Tradition / Region: Luxembourgish Mythology
Alternative names: The Black Phantom Horse
Category: Horse
The Myth
According to a Luxembourgish legend, the robber knight Raul lived with his brothers in the castle of Gräfingen, where they enriched themselves through theft and plunder. Raul possessed an extraordinary coal-black horse that surpassed all others in speed and intelligence. It could sense enemies and danger, safely carry its master across the most treacherous paths, and leap over ditches and rivers with ease.
At last, the robber knights were defeated. Raul’s brothers were captured by armed peasants, tied to the tails of their own horses, and dragged to death before being brought back to the castle. As the attackers stormed the fortress and set it ablaze, they drove the horses carrying the corpses through the gates.
Rather than surrender, Raul mounted his faithful horse and rode along the top of the castle walls while the flames consumed the fortress. Startled by the fire, the horse leapt from the high wall into the burning courtyard. Raul’s clothes caught fire, but the horse escaped unharmed and burst through the castle gate.
Witnesses saw Raul riding like a blazing meteor through the astonished crowd. Horse and rider raced across the plain before plunging down the steep hillside into the River Eisch, where the flames were extinguished and both vanished beneath the water.
From that day onward, Raul’s horse has wandered the quiet banks of the Eisch searching for its lost master. It appears as a coal-black stallion with a mane so long it reaches its hooves, though when it runs the mane rises into the air with a whistling sound. Its golden bridle and saddle shine in the darkness.
Anyone who is frightened by the phantom horse becomes so confused that they inevitably fall into the river. Those who remain fearless cause the black horse to flee and disappear beneath the water. Legend also says that whoever dares to mount the ghostly steed will be carried to the hidden underground vault where Raul and his brothers concealed their immense treasure.
Sources
de la Fontaine, E. (1882). Nr. 134. Die Schätze der Raubritter. (pp. 66–68). In Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Jos. Beffort.