Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Simmern Gnomes, Griéfchen Gnomes
Category: Gnome
The Myth
Not far from the Griéfchen, a plateau-like hill near Greisch, a great number of gnomes were once said to live. They came out at night and secretly stole from the people, often taking their ripe grain from the fields.
At last the villagers resolved to put an end to this. They surprised the little thieves with a trick and stoned many of them to death. The place where this happened was afterwards said to have received the name Stênrausch, the Stone Rush.
Afterward, when most of the male gnomes had been destroyed, a single female gnome was said to remain for a long time. She lived alone in a rocky cave and was often seen, yet no one dared steal from her or harm her. The cave where she lived is still pointed out, as is the place where she kept her fire.
Because of her presence, the place came to be called Wölfragrond, the Wild Woman’s Ground.
Gallery
Sources
sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtlein bei Simmern. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Simmern.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