Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Black Hiesel of Zassau
Category: Forest dweller
The Myth
The Black Hiesel was a notorious poacher from Zassau who roamed the Wallerer woods, hunting stags and deer while evading the lawful hunters. He possessed extraordinary supernatural protection: no bullet, blade, or iron weapon could harm him. Lead bullets softened against his skin, and even when the marksmen surrounded him and fired at close range, he emerged unharmed. His resilience made him a source of fear and frustration among the local hunters, who watched helplessly as he continued to kill the forest’s game.
Hiesel also possessed the power to transform himself into other forms. When the Wallerer marksmen cornered him, he could become a young green fir tree or a withered hare. His pursuers would pass him without recognizing him, sometimes standing nearby while discussing their plans to capture him. Hidden in these disguises, Hiesel listened to everything they said and escaped their traps. His ability to blend into the forest made him nearly impossible to catch, and the hunters gradually grew uneasy and lost their courage.
Eventually, the marksmen managed to overpower Hiesel, but ordinary weapons remained useless against him. Unable to kill him with bullets, blades, or iron, they resorted to a different method: they smashed his skull with a drum. Thus ended the career of the seemingly invulnerable poacher whose supernatural toughness and shapeshifting had long allowed him to defy the hunters of the Wallerer woods.
Sources
Hans Watzlik. “Hiesel.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/hiesel.html