Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Giant
The Myth
Starkhans was a giant-like figure whose enormous strength was said to represent the giants of old. His extraordinary power was already apparent in childhood. He continued drinking at his mother’s breast until the age of seven, and this was said to have made him so strong that, scarcely grown beyond his mother’s care, he could uproot young oak trees as thick as a man’s arm merely for amusement.
One of the most famous tales of his strength tells of a mischievous shepherd who boasted that he could outdo Starkhans in a contest. They agreed that each would throw a stone against a wall with such force that it would remain stuck to it.
Starkhans picked up a boundary stone and hurled it against the wall with tremendous force. Instead of sticking, the stone shattered into pieces like sand, and the wall itself shook from the impact.
The clever shepherd had no intention of competing honestly. He picked up a piece of cheese instead, threw it against the wall, and watched as it stuck firmly to the surface. Starkhans believed that he had been defeated.
Overcome with furious rage at losing the contest, Starkhans struck the unfortunate shepherd such a tremendous slap across the face that the poor man was hurled all the way up to the clouds. He did not fall back to earth for seven days.
When he finally came down, he landed in a meadow where his fellow shepherds were working in the hay. They were astonished to see their companion suddenly fall from the sky, alive after his extraordinary journey.
Sources
La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.