German Mythology

Bergmönch

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Bergmönch, Meister Hämmerling, Mountain Monk, Master Hämmerling
Category: Giant

The Myth

The Bergmönch, meaning “Mountain Monk,” is a giant mountain spirit in German folklore who inhabits mountain pits and mines. He has white hair and enormous, fiery eyes as large as dining plates. He usually wears a black hooded cowl resembling a monk’s habit, which gives him his name. When he appears as a miner, he is known as Meister Hämmerling. He can also take the shape of a horse with a long neck and terrifying eyes, or become invisible.

The Bergmönch is active both deep underground and on the surface, where he is particularly busy on Fridays. During these periods, he transfers excavated ore from one bucket to another, an apparently pointless task that others are warned not to mock or interrupt. The spirit is unpredictable, hot-tempered, and dangerous to anyone who insults or defies him. His breath is poisonous and can kill twelve people at once. He may seize a miner and carry him elsewhere with such violence that the man’s limbs are shattered. He delights in tricks and reacts fiercely to ridicule or refusal.

Despite his frightening nature, the Bergmönch can also be just and helpful. He protects good miners while punishing those he considers wicked, lazy, selfish, unfaithful, or disrespectful. Whistling and cursing are among the behaviors that provoke his anger. In one tale, he kills an evil mining foreman by invisibly crushing the man’s head between his knees.

The Bergmönch sometimes helps miners whose lamps are about to go out by giving them oil from his enormous mine lamp. This oil never runs out and burns steadily for years, provided the recipient keeps its origin secret. He also performs mining work for his favorites, extracting more ore in an hour than ordinary miners can obtain in a week. Occasionally, he reveals hidden veins of gold and silver to favored workers. To secure such a discovery, however, the miner must throw some of his mining tools into the offered vein; otherwise, the lode closes and disappears forever from human sight.

The Bergmönch thus embodies both the dangers and the rewards of mining. He can bring sudden death to those who offend him, yet he may grant extraordinary wealth and protection to miners who earn his favor and respect the rules of his underground domain.

Sources

“Bergmönch.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergm%C3%B6nch

Hemann

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Emann, Homann, Hoymann, Hoimann, Jochhoimann, Hejkadlo, Hehmann, Ropenkerl
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Hemann is a mysterious spirit from German folklore known primarily for its frightening cries, which echo through the darkness and terrify people who hear them. Usually invisible, it announces its presence with strange shouts such as “he he,” “he helfts,” or other distinctive calls that vary between regions. The creature is recorded in traditions from former German-speaking areas of Bohemia and Silesia, as well as the Upper Palatinate, the Fichtel Mountains, the Vogtland, Westphalia, and parts of Baden-Württemberg. In Bohemia, it is also known by the Czech name Hejkadlo.

The Hemann often pursues people with its cries, seemingly chasing them without ever quite catching up. However, anyone who dares to imitate its call risks a much more dangerous encounter. The spirit may leap onto the person’s back, forcing them to carry it, a supernatural attack known in German tradition as aufhocken. Depending on the regional version, it may also lead people astray or strike them in the face. The Hemann is not always understood as the same kind of being: it may be the ghost of a sinner condemned to haunt a boundary that they unlawfully moved during life, a field spirit associated with the final sheaf of the harvest, or occasionally a household spirit. Some accounts connect its cries to the calls of owls, eagle owls, hoopoes, nightjars, and ravens.

Regional traditions give the Hemann a variety of appearances and behaviors. In the Upper Palatinate, the related Hoymann or Hoimann haunts mountain forests, where its rough, manlike voice or owl-like cry can be heard from a considerable distance. Although it is usually invisible, it may appear as a tall hunter wearing a broad-brimmed hat, a giant reaching toward the clouds, or a figure dressed in a smock-frock. It is sometimes identified as a restless soul or even the Devil. The Hoymann punishes those who steal wood from the forest, and it is also associated with the Wild Hunt. In Lower Lusatia, the Homann cries at noon, serving as a natural time signal for local people. In Northern Bohemia, the Hehmann hides in cornfields and leaps onto anyone who imitates its shrill call.

