Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: Green Huntsman
Category: Demon
The Myth
The Green Huntsman appears as a huntsman dressed in green. Although he initially looks like an ordinary man, his appearance is unsettling, with a sly and venomous expression resembling that of a snake. He is actually the Devil in disguise.
In the village of St. Johann in the lower Inn Valley of Tyrol, a young woman was devastated after being rejected by her lover. She refused to attend a wedding where her neighbors were gathering for music and dancing, instead remaining at home in grief and despair.
The Devil appeared before her in the form of a green huntsman and invited her to the dance. She accepted without hesitation, glad that she could attend the wedding and no longer watch her unfaithful lover enjoy himself.
At the wedding, the Green Huntsman danced extraordinarily well and with great energy. He sang, danced faster than anyone else, and became the most spirited person at the celebration. Although everyone admired his dancing, they shuddered whenever they looked at him because of his sinister, snake-like appearance. The young woman, however, paid no attention and enjoyed herself throughout the evening.
When they left the wedding, the huntsman asked whether he could serenade her at her home the following night. She happily agreed.
The next evening, exactly as the church clock struck midnight, someone knocked at the girl’s bedroom window. She opened the lattice to welcome the huntsman, but this time he appeared in the Devil’s most hideous form.
He seized the girl and violently dragged her through the narrow iron bars of the window. Pieces of her skin and flesh were left hanging from the bars, while warm blood streamed down the wall. The Devil then carried the screaming girl away through the air.
The bloodstains were said to remain on the wall and could never be washed or rubbed away. According to the legend, they could still be seen by anyone passing through the village of St. Johann.
Sources
Günther, Amalia von. Tales and Legends of the Tyrol. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874.