Mythology

Krummau Monk

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Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Head That Sought Confession
Category: Ghost

The Myth

A monk from the monastery in Krummau once set out on a pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary at Gojau. He intended to arrive at the Church of Our Lady and confess something that troubled his conscience. Before nightfall, however, he had to pass through a dangerous forest known for its robbers. As he made his way along the path, a band of robbers suddenly sprang from the thicket and attacked him. One of them struck him so fiercely with a sword that his head was severed from his neck.

Although the monk’s body lay dead, his bloody head continued to live. It rolled along the forest paths, tumbling both uphill and downhill, and even floated through streams. Wherever it went, it uttered the same desperate plea: “Confess! Confess!” Unable to find peace, the severed head continued its strange pilgrimage toward the holy church.

At last, the head reached the Church of Our Lady in Gojau. There, a priest heard its confession and granted absolution. Only after the monk’s sins had been forgiven did the bloody head finally die, ending its terrible journey. The legend tells of a soul so burdened by its conscience that even death could not prevent it from seeking forgiveness.

Sources

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

Sträggeln and the Wild Türst

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Sträggeln, Türst
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Sträggeln was a beautiful and wealthy maiden from Entlebuch in the Lucerne hinterland, but her wild and unruly ways made her unpopular among the people. Rather than tending to the household or attending church, she spent her days hunting in the mountain forests with her spear, horn, bow, and barking hound. She pursued stags and wolves with such enthusiasm that the animals fled before her, and she showed no respect for Sunday rest or religious observances. The people warned that her behavior would bring misfortune upon her, fearing that the devil would eventually claim her when he rode through the land in the storm winds.

On Christmas Eve, a slender young knight arrived at her family home and asked for lodging. He declared that he wished to join Sträggeln on a hunt the following morning, and the maiden was delighted to find such a handsome companion who shared her passion. Yet the stranger refused to reveal where he came from. When Christmas morning arrived and the church bells summoned the people to celebrate the holy day, the knight urged Sträggeln to ignore them and go hunting instead. Laughing, the pair rode into the forest with their weapons and her great hound, while the churchgoers watched them pass with apprehension.

Deep in the mountain woods, Sträggeln raised her spear to strike a doe and her fawns. The knight seized her arm and revealed his true identity: he was the wild Türst, a fearsome supernatural hunter who had come to claim her as his prey. He declared that because she had ignored her conscience and sinned against God, she would become like him and terrorize humankind. The knight grew into a towering giant, rising above the fir trees, while Sträggeln and her hound also grew into monstrous figures. An invisible force compelled the maiden to follow Türst as he charged across hills and valleys, with the enormous hound barking at his heels. Their passage swept through the land like a whirlwind, terrifying the wild animals and the people who witnessed them.

At the first crowing of the cock, the giant figures rushed toward Gadenmatt, where a flaming abyss opened and swallowed them without a trace. Sträggeln never returned home, and people came to believe that Türst had taken her into his Wild Hunt, condemning her to ride with him through the night until Judgment Day. Long afterward, on clear winter nights when fierce winds howled around houses, people claimed to see the gigantic hunter, the cursed maiden, and their monstrous hound charging over the rooftops. Whenever church bells rang, Sträggeln’s mournful cries could be heard, while Türst blew his horn ever more wildly. Terrified by the spectacle, those who heard them hid beneath their bedcovers.

Sources

“Der Türst.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/tuerst.html

Boot Rider

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Boot-Rider
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Boot Rider is a terrifying ghost said to ride through the valleys and mountains around Muri Abbey in Aargau, Switzerland. On stormy spring nights, when the Reuss River roars with the melting snow, he appears mounted on a snow-white horse, sometimes riding with his head turned backward. His galloping hooves may seem to pass two places at once, making him an uncanny presence in the darkness. In life, he was a cruel and greedy bailiff who served the wealthy abbey. He had an enormous head, dreadful eyes, a thick red beard, and riding boots that reached far above his knees. While the abbot believed him to be an excellent steward, the local people knew him as a merciless tyrant.

The Boot Rider tormented the people living around the abbey, stealing their crops, hay, firewood, and fruit to increase the monastery’s wealth. Instead of taking only the tenth sheaf of grain owed to the abbey, he forcibly seized an eleventh and twelfth. He drove debtors from their homes during the bitter winter and even tore bedsheets away from the sick. The pleas of widows and orphans meant nothing to him, and he mocked those who held crosses out to seek his mercy. Children trembled at the sight of him and fled whenever they heard that the Boot Rider was coming.