Other related figures appear in neighboring traditions. In Switzerland, the invisible Egelsee-Hüper cries “hüp hüp” around midnight near Lake Egelsee. In Westphalia, the Ropenkerl’s cry is considered an omen of bad weather. The Heitmännchen appears as a small blue flame, punishes those who imitate its voice, but may help with the harvest if offered a sandwich. The Homännchen briefly appears as a tiny man in a grey camisole among a herd of cattle before vanishing. In the Lechrain region, the Hojemännlein are tiny green kobolds inhabiting forests and abandoned farms. During Advent, they shout “hoje,” perform somersaults, and play mischievous tricks. Their cries sound like sorrowful weeping, and although they can behave playfully, they punish anyone who imitates their calls. Across these regional variations, the Hemann tradition combines eerie nocturnal cries, warnings against trespassing or theft, and the danger of answering supernatural voices.

Sources

“Hemann.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemann

Villinger Thalfräule

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Villingen Valley Maiden, Villinger Thalfräulein
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Villinger Thalfräule is a haunting spirit said to wander the Villingen Valley between Mergentheim and Wachbach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. According to local legend, she was once a countess of Wachbach, associated with the noble family whose residence later belonged to the von Adelsheim family. During her lifetime, she was infamous for her mercilessness, greed, and cruelty toward ordinary people. She owned magnificent horses that her servants washed with wine every day, yet she denied those same servants even a drop to drink. She also cheated the poor by selling them heavily diluted milk, justifying the deception with the saying, “Three pints of milk, one pint of water, makes a Maß.”

The countess’s cruelty extended to human life itself. One day, as she travelled through the valley in her sleigh, her servant noticed a man lying in the path and stopped the horses. The countess, concerned only with her fine animals and impatient to continue her journey, repeatedly ordered the servant to drive on. The man was run over and killed. The countess died soon afterward, but her wickedness condemned her to wander the earth as a restless spirit.

The Villinger Thalfräule is often heard calling out at night, “Go away, go away!” She is said to lure people and even entire wagons into the Villingerthälisbach stream, where a deep pool can drown them. She appears as a medium-sized, very old woman dressed in old-fashioned clothing and remains silent when encountered. In the Villinger Thalwald forest, she also misleads travelers and plays tricks on them, sometimes carrying away their bundles of firewood. Her haunting serves as a supernatural punishment for a life defined by greed, callousness, and contempt for the suffering of others.

Sources

“Das Thalfraeule.” SAGEN.at – Deutsche Sagen aus Baden-Württemberg. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/deutschland/baden_wuerttemberg/thalfraeule.html

Poltergeist

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Poltergeist, Rumbling Ghost, Noisy Spirit
Category: Ghost

The Myth

A poltergeist, whose name comes from the German words for “rumbling” and “spirit,” is a noisy and disruptive supernatural being in German folklore and ghostlore. Unlike ghosts that merely appear as apparitions, poltergeists are associated with physical disturbances in the places they haunt. They announce their presence through loud crashes, unexplained knocking, and other noises, while seemingly invisible forces move, overturn, or destroy objects around them.

Poltergeists are also said to torment people directly. They may pinch, bite, hit, or trip those who encounter them, while furniture and smaller objects such as cutlery can move or even levitate without an apparent cause. Other manifestations include foul smells, spontaneous fires, and electrical disturbances such as flickering lights. Their activity is often chaotic and destructive, making them particularly unsettling spirits in stories of haunted houses and unexplained disturbances.

Accounts of poltergeist-like phenomena occur across many cultures, including Brazil, Australia, the United States, Japan, and numerous European countries. Reports of such disturbances date back to at least the first century. Although traditionally understood as the work of ghosts or spirits, skeptical interpretations attribute these events to human trickery, sometimes involving young pranksters deceiving adults.

