Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative names: Moo Calf
Category: Cow
The Myth
The Muhkalb is a legendary creature found in folklore from Rheinhessen, the Rheingau, and other parts of southwestern Germany. It is usually described as an enormous calf with the head of a fully grown cow and glowing eyes. In some traditions, it appears as a hybrid of a bull and a maiden.
The Muhkalb appears only at night and terrifies people with its terrible bellowing. It is said to leap onto the backs of its victims and, in some accounts, trample them to death.
The legends surrounding the creature vary considerably between different locations. In Jugenheim, the Muhkalb was said to be the transformed spirit of an unfaithful nun who had drowned herself and her child in a well. As punishment, she was condemned to wander as a cow-calf, warning lovers against committing similar acts.
In Lorch, the Muhkalb was said to inhabit the dark gateway of the Hilchenhaus. It particularly tormented adulterers, usurious wine merchants, and brawlers. According to one local legend, around 1550 it even saved the town from bankruptcy by driving away officials of the Elector of Mainz who had come to collect war debts.
In Heilbronn, a butcher during the Thirty Years’ War was accused of selling dog meat as veal. He denied the accusation and swore that, if it were true, he would be reborn as a calf. He soon died of the plague, and thereafter was said to haunt the city at night in the form of the Muhkalb.
In Saarbrücken, the creature was described as a calf that appeared in the streets during the evening and grew to an unnatural size before shrinking again. It could also change its appearance, taking the forms of a dog, cow, donkey, or horse. Some accounts described it simply as a headless calf.
Sources
“Muhkalb.” Wikipedia: Die freie Enzyklopädie (German Wikipedia). Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 29, 2026. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhkalb