cazzy99

Lake Rachel Ghost

by

Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Penitents of Lake Rachel
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Lake Rachel lies in a dreadful basin on the slopes of Mount Rachel, a place feared and avoided by shepherds and hunters alike. Deep beneath its dark waters, Pontius Pilate is condemned to atone eternally for the suffering inflicted upon Jesus Christ under his rule. His punishment continues unseen at the bottom of the lake, far from the world of the living.

Three maidens are also enchanted within Lake Rachel, condemned to suffer for their sins. One of them murdered her maidservant with a slipper while she was alive. For this terrible crime, she must wear iron slippers as punishment. On Midsummer’s Eve, she is permitted to swim ashore and remove them, leaving the heavy footwear upon a stone.

Under the moonlight, the maiden wanders barefoot through the forest. Her body bears the marks of her punishment: her lower half remains black, while her face and breasts have become white again. This change reveals that she has already partially atoned for her terrible sin, though her penance is not yet complete.

The lake remains a place of sorrow, where condemned souls endure their punishments in the hope of redemption. The legend ends with a prayer that God may grant rest to all lost souls.

Sources

Watzlik, Hans. “Die Büßer.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/buesser.html

White Woman of Wijnegem

by

Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: The White Woman of Wijnegem
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The White Woman of Wijnegem appears as a mysterious white figure that roams near the canal. Although she initially resembles a ghostly woman, she may actually be a witch capable of transforming into an animal.

Around forty years before the legend was recorded, a man from Wijnegem was returning home from work along the canal. A white figure approached him and attempted to attack him. The man fired his gun at the apparition, which immediately transformed into a cat and disappeared.

The following day, the man learned that a woman known locally as a witch was lying wounded in bed. He realized that the white figure he had shot had been the witch in another form. The encounter revealed the dangerous nature of the White Woman, whose ghostly appearance concealed a shapeshifting witch.

Sources

De Cock, Alfons. Vlaamsche sagen uit den volksmond. Amsterdam: Maatschappij voor Goede en Goedkoope Lectuur, 1921.

Holmberg forest Ghost

by

Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Stranger of Holmberg
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Threat is a sinister apparition that appears in the forests of Holmberg in the middle of the night. It takes the form of a strange man with an unrecognizable face, sitting alone at a table beneath the moonlight. Its presence is eerie and threatening, and those who encounter it may be marked for death.

One night, a messenger had to cross Holmberg after midnight. Deep in the forest, he discovered a table standing in the moonlight, with the mysterious stranger seated behind it. As the messenger attempted to pass, the figure suddenly raised both arms and threatened him. Overcome with dread, the messenger hurried past with his eyes lowered, too frightened to look at the apparition.

Three days later, the messenger was dead. The encounter with the stranger had seemingly foretold his death, leaving the mysterious figure as a terrifying omen lurking in the moonlit forest.

Sources

Watzlik, Hans. “Die Drohung.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/drohung.html

Father Michael

by

Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ghost of the Princely Room
Category: Ghost

The Myth

In Andreasberg, the ghost of a deceased priest haunted the princely room of the local parsonage. He was believed to have died in a grave sin, for even after death he could find no peace. At night, his spirit paced back and forth across the room, his shoes creaking against the floor as though he were endlessly rehearsing a sermon from memory.

Father Michael, who had known the dead priest well, decided to discover what troubled the restless spirit. He wrote two letters and placed them in the haunted room. In the first, he asked the ghost to reveal its desires and explain how its soul might be redeemed. In the second, he declared that if the priest’s soul could not be saved, he would have the apparition removed from the world. That evening, Father Michael locked the room and kept the key himself.

When he returned the following morning, the second letter had mysteriously disappeared. From that day onward, the ghost was never heard or seen in the princely room again. The silence deeply affected Father Michael, who became withdrawn and renounced the pleasures of worldly life. He devoted himself to a more austere existence, and when he eventually died, people regarded him as a saint. Even a hundred years after his burial, his body was said to remain undecayed, a sign of his exceptional holiness.

