Mythology

The Brownie of Bartringen

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Bartringen Stable Gnome, Bartringen Brownie
Category: Gnome

The Myth

In Bartringen, a little gnome once served as a stable boy in a nearby household. Each evening, after the farmer had thrown the fodder down from the hayloft into the stable, he would call out, “Tomorrow you feed the horses at such and such an hour!” Then he would go to bed.

The little fellow, who usually sat high up in the barn, heard the order but gave no answer. Still, he obeyed with perfect punctuality. When the farmer came to the stable in the morning, he would find the industrious helper already at work, sometimes sitting on one of the horses with a comb in his hand. In a moment, the gnome would dart through the hayloft door and disappear back into his place.

The farmer was grateful for the help. Each day, the doors from the stable to the kitchen hearth were left open, and a bowl of food — though without a spoon — was placed for the little worker. After eating, he would return to his post and continue tending the stable and the horses.

One winter, however, the cold was severe. Feeling pity for their small servant, the people had a pair of breeches made for him and laid them beside his food. When the little man came at midday and saw the clothes, he stood there thinking. The household called to him to put them on, for the weather was bitterly cold.

But the gnome believed the breeches were payment for his service and a sign that the family wished to dismiss him. He began to weep loudly, left the house at once, and was never seen there again.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Das Heinzelmännchen zu Bartringen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Heinzelmaennchen_Bartringen.html

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Gnome of Walferberg

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Walferdange Gnomes, Wichtelcheslöcher Gnomes
Category: Gnome

The Myth

In Walferdange, a man named Weiß was once plowing near the Wichtelcheslöcher, the Gnome Holes, on the Walferberg. As he worked, he heard the gnomes inside their dwelling calling to one another while they baked, crying out for more rusks and cakes.

Laughing, the man called back in their tongue, “And one for me too!” and continued his work without thinking further about it. That evening he left his plow in the field and went home.

When he returned the next morning, he found a fine cake lying upon the plow. Filled with joy, he thanked the gnomes and carried it home. The cake brought him good fortune, for no matter how much was cut from it, it never diminished, and before long the man became very wealthy.

One day, however, a poor old woman came to the house and asked for a piece of bread. The farmer’s wife showed no compassion and harshly sent her away. The old woman left in sorrow, and from that moment the bread began to dwindle and soon was gone. With it, the good fortune also left the house.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelcher zu Walferdingen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Walferdingen.html

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Gnome of Beggen

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Beggen Wichtelcher, Gnomes of Gnome Hill
Category: Gnome

The Myth

Near Beggen there is a hill that still bears the name op de Wîchtelcher, the Gnome Hill. It was said that little gnomes once lived there in underground dwellings and tunnels that branched in all directions and even reached as far as the Alzette River. People claimed to have seen them drawing water from the river before suddenly vanishing back into the earth, and the so-called gnome holes are still pointed out.

One day a farmer from Beggen, from the Krellenhaus, was plowing his field when he heard voices beneath the plow calling, “Bake me a loaf! Me too! Me too!” Laughing, the farmer answered, “Me too!” and went on his way.

When he returned the next day, he found a small loaf of bread lying on the plow. He took it home, and he and his family ate from it day after day, yet it never diminished no matter how often they cut from it. From then on, everything prospered for the farmer, and he became a wealthy man. A note on the bread warned him not to reveal where it had come from.

One day, however, a visitor came to the house. As was customary, the farmer offered him bread. When the guest hesitated, the farmer laughed and said, “Go ahead and eat it — it’s gnome bread!” At that moment, the loaf began to shrink and soon disappeared.

Others told the story differently. According to them, a neighbor once remarked that although the family sold all their grain, they always had bread. The farmer’s wife then revealed the secret of the loaf that never diminished. But as soon as she told it, the bread became ordinary and was soon gone.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelcher zu Beggen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Beggen.html

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Gnomes of the Mersch Valley

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Wichtelcher of Mersch, Gnomes of Wichtelcheslê, Wichtelchesfels Gnomes
Category: Gnome

The Myth

In the valley around Mersch, the gnomes were once said to be especially numerous. Their dwellings were shown in many places, including on the hill near Angelsberg, but the best known lay near Schönfels and Reckingen.

At the foot of a rock near Schönfels, called op Wichtelcheslê, there was once a narrow entrance to their dwelling, now blocked. It was believed to lead deep into the mountain through a labyrinth of passages that stretched to the other side near Reckingen. There, the Wichtelchesfels, or Gnome Rock, stood with the Wichtelchesloch, a hollow opening through which one could enter a passage. Many daring men followed it far into the mountain without reaching its end. One man even carried two pounds of tallow candles inside, yet he too failed to find the end.

In this region the little earth sprites lived. They were said to have dug a deep well in the valley called the Wichtelchespötz. It was so deep that no one knew its bottom. Long ago, people from the surrounding villages tried for three days to fill it with stones, but without success. Today it remains as a small bog about two meters wide, overgrown with shrubs. The place is called Im Hals, a narrow gorge, and it was once said that a village had stood there, for old people remembered seeing piles of stones and even gravestones.

Some elderly women claimed to have seen the little gnomes themselves coming down from the Gnome Rock. They were said to be one to one and a half feet tall and carried buckets suspended from a pole across their shoulders as they went to fetch water from the Eisch River. They never harmed anyone. When people began to track them, they withdrew from sight and only came out at night, helping the good, pious, and orderly people with their work while troubling the wicked and stealing their grain in the fields.

The gnomes were said to be clever, industrious, and friendly toward good people. They avoided human houses and lived together among themselves. They dressed much like humans but always wore large straw hats and usually carried a spade or hoe over their shoulder.

An old man once told how he had left his plow in the field one evening and returned the next day to find his entire field already plowed.

Another farmer, while working near the Wichtelchesfels, once heard faint voices from inside the rock calling, “Bake me one too!” He went closer and shouted back, “Gnome, bake me a roll too!” The voices fell silent. When he returned to his plow, he found a fine roll lying upon it. The roll had the strange property that it did not shrink no matter how much he cut off and ate. But once he told the villagers about it, the roll began to shrink and soon disappeared entirely.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelcher in der Gegend von Mersch. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Mersch.html

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Gnome of the Wichtelhäusercher at Konsdorf

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Konsdorf Gnomes, Wichtelhäusercher Gnomes
Category: Gnome

The Myth

In the district of Konsdorf there is a place known as the Wichtelhäusercher, the Gnome Houses. It was said that underground dwellings once lay there, where little gnomes lived.

One day a farmer was plowing his field directly above these hidden homes when he suddenly heard a voice calling from below, “Mama, bake me a cake!” Laughing, the farmer repeated the call, “Bake me a cake!”

When he turned his plow and came back to the same place, he found a cake lying there on a plate. As he picked it up, he heard a voice say, “This cake will last as long as no one else finds out about it.”

And indeed, the cake lasted for three whole years. Whenever a piece was cut away, the missing part filled itself again.

But the farmer’s wife from Grevenhaus was talkative and could not keep the secret. As soon as she revealed it to the godmother, the cake disappeared at once.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelmännchen bei Konsdorf. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Konsdorf.html

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Little Gnomes of Wîterchesberg

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Greiweldingen Gnomes, Wîterchesberg Wichtelcher
Category: Gnome

The Myth

In a forest near Greiweldingen stands a hill called Wîterchesberg. There, a cave is said to serve as a hidden entrance to the dwelling of the little gnomes.

Once, a cowherd drove his animals to graze on the hill and sat down near the cave to rest. As he sat, he heard the clattering of the little creatures within. Looking inside, he saw them preparing their soup. Hungry and poor, the man begged them for something to eat. “If you are sent by God,” he said, “give me a piece of bread.”

A group of gnomes came out of the cave and gave him half a loaf, saying, “If you do not betray us, you will always have bread.” The herdsman returned home joyfully. For several days he ate from the loaf, and it never seemed to grow smaller.

At last his wife asked him where he had obtained such wonderful bread. He told her, but only after she promised to keep the secret. Later, during a quarrel, she carelessly revealed the truth. From that moment on, the bread began to shrink and was soon entirely gone.

Old people later claimed that they had seen swarms of gnomes come out to the edge of the forest to sun themselves. It was also said that when a cart passed through the forest, the little creatures would cling to it, even to the wheels, and be carried along the road.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtlein zu Greiweldingen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Greiweldingen.html

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Nenning Gnome

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Nennig Gnomes, Wichtelknäppchen Gnomes
Category: Gnome

The Myth

Near Nennig there stands a small mound of earth known as the Wichtelknäppchen, the Little Gnome’s Hill. Long ago, a woman was carrying supper there on the Saturday of the village fair for her people.

Among the food she carried was a cake that had come fresh from the oven only an hour before, and its scent drifted strongly through the air. The smell tempted the gnomes who lived inside the mound, and they came out of their hole and called to her, “Woman! Bake me a cake! Bake me a cake!”

But the women of Nennig were known to be quick of tongue, and this one turned sharply and answered, “First you bake your gnome cake, and then you call us to the fair. When are you celebrating your fair?”

This reply angered the gnomes greatly, though they had long done much good in the region. From that day on, they never returned.

The woman also vanished. It is said that on clear nights she can still be seen passing by with her basket, while the gnomes dance upon the hill in the bright moonlight and mock her, crying, “Bake me a cake! Bake me a cake!”

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Das Wichtelknäppchen bei Nennig. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Nenning.html

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Wichtelcher of Stoppelhof

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Stoppelhof Gnomes, Wichtelhäusercher Gnomes
Category: Gnome

The Myth

Between Konsdorfermühle, Dosterter Hof, and Kalkesbach, about a thousand meters above Konsdorfermühle, lies a field known as the Wichtelhäusercher, the field of the gnome houses. It was said that the Wichtelcher once lived there, little men who did only good for people.

In this field, small underground dwellings could indeed be found, built of a kind of brick and hidden beneath the earth. The gnomes who lived there were known to help the farmers working nearby.

When a farmer plowed the field, the little folk would sometimes share their freshly baked bread with him. Without being seen, they would place a loaf at the end of the furrow, where the farmer would find it as he worked.

Today, the Wichtelcher have disappeared, and only the place name and the traces of their small dwellings remain.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelcher zu Stoppelhof. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Stoppelhof.html

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Gnome of Krügheck

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Berdorf Gnomes, Krügheck Wichtelcher
Category: Gnome

The Myth

In the Krügheck area near Berdorf, little gnomes were once said to have lived among the old stonework there.

One day, a farmhand from Spelleschhaus was plowing a field near the Krügheck. As he turned his plow at the edge of the woods, he heard soft voices calling from inside the stones: “Mother, bake me a pancake too!”

Laughing, the farmhand called back, “Then bake me one too!” He urged his horses forward and continued his work.

When he returned to the same place, he saw a pancake lying neatly on a cloth spread upon the ground. He ate it with great appetite. When he passed the spot again later, the cloth had disappeared.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelmännchen bei Berdorf. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Berdorf.html

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Gnome of Warken

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Warken Dwarves, Hard Hill Gnomes
Category: Gnome

The Myth

Between Erpeldingen and Warken, it was said that underground passages ran through the mountain, built and inhabited by dwarves. Above this hidden dwelling rose the Hard hill.

At Warken, the gnomes were believed to have one of their entrances at a place called Wöllen hirer Tâk. Another exit lay at the so-called Fûszelach in the Hohlbech, opposite Erpeldingen.

These little beings were known to help people quietly and generously. They brought grain into the barn, flour to the mill, and bacon into the cupboard. They also once rewarded a man who was plowing on the Hard by giving him a tarte flambée.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelcher zu Warken. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Warken.html

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