His downfall began when a pious woman near Schongau bequeathed her estate to Muri Abbey, intending to ensure that her poor nephew, who lived in a humble straw hut on a small adjoining plot, would have the abbey as his neighbour. The Boot Rider demanded that the woman include her nephew’s property in the bequest. When she refused, he stole her will and forged its wording to claim the small plot for the abbey. After her death, he presented the altered document before a judge, while the terrified nephew protested the deception. The Boot Rider offered to swear that the disputed land belonged to the monastery, and the court accompanied him to the property.

There, the Boot Rider swore a solemn oath, calling upon his Creator and Judge to witness that he stood on the abbey’s land. Immediately, he let out a terrible scream and fell dead. When his clothing was opened, the witnesses discovered the dreadful truth: hidden in his thick red hair were a spoon and a comb representing his Creator and Judge, while his enormous riding boots were filled with soil from the monastery garden. His false oath had brought divine judgment upon him. Ever since, his ghost has ridden through the region on his white horse, and local grandmothers have frightened disobedient children by calling into the night for the Boot Rider to come and take them away.

Sources

“Der Stiefelreiter.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/stiefelreiter.html

Ravens of Saint Meinrad

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ravens of Saint Meinrad of Einsiedeln
Category: Ghost, Bird

The Myth

Saint Meinrad was a pious hermit who withdrew from the crowded world to live alone in the wilderness of the Dark Forest, deep in the Swiss mountains. Near a cold spring, he had a small hut and chapel built, where he devoted himself to prayer before an image of the Virgin Mary. He was accompanied by two ravens, which he had rescued as young birds from a nest in a fir tree after chasing away a sparrowhawk that threatened them. The ravens remained his faithful companions as he lived in solitude among the ancient trees, wild animals, and harsh mountain winds.

Although Meinrad sought isolation, his reputation for holiness eventually drew pilgrims into the wilderness. One day, two robbers approached his hut, hoping to find treasure. Meinrad already knew of their arrival, yet he welcomed them kindly and offered them hospitality. The robbers suddenly attacked him with clubs and beat him to death. As they stood beside his body, the two ravens cawed wildly and flew around them. When the murderers attempted to light a candle at the saint’s feet, it ignited by itself, filling them with terror as they realized they had killed a holy man.

The robbers fled through the forest, but the ravens pursued them above the towering fir trees. Believing themselves safe after reaching the city of Zurich, the men entered an inn and began to laugh at their earlier fear. Suddenly, the two ravens flew through an open window and attacked them in front of the other guests. Their strange behaviour aroused suspicion, and the robbers were arrested. The ravens were recognized as the companions of the murdered hermit, and the men confessed to their crime before being executed.

Meinrad was buried in the wilderness where he had lived, and a monastery was later established there at Maria Einsiedeln. His two ravens remained forever associated with his memory. According to the legend, they still fly among the people of the Schwyz forest around Einsiedeln, enduring as symbols of loyalty and as avengers of the saint whose life they had shared.

Sources

“Die Raben des heiligen Meinrad.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/raben_meinrad.html

Nang Tani

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Tradition: Thai Mythology
Alternative Names: Phi Tani, Phrai Tani, Lady of Tani
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Nang Tani is a female spirit who inhabits wild banana trees known as Kluai Tani. She appears as a beautiful young woman wearing a traditional Thai green costume, with a greenish complexion that blends into the surrounding foliage. Her lips are red like the ripe fruit of the ivy gourd, and her abundant black hair hangs loose around her shoulders. She usually stands with her feet hovering slightly above the ground, never quite touching the earth. In some depictions, the lower half of her body becomes immaterial, with her clothing fading into a wisp that emerges from the banana tree’s trunk.

Most of the time, Nang Tani remains hidden within her tree, but she may emerge and become visible, especially on nights when the moon is full. She belongs to the group of female tree spirits known as Nang Mai, or Ladies of the Wood. The wild banana trees she inhabits are considered uncanny and are generally avoided near homes and village compounds. Although they resemble ordinary banana plants, their fruit is inedible, and they are more commonly found along roadsides, at the edges of cultivated fields, and near the outskirts of villages.

Nang Tani is generally regarded as a gentle and benevolent spirit, though she can become dangerous to men who have mistreated women. She may punish those who have wronged women, but she is also known for kindness, including offering food to passing Buddhist monks. People show respect for her by leaving sweets, flowers, and incense as offerings. They may also tie colourful satin or silk around the trunk of a banana tree believed to be her home. Cutting down a tree inhabited by Nang Tani is considered a bad omen, and people avoid disturbing her dwelling. Amulets depicting the spirit are also popular, reflecting the mixture of reverence, fear, and affection with which she is regarded.

Sources

“Nang Tani.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nang_Tani

Virgin of Gutenberg

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Tradition: Liechtenstein Mythology
Alternative Names: The White Maiden of Gutenberg
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Virgin of Gutenberg is a mysterious white maiden who haunts the old fortress of Gutenberg near Balzers, Liechtenstein. She guards an immense hidden treasure that once lay exposed to the sunlight, appearing as a great mound of snail shells made of pure gold. The treasure shines brilliantly in the sun, but anyone who wishes to claim it must first free the maiden from her supernatural burden. Until someone succeeds, she remains bound to the fortress, condemned to guard the treasure for another century.

One day, a boy from Balzers was picking berries near the old fortress walls when the white maiden appeared before him. She begged him to release her and explained that he must swing her around three times. He was forbidden to look at her braids or speak a single word during the task. Gathering all his courage and strength, the boy managed to swing her around twice without looking at her or speaking. But as he began the third turn, curiosity overcame him, and he glanced at her beautiful golden braids.

At that instant, the braids became two snakes in his hands. Startled by their coldness, the boy cried out, “Jesus, how cold!” His words broke the conditions of the enchantment, and the maiden vanished with a sorrowful lament. Her chance for release was lost, and she was condemned to haunt Gutenberg for another hundred years, continuing her lonely watch over the hidden treasure. The legend warns that even a moment of curiosity or a single careless word can undo an attempt to break a powerful supernatural curse.

Sources

“Die Jungfrau auf Gutenberg.” SAGEN.at – Liechtensteiner Sagen. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/liechtenstein/jungfrauaufgutenberg.html

Grääggi

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Gräaggi, Bachgschrei, Bachgrääggi, Gwääggi, Borzi, Wüetihöö
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Grääggi is a frightening nocturnal spirit that appears in many forms, including a stuffed sack of leaves, a crate, or an animal. It haunts lonely roads, wooded ravines, forest clearings, and remote mountain paths. Those who encounter it at night rarely see its shape clearly, sometimes glimpsing only two eyes glowing like burning embers in the darkness. If disturbed or teased, the Grääggi erupts into a terrifying racket of clattering, rattling, and shrieking that fills its surroundings with fear. In different parts of Switzerland, it is known by several names: Bachgschrei near Ragaz and Pfäfers, where it frequents the Fluppabach stream; Bachgrääggi in Vilters; Gwääggi or Borzi around Lake Walen; and Wüetihöö in the Rhine Valley.

One night, a shoemaker returning home from a gathering encountered what appeared to be a large cat blocking his path in the woods between Valmajus and the Rotzheldj Gorge. Curious, he approached and nudged the animal with his foot. The supposed cat suddenly tumbled down through the forest with a tremendous roar and crash, as though the bushes and trees were being torn from the ground. As it moved, it alternated between crying like a child, squealing like a sow, and bursting into mocking laughter. The shoemaker was so terrified that his hair stood on end, and he remained in bed for several days afterward.

Another encounter took place when a gamekeeper was waiting for foxes near the vineyards of Valmajus. From the wooded slope opposite him, he heard a noise like someone dragging and raking wood downhill. Each time the sound seemed to reach the meadow below, it began again higher up the slope. Believing that a gigantic figure was responsible, the gamekeeper eventually fired at it. An exceptionally large bird rose from the spot and flew away toward Plonserfeld, bringing the strange disturbance to an end. In another tale, a mountain dweller called out to a nearby Grääggi, insulting it as an unbaptized creature and ordering it to leave. The spirit answered that it was better baptized than the man himself and identified itself as Matlin, or Magdalena.

The Grääggi is sometimes compared to the Wild Huntsman and the Swiss Türst, other frightening figures associated with the night and wild places. Some people explain its appearances as the work of a great owl hunting smaller animals, but the Grääggi remains a mysterious presence in local tales. In the lonely mountains, strange noises and indistinct shapes can transform an ordinary encounter into something terrifying, and the spirit embodies the fear inspired by the darkness of remote forests and deserted paths.

Sources

“Gräaeggi.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (St. Gallen). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/st_gallen/graeaeggi.html

Headless Nun

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Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Sister Marie Inconnue, The Headless Ghost of French Fort Cove
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Headless Nun is a restless female ghost said to haunt French Fort Cove in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. She is identified as Sister Marie Inconnue, an eighteenth-century resident of the area whose life ended when she was beheaded. Her head was never recovered, and her spirit is believed to wander the surrounding woods and waterways, searching endlessly for the missing part of her body.

The circumstances of her death differ between versions of the legend. In one telling, a mad trapper attacked Sister Marie, severed her head, and fled into the forest carrying it away. In another version, two sailors murdered her after she refused to reveal the location of a hidden treasure. Regardless of the details, her violent death and the disappearance of her head left her unable to rest, condemning her to roam the area as a headless apparition.

The Headless Nun remains one of the best-known ghostly figures associated with French Fort Cove. Her legend gives the quiet cove and its surrounding woodland an eerie reputation, as the spirit is imagined wandering through the place where she met her fate, still searching for the head that was taken from her.

Sources

“Headless Nun.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_Nun

Kyöpelinvuori

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Tradition: Finnish Mythology
Alternative Names: Ghost Mountain
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Kyöpelinvuori is a mysterious mountain in Finnish mythology where the spirits of dead women are believed to gather after death. According to tradition, women who died as virgins travel to this secluded place, where they remain among the souls of other women who shared their fate. The mountain is associated with the dead and serves as a supernatural destination beyond the world of the living.

Kyöpelinvuori is also connected with beliefs about witches and their gatherings. Under Christian influence, the mountain became associated with the witch’s sabbath, transforming its image from a place of departed women into a mysterious location where supernatural beings might assemble. Its connection with the dead and the uncanny gives the mountain an eerie reputation, standing at the boundary between the ordinary world and the realm of spirits.

Sources

“Kyöpelinvuori.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C3%B6pelinvuori

Djákninn á Myrká

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Tradition: Icelandic Mythology
Alternative Names: The Deacon of Myrká, The Deacon of Dark River
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Deacon of Dark River is the ghostly figure at the center of an Icelandic legend set around Myrká farm in Eyjafjörður. In life, the deacon was a man who lived at Myrká and loved a woman named Guðrún, who lived across the Hörgá River at Bægisá farm. Before Christmas, he visited her on his horse, Faxi, and promised to return on Christmas Eve to bring her home to celebrate the holiday together. On his journey back, however, a violent storm swept over the area. He fell into the icy river, suffered a terrible head injury, and drowned. His body was discovered the following day and buried, but Guðrún never received the news of his death.

On Christmas Eve, the deacon appeared at Bægisá as promised, riding Faxi to collect Guðrún. His face was concealed beneath a hat and scarf, and she mounted the horse with him, wearing a coat that she had only partly put on. As they crossed the dark landscape, the deacon spoke in strange, rhythmic phrases, repeating the final word of each line. When they reached the Hörgá River, the horse stumbled, causing his hat to slip forward. In the moonlight, Guðrún saw the dreadful white wound at the back of his head and realized that something was terribly wrong. The deacon uttered the ominous words, “The moon fades, death rides,” revealing the truth of his unnatural journey.

When they arrived at Myrká, the deacon told Guðrún to wait while he led Faxi over a fence. Nearby, she noticed an open grave in the churchyard. The dead man suddenly tried to drag her into it, but because she wore only one sleeve of her coat, he seized the empty sleeve instead. Guðrún grabbed the church bell’s rope and rang it desperately until people came to investigate. Her coat tore in two, leaving half in the ghost’s grasp as he disappeared into his grave. Now certain that her beloved was dead, Guðrún endured a night of haunting and disturbance as his restless spirit continued to trouble the farm. Eventually, an exorcist was summoned and succeeded in laying the deacon’s ghost to rest.

Sources

“Dj ákninn á Myrká.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dj%C3%A1kninn_%C3%A1_Myrk%C3%A1