Sources

Watzlik, Hans. “Pater Michael.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/patermichael.html

Disturbed Bliss

by

Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Forgiveness of the Dead, The Angels by the Pond
Category: Ghost

The Myth

In the Valais village of Ernen, a seven-year-old boy named Joseli lay dying. As his family gathered around him, his parents, siblings, and grandfather asked him to forgive them for any wrongs they had done to him during his short life. Joseli agreed to forgive everyone except his grandfather, who had once refused to give him bread when he was hungry. His family almost laughed at this complaint, remembering how fond the boy had been of bread, but soon Joseli died. They mourned him deeply while taking comfort in the belief that he now enjoyed eternal happiness among the angels in heaven.

That night, the old grandfather lay awake and heard Joseli’s voice calling to him. When the voice sounded for the third time, he finally answered, asking whether his grandson had not yet reached heaven. Joseli explained that he had been unable to enter because he had refused to forgive his grandfather for withholding the bread. The old man immediately declared that he forgave him and wished him to go straight to heaven. The room fell silent, but then beautiful music filled the air, accompanied by the joyful cries of Joseli as he ascended into heaven. The grandfather understood that even a small grievance could disturb a soul’s eternal peace until forgiveness was granted.

In Reiden, in the canton of Lucerne, another family suffered the loss of a young child. One day, the father was working at his oil mill while keeping an eye on his little son. Distracted by his work, he failed to notice the boy wandering toward a nearby pond. The child began throwing stones into the water, but when he tried to pick flowers along the bank, he fell in and drowned. When the father discovered what had happened, he carried the dead child home. The mother was devastated and could find no comfort, even when her husband reminded her that their son was now in heaven, where life was far better than on earth.

One night, as the grieving mother lay awake, she heard wonderful music coming from outside. Looking through her window, she saw the area around the pond illuminated as brightly as day. A great company of angels stood there, many playing golden harps and rejoicing in heavenly bliss. Among them stood her own son, dressed in a little white burial garment, but unlike the joyful angels, he appeared sorrowful and seemed unable to hear their music. When she called out and asked why he was sad despite living in eternal happiness, the boy answered that he could not be joyful while his mother continued to weep because he had entered heaven. His words pierced her heart. She dried her tears and resolved to remember him lovingly while rejoicing in his heavenly happiness. When she looked again, the angels rose toward heaven with their golden harps, and she saw her son ascending among them in a snow-white garment, now filled with joy. The darkness returned, but distant heavenly music continued to comfort her. From that night onward, the mother found peace, understanding that love for the dead need not mean endless sorrow.

Sources

“Die gestörte Seligkeit.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/gestoerte_seeligkeit.html

Hüfifirn Soul

by

Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Penitent Women of Hüfifirn
Category: Ghost

The Myth

On the Hüfifirn glacier in the Maderanertal valley, a hunter encountered two mysterious women trapped in the ice, each enduring a different stage of supernatural punishment. The first woman was frozen up to her neck in the glacier, yet she sang beautifully, seemingly filled with joy despite her terrible confinement. Further along the ice, the hunter discovered another woman whose feet were frozen in place. Unlike the first, she wept bitterly, overwhelmed by her suffering.

Puzzled by their contrasting reactions, the hunter gathered his courage and asked the weeping woman why she mourned while the other woman, trapped almost entirely beneath the ice, sang so merrily. The second woman explained that their suffering marked different stages of their penance. Her own torment was only beginning, and she still had to sink completely into the ice before she could be redeemed. The other woman, by contrast, was approaching the end of her punishment and would soon be released.

The two women were therefore condemned to endure the glacier’s icy embrace until their respective periods of penance were complete. Their strange encounter revealed that suffering could be a sign of approaching redemption, and that even the most terrible punishment might eventually come to an end.