Sources

“Poltergeist.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist

Ewiger Jäger

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Der ewige Jäger, Wilder Jäger, Weltsjäger, Weltschjägerle, Ruprecht, Hans, Riesenjäger
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Ewiger Jäger, meaning “Eternal Hunter,” is a supernatural huntsman found in German folklore and related traditions in Belgium and the United States. He is a ghostly figure condemned to hunt eternally, often appearing as a mysterious hunter pursuing his quarry through forests or racing through the night accompanied by dogs. His punishment is associated with an excessive passion for hunting, the violation of religious prohibitions, or acts of sacrilege. In Swabian tradition, he is also known as the Weltsjäger or Weltschjägerle, names reflecting his endless obligation to run and hunt throughout the world.

According to a legend recorded by the Brothers Grimm, Count Eberhard of Württemberg encountered the Ewiger Jäger while hunting in the woods. Hearing a loud rushing sound and the noises of a huntsman, the count dismounted and asked the ghost whether it intended to harm him. The apparition replied that it was once a human lord who had loved hunting so passionately that he begged God to allow him to continue hunting until Judgement Day. His wish was granted, but became an eternal punishment: for five and a half centuries, he had been chasing the same deer. The hunter told the count that his former identity and noble status remained undisclosed. When Eberhard asked to see his face, the ghost revealed a tiny, withered visage, no larger than a fist and wrinkled like a mushroom. The apparition then resumed its endless pursuit, leaving the horrified count to return home and abandon hunting. Ludwig Bechstein recorded a similar version, describing the hunter as a gnarled little man dressed in green. In this account, his eternal punishment resulted from hunting on a Sunday and violating the sacred day of rest.

Other regional legends describe different origins and appearances for the Eternal Hunter. In one Swabian tradition, he carries a hammer with which he strikes trees, producing a peculiar high-pitched sound. In another, he is a Freischütz, a marksman who sought unfailing magical bullets by shooting at the sun in the Devil’s name on Christmas Eve and Good Friday. For this sacrilege, he was condemned to hunt eternally at night, accompanied by barking dogs. A related hunter named Neck delighted in killing poachers and was cursed with eternal life after shooting five men on a Sunday. One of the dying poachers, himself armed with magical bullets, shot Neck through the heart. Since then, the cursed hunter has ridden through the woods on a stag, urging on little white dogs with cries of “Hu dock dock dock!” Other names associated with the Ewiger Jäger include Ruprecht, Hans, and Riesenjäger, meaning “Giant Hunter,” a title connected with accounts of his enormous stature. In Swabian tradition, he is also compared with the Wandering Jew, another figure condemned to travel endlessly around the world.

Sources

“Ewiger Jäger.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewiger_J%C3%A4ger

Buschgroßmutter

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Buschgrossmutter, Pusch-Grohla, Buschmutter, Buschweibchen, Buschweiblein, Buschweibel, Buschkathel
Category: Forest dweller

The Myth

The Buschgroßmutter is an ancient female forest spirit who dwells in the deepest woods and reveals herself to humans only once every hundred years. She appears as a small, hunched, horribly wrinkled old woman with a hideous face and wide, staring eyes. Her long white hair hangs in tangled, unkempt strands, crawling with lice, while some descriptions give her an iron head. She walks unsteadily on feet covered in moss and carries a gnarled stick or crutch. Her clothing consists of a tattered dress, and she often wears an apron gathered as though it contains something precious. She may also carry a basket on her back. Her presence is sometimes associated with strange weather: when mist rises over the mountains in spring or autumn, people say the Buschgroßmutter is cooking, while during April hailstorms she climbs across the veiled mountain slopes.

The Buschgroßmutter is a mysterious being whose behaviour can be either generous or cruel. Sometimes she approaches people and asks them to comb or remove the lice from her tangled hair. Although her head is as cold as ice and the task may freeze the helper’s hands, those who patiently assist her can receive extraordinary rewards. She may give them an endless ball of yarn, a spindle wrapped in a hundred strands of thread, or green and yellow leaves that transform into gold if they are kept rather than thrown away. However, anyone who mocks or insults her risks terrible punishment. She may breathe upon the offender, causing painful rashes and other illnesses, or leap onto their back and cling to them, bringing further misfortune.

In some regions, the Buschmutter is especially malicious toward people who enter her woodland domain. She attacks children gathering berries, steals their harvest, and smashes the jars in which they store their fruit. She also sneaks into pastures and milks herdsmen’s cows until their udders are empty, then violently strikes sleeping cowherds with her crutch to wake them. Parents sometimes invoke her name to frighten children away from dangerous places in the forest.

