placed for the little worker. After eating, he would return to his post and continue tending the stable and the horses.
One winter, however, the cold was severe. Feeling pity for their small servant, the people had a pair of breeches made for him and laid them beside his food. When the little man came at midday and saw the clothes, he stood there thinking. The household called to him to put them on, for the weather was bitterly cold.
But the gnome believed the breeches were payment for his service and a sign that the family wished to dismiss him. He began to weep loudly, left the house at once, and was never seen there again.
Gallery
Sources
sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Das Heinzelmännchen zu Bartringen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Heinzelmaennchen_Bartringen.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