Sources

“Die büßenden Seelen.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Uri). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/uri/diebuessendenseelen.html

Gescheneralp Ghost

by

Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Martin’s Tschägg
Category: Ghost

The Myth

In the meadows of Gescheneralp, a cow named Tschägg, belonging to a man named Martin, died through the fault of its cowherd. The cowherd himself eventually died, but even after death, his spirit could find no peace. At certain times, especially on the evenings before major religious holidays, his ghost appeared high upon a rock overlooking the meadows. Crouching on the ground as though gathering berries, he would repeatedly call down the same words: “Martin’s Tschägg is dead.”

The ghost continued this strange ritual until Martin himself happened to pass through the area. Seeing the mysterious figure gathering berries on the rock, Martin heard him repeat the familiar words about his dead cow. Instead of expressing anger or blaming the deceased cowherd, Martin simply called back, “Yes, I know; it’s a real gift.”

With those words, the ghost was finally released from his restless existence. From that moment onward, he was never seen again. Martin’s forgiving response had redeemed the dead cowherd, allowing his spirit to find peace at last.

Sources

“Die Vergebung.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Uri). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/uri/dievergebung.html

Night Monk

by

Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Twelve Night Monks
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Night Monks are mysterious apparitions that appear around Gratzen Castle, emerging from beneath its walls under the light of the moon. They are twelve in number, dressed in dark robes tied with ropes around their waists. Their beards are long and ice-gray, their faces snow-white, and their eyes are always cast toward the ground. Each carries a tall, burning candle in his hands.

One night, in the castle’s red tower, a woman who had recently given birth slept beside her newborn child while the midwife kept watch. Looking out of the window, the woman saw the moonlight shining brilliantly across the castle wall. Suddenly, the wall below opened, revealing subterranean steps from which the twelve monks slowly ascended.

Without speaking or making a sound, the monks marched past the ancient castle. They passed straight through its solid walls as effortlessly as if they were moving through cobwebs, then vanished into the darkness. Their ghostly appearance filled the castle’s warden with dread, and he feared that the mysterious procession was a warning of some terrible misfortune to come.

Sources

Watzlik, Hans. “Die Nachtmönche.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/nachtmoenche.html

Poor Soul

by

Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Restless Lights
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Poor Souls are mysterious spirits that appear as blue lights wandering across the mossy forest floor in the Bohemian Forest. One night, children from Seewies were roaming through the woods when they encountered these strange lights sweeping back and forth in the darkness. Frightened by the sight, they fled until they reached a hermitage, where an ice-gray hermit knelt in prayer.

Inside the hermitage, the children gradually regained their courage. They began pointing at the restless lights and calling them all sorts of names. But their mockery angered the spirits. Suddenly, the blue lights appeared directly outside the window and began pounding against it so violently that the entire building rattled. The children’s courage vanished, and they crawled beneath the hermit’s long beard, desperately begging him to protect them.

The hermit told the children to gather all the breadcrumbs they could find and scatter them in front of the door. They eagerly followed his instructions, offering the crumbs to the wandering lights. Once the spirits had been fed, they calmed down and soon disappeared, returning to their distant wanderings across the moss.

The legend teaches that even a humble offering can soothe restless spirits, while mocking or provoking them may bring fear and trouble upon those who encounter them.

Sources

“Arme Seelen.” In Hans Watzlik, Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/armeseelen.html

Simandlin

by

Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ghost of Simandel’s Wife
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Beneath an old oak tree in the Seewieser court lies the grave of the farmer’s wife known as Simandlin. She was a wicked and quarrelsome woman who gave neither her husband nor her neighbours any peace. Her sharp tongue was said to sting worse than thistles and thorns, making life miserable for everyone around her.

When Simandlin died, she refused to remain quietly in her grave and attempted to haunt the living. Her restless spirit proved so troublesome that a single clergyman could not banish her. It took a bishop and eight priests working together to finally force her into the grave and bring her peace underground.

Yet the haunting was not believed to be over forever. According to the legend, after a hundred years had passed, Simandlin’s spirit would return to trouble the living once more. The century was said to be drawing to a close, and people feared that the wicked farmer’s wife would soon rise again. Her tale survives alongside the warning that a wicked woman can be worse than bad weather in the sky.

Sources

“Das Fegefeuer.” In Hans Watzlik, Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/fegfeuer.html