Although she usually wanders alone, the Buschgroßmutter is sometimes accompanied by a band of female forest spirits called the Moosfräulein, or Moss Maidens, who are regarded as her daughters. During the holy nights, she travels through the countryside with them in a small cart or wagon, and people avoid crossing her path. The Buschgroßmutter is said to be extraordinarily ancient, older even than the moss spirits themselves. In one tale, a hunched and half-blind moss woman encounters three sleeping charcoal burners in the forest and mistakes their six legs and single head for some strange creature she has never seen before. Astonished by the discovery, she hurries home to tell her grandmother, who is said to be nine times older than herself.

Sources

“Buschgroßmutter.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buschgro%C3%9Fmutter

Schrat

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Schratt, Schraz, Waldschrat, Schrätel, Schrättlein, Schratln
Category: Forest Dweller

The Myth

The Schrat is a mysterious supernatural creature that can appear as a hairy, ragged humanoid or a small, solitary forest spirit. Its wild appearance is often described as partly animal-like, with shaggy hair, thick eyebrows that grow together above the eyes, and wolf-like teeth. Some forms are dwarf-sized, while others resemble a hunched, unkempt wild man. The Waldschrat, or Forest Schrat, inhabits the deepest and darkest woods, preferring places untouched by human activity. It is a solitary creature that avoids people but may become troublesome when humans enter its territory.

The Waldschrat is known for its malicious pranks and its hostility toward woodcutters. It enjoys teasing people who venture into the forest, but anyone who offends it may suffer more serious consequences. The creature can break a woodcutter’s axe in two or cause trees to fall in the wrong direction, turning ordinary work into a dangerous ordeal. It dislikes the destruction of its woodland home and may abandon a forest when the trees are cut down. Although it is often mischievous rather than openly murderous, its supernatural tricks can place people in grave danger.

Other forms of the Schrat are associated with houses, stables, and the terrifying experience of nightmares. As a household spirit, it may haunt buildings and disturb their inhabitants or livestock. In its more sinister form, the Schrat becomes a nightmare demon that attacks sleeping people. It can slip into a room through a keyhole or enter through a window in the shape of a black hen. Once inside, it sits heavily on the sleeper’s chest or presses against the throat, making breathing difficult and leaving the victim trapped beneath an oppressive weight.

The Schrat is therefore both a creature of the wilderness and a spirit that can invade the safety of the home. In the forest, it punishes those who disturb its domain; at night, it torments people while they sleep. Its many forms share a connection with mischief, fear, and supernatural oppression, making the Schrat an unpredictable being whose presence can turn an ordinary forest journey or a peaceful night’s rest into a frightening encounter.

Sources

“Schrat.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrat

Herwisch

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology, German Mythology
Alternative Names: Herwisch
Category: Flame

The Myth

The Herwisch is a mysterious supernatural being resembling a will-o’-the-wisp, known in the folklore of Switzerland and Germany. It inhabits marshes and other waterlogged landscapes, emerging at night with a lantern-like light. By illuminating the darkness, the Herwisch lures unsuspecting travellers away from safe paths and into treacherous waters, where they may stumble, become trapped, or struggle helplessly in the marsh.

The Herwisch is not always content merely to mislead travellers. Those who mock or anger it risk provoking its more frightening nature. In such cases, the creature chases its offender and flaps its wings directly into their face, terrifying them with its sudden pursuit. Its combination of deceptive lights and aggressive behaviour makes the Herwisch a dangerous presence in the darkness, particularly for people crossing isolated wetlands at night.

