Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Woe to the Liar!
Category: House dweller
The Myth
Beneath Karlsburg Castle lie ruined cellars where the old emperor’s chests still gleam with gold. On Palm Sunday, a miller known for his greed and wickedness secretly approaches the mountain, which has mysteriously opened. Before the entrance sits a woman dressed in ancient clothing, who asks him what he desires. She appears to control access to the hidden treasure and offers the miller an opportunity to obtain the wealth concealed inside the castle.
The miller claims that his mill has burned down and that he has been reduced to beggary. He laments and weeps, raising his hands in apparent despair. His story, however, is entirely false. He has come not out of genuine need but because his greed has made money his god. The woman nevertheless shows him a barrel filled with minted gold in the castle cellar, and the miller eagerly fills his sack with the coins before leaving.
At first, the miller believes he has succeeded. He laughs to himself as he carries away his supposed fortune, imagining the wealth he has gained through deception. When he reaches his stream, he sets down the sack to admire the golden coins. But when he opens it, the treasure has become nothing more than heavy stones. His apparent good fortune vanishes, exposing the futility of his dishonest scheme.
Furious, the miller rushes back toward his mill, only to discover that it is ablaze. The legend offers no further explanation of the fire or the woman’s exact nature, but the sequence of events presents the vanished gold and burning mill as a punishment for his lies and greed. The mysterious woman grants him access to treasure, yet his dishonesty ensures that he gains nothing from it. The story warns that wealth obtained through deceit may turn to ruin, and that those who lie for their own advantage risk losing what they already possess.
Sources
“Wehe dem Lügner.” SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/wehedemluegner.html