Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Drachenwinkel Dragon
Category: Dragon
The Myth
Near Laucha, in a narrow gorge, there once lived a wicked dragon. Humans and livestock were constantly taken by the monster, and there seemed to be no way to stop it. The western part of the gorge became known as Kummerberg, the “Mountain of Sorrow,” while the gorge itself was called the Drachenwinkel, the “Dragon’s Corner,” because this was where the dragon dragged its victims.
Among those who suffered was a shepherd from Hirschroda whose beloved had been taken and devoured by the dragon. Determined to avenge her, he secretly prepared an enormous boulder, laboriously dragging it into position above the gorge.
One day, when the dragon had settled down within the ravine, the shepherd released the great stone. It came crashing down upon the monster and smashed its skull, killing the dragon.
From that day onward, the terrible creature was never seen again.
But the legend acquired a strange postscript. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, enormous skeletal remains were discovered near the gorge during earthworks. Whether these bones belonged to the dragon killed by the shepherd was left as a mystery.
Sources
“Der Drachenwinkel.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus Deutschland (Sachsen-Anhalt). Reproduced by SAGEN.at.
https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/deutschland/sachsen_anhalt/drachenwinkel.html