Sources

“Swiss folklore.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_folklore

Klagmuhme

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Klagemuhme, Klagmutter, Klagemutter, Klagefrau, Winselmutter
Category: Spirit

The Myth

The Klagmuhme, or Wailing Aunt, was a frightening female spirit whose mournful cries announced approaching death and disaster. She was usually active around midnight and often remained invisible as she approached a house, floating above it without ever entering. Her presence could sometimes be recognized only by her eerie whining, described as a repeated “u-u-u” sound. In other traditions she appeared in many different forms: as a long-haired black dog, a white goose, a dove sitting in the eaves, a large gray cat with a scarf around its head, a white or three-legged sheep, an eerie bird, a fiery toad, or a red-eyed calf. Her human form could be that of an old woman dressed in black with a white scarf, a tiny woman with a cobweb-covered face and three-cornered hat, or a gigantic pale figure in a flowing burial robe with glowing or hollow eyes. She could even appear as a distorted black figure or a tangled ball of blue material throwing off sparks.

The Klagmuhme’s wailing was a warning that death was near. If she appeared outside a house where someone was seriously ill, clothing belonging to the sick person could be thrown outside. If the Klagmuhme carried the clothing away, the person was believed certain to die; if she left it behind, recovery was expected. In another tradition, she stretched her long, bony arm over a house during a stormy night, foretelling that someone inside would be dead before the moon completed its cycle. Hearing her cries could itself cause such terror that a person became physically ill. Yet she was not always considered actively malicious, and she normally did not enter the houses or deliberately harm those who heard her.

The Klagmuhme was also connected with the souls of the dead and with other supernatural processions. In Austria, the Klage was believed to be the soul of a deceased person, while in Saxony she was remembered as the spirit of an unfortunate mother searching for her drowned son. In the Allgäu, ghostly wailing women or men carrying a coffin could appear in a midnight procession, while in Carinthia and Switzerland the Klagmuhme was associated with the Wild Hunt. In the Fichtel Mountains she was instead regarded as a female forest spirit. Across these traditions, her mournful appearance and terrible voice remained a warning of death, making her a supernatural embodiment of grief and impending loss.

Sources

“Klagmuhme.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klagmuhme

Heimchen

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Heimele, Butzelmännchen, Erdmännele, Heimchenkönigin
Category: Dwarf

The Myth

The Heimchen are tiny supernatural beings, sometimes no taller than a finger, who appear in several forms throughout German folklore. In the Vogtland they are little mountain people living inside a great cave, while in Thuringia they are tiny earth spirits living in the mouse holes of human houses. They are often cheerful and friendly, helping people without being seen.

The mountain Heimchen live inside a hidden cavern illuminated as brightly as daylight by a gigantic carbuncle. Gemstone flowers grow throughout the underground meadow, while a soft humming fills the cavern like the sound of harps. The entrance does not always appear, and the little mountain people cannot always be seen by human eyes.

These Heimchen keep tiny golden sheep, no larger than lambs. Their shepherdess is Ilsa, an enchanted girl dressed in white who carries a golden staff. She remains among the mountain people while waiting to be freed from her enchantment.

In Thuringia, the Heimchen are also called Heimele, Butzelmännchen, or Erdmännele. These tiny beings live in mouse holes and emerge in the evening dressed in white. Hundreds of them may gather in a meadow, where they dance together in great circular dances. Their appearances are believed to reveal whether good or bad fortune is coming to the people living nearby.

The little spirits can also reward people who care for them. Small golden boxes containing delicate and delicious gifts may be found outside their mouse holes in the morning. The Heimchen are especially fond of helping humans secretly. They tend fields, look after cattle, and watch over children when their parents are away.

The Heimchen were once said to have been particularly helpful around the villages of Cosdorf and Rödern. Their constant assistance made the farmers prosperous, as the tiny spirits quietly helped with their work and cared for the animals.

Eventually, however, a stern stranger arrived and warned the villagers that Perchta should not be trusted. He told them that the Heimchen were actually the souls of children who had died without being baptized. After hearing this, the villagers became suspicious of the little spirits and stopped accepting their help.

Perchta then decided that the time had come to leave. She gathered the Heimchen and crossed the stream with them, taking the mysterious little people away from the villages. They never returned, and the prosperity they had brought with them disappeared as well.

The Heimchen are also connected with Perchta herself. In some Thuringian traditions they form part of her supernatural retinue, appearing as the wandering souls of unbaptized children. Their nature therefore ranges from benevolent household helpers and cheerful dwarfs to mysterious spirits belonging to the world of the dead.

Sources

“Heimchen.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimchen