Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: Der Pfifer, The Whistler
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Pfifer is a ghost that haunts a small wayside shrine near the former border of Dornbirn in Vorarlberg, Austria. The shrine stood in a lonely grove where a person had been murdered by a ruthless hand. According to local belief, the spirit of a murdered person could be condemned to haunt the place of their death after dying, serving as a warning to others and enduring torment at the scene of the crime.
Anyone passing the shrine around midnight might hear a piercing whistle that carries over a great distance. The sound seems to move unpredictably through the darkness, sometimes coming from far away and sometimes shrieking directly beside the listener’s ears. It may sound from the left or the right, descend from the air, or suddenly emerge from behind the traveller. The source of the whistle is never seen, and even the bravest people are filled with fear by its uncanny movements.
The people of Dornbirn call this restless spirit the Pfifer, or the Whistler. It is said to have haunted the wayside shrine since time immemorial, its eerie cries continuing to disturb anyone who dares to pass the lonely spot at night.
Sources
“Pfifer.” SAGEN.at – Vorarlberger Sagen aus dem Rheintal. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/vorarlberg/rheintal/pfifer.html