Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: Moss Woman
Category: Forest Dweller
The Myth
The Moss Sprite is a strange forest spirit from the Bohemian Forest, described as a hunchbacked, half-human creature that wanders through the deepest and most remote parts of the woodland. She moves quietly among the trees, creeping through the darkness with a curious and watchful nature. Her unusual appearance and hunched back distinguish her from ordinary forest dwellers.
One evening, three charcoal burners built a kiln deep in the forest. As the sun set and the fir trees darkened, the men lay down to sleep with their heads together on a sack of moss and their feet stretched out in three different directions. While they slept, the Moss Sprite crept toward them, stepping over their six legs as she searched in the darkness for the moss sack.
Suddenly, she stopped and frowned in astonishment. She had counted six feet but found only one head, something she had never encountered before. Declaring that the Bohemian Forest was full of strange things, she decided to hurry home and tell her grandmother, who was nine times older than she was. The encounter reveals the Moss Sprite’s curious nature and her bewilderment at the peculiar arrangement of the sleeping charcoal burners.
Sources
Schwartz, Alvin, and Glen Rounds. Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters. New York: Bantam Books, 1978. Originally published in 1976. https://archive.org/details/kicklesniftersot00schw