Tradition: Luxembourgish Mythology
Alternative Names: The Light Elf of Junglinster
Category: Elf
The Myth
A Light Elf fell deeply in love with a young girl from Junglinster, and the two exchanged tokens of affection and lived together in the happiness of an innocent love. Their relationship eventually came to the attention of the local pastor, who regarded the elf as a heathen being. He strictly forbade the girl from having any further contact with him, threatening her with punishment both in this life and the next. The poor girl reluctantly promised to obey, but separating the lovers proved far more difficult than the pastor expected. The elf was not considered a devil or a spirit of Hell, so the usual means used against Satan and his servants seemed useless. Even locking the girl inside a convent would accomplish little, since elves were believed capable of slipping through the smallest keyholes.
The pastor therefore summoned an old and experienced shepherd and asked him for advice. The shepherd smiled and explained that the elf’s refined nature and delicacy had to be taken into account. He proposed that the girl prepare a small bread made from salt, lard, garlic, and sulfur. She was to eat the bread and, when the elf approached her again, discreetly press her flat hand against her body. The girl followed the shepherd’s instructions. That evening, the Light Elf appeared before his beloved with joy shining in his eyes, but as he approached her, she made the faintest sound.
The elf was immediately offended and fled in indignation. He never returned to the girl again, and their strange romance came to an end.
Sources
La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Luxembourg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.