Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Niederfeulen Gnomes, Hinterberg Wichtelcher
Category: Gnome
The Myth
In the region around the village of Niederfeulen, in a place called Hinterberg, little gnomes were once said to live in caves deep beneath the earth. They were scarcely taller than a child of eight years, were never seen during the day, and only came out at night. They were said to run faster than the swiftest horse.
To housewives who treated them kindly, they spun the finest yarn. They gathered the yarn themselves and returned it unseen, no matter how closely people tried to watch them. But anyone who wronged them or bore them ill will was robbed by them whenever they had the chance, and the stolen goods were kept in their underground cave.
Once a very strong man caught one of the little gnomes who had taken a loaf of bread from him. He held the creature tightly and meant to punish it. But the gnome fought back fiercely, scratching at him and nearly clawing out his eyes. He would likely have killed the man had he not managed to escape.
After this, the people grew greatly afraid of the gnomes and gave them whatever they wanted.
Gallery
Sources
sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelmännchen zu Niederfeulen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Niederfeulen.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