Austrian Frog Mythology

Toad and the Carriage Driver

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Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: The Seefeld Toad
Category: Frog

The Myth

A mysterious toad once jumped onto the cart of a carriage driver from Innsbruck as he travelled through Leithen. No matter how often the driver tried to shoo the creature away, it kept returning to sit beside him. Unable to rid himself of the persistent passenger, he continued his journey with the toad accompanying him.

When the driver finally stopped in the church square of Seefeld, the toad suddenly disappeared, and a beautiful young woman appeared beside him. She explained that during her lifetime she had promised to make a pilgrimage to Seefeld but had failed to fulfil her vow. After her death, she was forced to undertake the journey in the form of a toad, crawling along the road until she could reach the sacred destination.

The woman explained that she had finally been freed from her punishment because a kind person had carried her along the way. Grateful to the driver for helping her complete the pilgrimage, she thanked him and disappeared into the church. She was never seen again.

Sources

“Die Kröte.” SAGEN.at – Tiroler Sagen (Seefeld). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/tirol/seefeld/kroete.htm

Salve-Toad

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Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: Toad of the Hohe Salve
Category: Frog

The Myth

The Salve-Toad is a supernatural creature associated with the Hohe Salve mountain in Tyrol, Austria. It is said to be the transformed soul of a brigand who lived a wicked life and failed to fulfil a sacred vow. After death, he was condemned to crawl up the mountain in the form of a toad and seek redemption inside the chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist. His punishment forced him to struggle slowly up the steep mountain while carrying the burden of his past crimes.

According to the legend, the brigand had promised to make a pilgrimage to the summit of the Hohe Salve if Heaven would help him escape his evil companions and return to a righteous life. Although he received the assistance he had prayed for, he forgot his vow. After his death, he was transformed into a toad and compelled to climb the mountain. When he finally reached the chapel, people at the entrance repeatedly pushed and kicked him away, preventing him from entering. Nevertheless, the determined creature continued trying until at last it managed to crawl inside.

Once within the chapel, the toad crawled three times around the altar. At that moment, the curse was lifted, and the creature was instantly transformed into a handsome man. He addressed the people praying there, recounting his former life as a brigand and the long, painful penance he had endured. After revealing his story, he suddenly disappeared, leaving the worshippers to wonder at the strange event.

Another version of the legend tells of a remorseful mother whose son had become the leader of a band of robbers and murderers. After he refused to surrender to justice, a vision of the ghastly head of St. John the Baptist appeared to him in a dream, prompting him to give himself up. He was executed alongside his companions, and his mother buried their heads together on the mountain. In deep repentance, she sold all her possessions and used the money to build the chapel that still stands on the summit of the Hohe Salve.

Sources

Von Günther, Amalia. Tales and Legends of the Tyrol. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874.

Witch as a Toad

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Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: Toad Witch, Frog Witch
Category: Frog

The Myth

Witches in Burgenland mythology were believed to transform themselves into large frogs or toads to enter stables and steal milk from cows. They crept into barns and drank directly from the cows while the animals were lying down. After such a visit, a cow might have a swollen udder but produce no milk, or give blood instead. These strange occurrences were blamed on witches who had taken the form of enormous toads.

One tale tells of a family whose great-grandmother knew how to drive away witches. When the cows began losing their milk, a man was instructed to keep watch in the barn with an iron-tined pitchfork. He was told to attack any creature that entered, whether it was a cat, a dog, or a frog. During the night, a large toad appeared, and the man pinned it to the ground with his pitchfork. The creature began screaming and pleading with him to stop, insisting that it would not return.

The man refused to release the toad, accusing it of causing trouble by stealing the cows’ milk. As he held it down, the creature cried out that its blood was flowing and promised never to come back. Eventually, it disappeared, leaving the family to believe that the witch had been driven away. The following day, a woman was found lying in her home with the door locked. Nobody was allowed to enter, and no doctor was called. The tale presents the wounded toad and the suffering woman as two forms of the same witch, punished for stealing milk from the cattle.

Sources

Petzoldt, Franz. “Die Hexe als Kröte.” SAGEN.at – Sagen aus dem Burgenland. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/burgenland/petzoldt/hexe_kroete.html