Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Horse
The Myth
A legend from the Rohrwald Forest in Lower Austria tells of the origin of a mysterious three-legged horse ridden by the devil.
Two farmers became lost while gathering firewood in the Kaltenberg section of the forest. After wandering for a long time, they encountered a man dressed in a black cloak and round black hat. When he lifted his hat, they saw that he had two horns and realized he was the devil.
The stranger offered to guide them back to the proper road if they would lend him one of their horses. While the farmers unharnessed a black horse, the devil offered them a bottle of wine, which they eagerly drank. He then mounted the horse and led them through the forest until they reached the correct path.
When the devil turned to ride away with the borrowed horse, the farmers chased after him with their hoes. One of them swung his hoe at the devil but missed, striking the horse’s left hind leg instead. The leg immediately turned to stone and fell to the ground, where it remained as a stone shaped like a horse’s hoof.
From that night onward, the devil’s horse was said to have only three legs whenever it was seen riding through the forest after dark.
The two farmers returned home and told their families what had happened. Both died that same night, and it was said that by drinking the devil’s wine they had unknowingly sold their souls to him.
Sources
Vernaleken, T. (1859). Das dreibeinige Pferd (Nr. 13). In Mythen und Bräuche des Volkes in Österreich: Als Beitrag zur deutschen Mythologie, Volksdichtung und Sittenkunde. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/allgemein/vernaleken/wuotan_13.html.