Austrian Mythology

One-Eyed Fish of Lake Plöckensteiner

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternative name: –
Category: Fish

The Myth

Lake Plöckensteiner was long believed to be lifeless, a dark mountain lake where no creature could survive. Doubting this belief, a group of men once went to the lake to test it by fishing. For many hours they caught nothing, until at last one man cried out in triumph: a large fish was writhing on his line. Though they continued fishing, no other fish appeared.

As evening fell, the men decided to cook their catch. They placed the fish into a pan of water over the fire. As the water began to heat, a strange sound rose from the lake—a low murmuring that grew louder and clearer. From the depths came a voice asking, “Is everyone there?” Another voice replied, “Everyone is here—except the bull.”

Horrified, the men looked at the pan and realized the fish was still alive. Worse still, they saw that it had only one eye. Overcome with fear, they threw the fish back into the lake. At once, the voices ceased, and the lake fell silent. Terrified, the men fled home.

Another tale tells of a time long ago, when kings once gathered near the lake to mark the borders of three lands. During this age, three men came to the lake in mischief and found that fish leapt willingly into their hands—trout with glowing red mouths and bodies speckled like sparks. They caught many and placed them into pans of water over a fire.

As night fell and the moon rose, the water began to boil, yet the fish did not die. Instead, they grew lively, almost joyful. Suddenly, a great roaring arose—trees seemed to thunder, and the lake roared as though whipped by a storm. Yet the air was still, the sky clear, and the water unbroken. From beneath the lake came voices murmuring, “Not everyone is home… not everyone…”

Stricken with terror, the men threw all the fish back into the lake. Immediately, the roaring ceased. Silence returned, and the moon shone calmly above the water. The men dared not move or speak until morning, when they fled and told what had happened. Upon hearing this, the kings departed and cursed the forest, condemning the place to remain desolate forever.

Thus the lake is remembered as a place where something watches, and where not all who dwell beneath the water may safely be taken.

Sources

SAGEN.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Fische im Plöckensteiner See. In SAGEN.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/oberoesterreich/muehlviertel/ploeckensteinersee.html

Rankweil Geist

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Ghost

The Myth

In the region between Dornbirn and Haselstauden, people walking at night often heard sneezing beneath the bridge over the Fischbach. Most ignored the sound and continued on their way. One night, however, a traveler, hearing the sneezing, called out, “God help you, if you need help.”

At once, a man appeared before him and answered that he could indeed be helped—if the traveler would carry him that very night to Rankweil. Though exhausted, the traveler agreed, saying that he would first return home to eat supper and tell his wife of his plan. When he did so, his wife pleaded with him not to keep such a dangerous promise, but he refused to break his word.

The man returned to the bridge, where the spirit awaited him. The ghost leapt onto his back, and the traveler was forced to carry it all the way through the night, bearing its heavy weight until they reached Rankweil. At the steps of the church, the spirit finally dismounted and said, “You have redeemed me, and I will redeem you as well.”

The man, drenched in sweat and weakened by the ordeal, returned home. From that night on, he fell ill, and six weeks later he died. It was said that the ghost had vowed during his lifetime to make a pilgrimage to Rankweil but had never fulfilled his promise. After death, he was forced to wander until someone carried him there, binding his redemption to the life of the one who helped him.