Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Holy Deer, Supernatural Hares
Category: Rabbit
The Myth
Legends from the Bohemian Forest in the Czech Republic tell of supernatural animals encountered during sacred times of the Christian calendar. One story takes place shortly after the Swedish period, when a miller and his companion went poaching on Palm Sunday. Following a deer’s tracks into a forest, the miller declared that the animal would have to return. He cut a small heart-shaped piece from the right track and laid it down facing the opposite direction, then the two men hid behind some bushes. After the time it takes to recite two Lord’s Prayers, the stag returned, carrying a shining cross between its antlers. The poachers dared not raise their rifles against the holy animal. Instead, they ran to the church and never hunted deer again.
Another tale concerns Lenz of Kohlheim, who went hunting on a holy night. He was suddenly surrounded by a herd of strange hares. One had crooked horns, another possessed a long tail, and others had enormous, glowing eyes. Thinking the creatures unusual, Lenz shot one and placed it in his hunting bag. As he prepared to return home, the other hares emerged from the bushes and ditches, pursuing him while calling, “Gabriel, where are you?” The captured hare answered from inside the bag, “In there! In there!” The others then called for “Langöhrl” to join them. Terrified, Lenz threw away both the bag and the hare, abandoned his gun, and fled toward the village.
The following day, churchgoers discovered that Lenz’s rifle had been completely bitten apart and eaten away. The tale presents the hares as uncanny beings whose strange appearances and supernatural powers make hunting them dangerous, particularly during a sacred night. Together, the stories warn against hunting at holy times and portray certain animals as manifestations of sacred or otherworldly forces.
Sources
“Heilige Zeit” (Holy Time). SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/heiligezeit.html