Luxembourg Lake dweller

Witch of Bitschter Pond

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: The Old Witch of Bits; Matchmaking Witch of the Bits Pond
Category: Witch, Forest dweller, Lake dweller

The Myth

In earlier times, the Bitschter Pond lay in the deep valley between Buderscheid and the Pirmesknapp. The large body of water stretched from the Buderscheid mill to the Pirmesberg hill, surrounded by dense, wild forest. People said the place was haunted, for many spirits were believed to dwell there.

Among them lived the infamous old witch of Bits. She practiced fortune-telling and matchmaking, and young men and women who longed for marriage would seek her out. The witch possessed a mysterious bottle in which there was an egg and a crucified Christ. By means of this bottle, she told those who consulted her whom they would marry, where that person lived, and what they must do to win them.

At night, she was said to fly like a bird over the pond, crying out with a hoarse, croaking voice. Around the pond, other witches gathered, and in the moonlight they danced wildly in the trees, making music and raising a dreadful noise. They were also seen hovering around the Pirmesberg, reveling in the forest and floating through the air.

At last the witch’s deeds became known. She was seized and blown into the Bitschter Pond. At once a violent thunderstorm broke out, flooding the waters and turning the place into a great quagmire.

Even long afterward, people said the place was not a pleasant one, and many were afraid to pass the site of the old pond at night.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Der Bitschter Weiher. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Bischter_Weiher.html

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  • Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
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Haunting at the Enerèweschter Weiher

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Spirits of the Enerèweschter Pond
Category: Ghost, Lake dweller

The Myth

Many years ago, on Friday nights, two enormous human figures were said to appear at the pond called Enerèweschter Weiher in the forest near Lintgen. Each carried a long whip and lashed the water with such force that the noise echoed far and wide. At the same time, strange cries of “Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo!” rang through the night.

Afterward, the figures would perform a circle dance around the pond. Whenever anyone tried to approach them, they vanished at the slightest sound, leaving only a loud splash behind in the water.

One night, several daring young men from the village hid behind thick tree trunks, each armed with a club, determined to uncover the truth. As midnight drew near, they again heard the whipping and the eerie cries, and they saw the figures dancing. At a signal, they rushed forward and struck with all their strength. But their blows met nothing. They heard only a splash in the pond, and then all was still.

From that time on, the haunting ceased. Yet even today, some villagers believe that invisible spirits still play their tricks at the Enerèweschter Weiher.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Der Spuk am Enerèweschter Weiher zu Lintgen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Spuk_Lintgen.html

Interpretive Lenses

Religious Readings
  • Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
  • Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
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Esoteric Deep Dive
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Washerwomen at the Pond Rahloch

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Rahloch washerwomen
Category: Ghost, Lake dweller

The Myth

Between Sandweiler and Itzig lies a pond known as the Rahloch, a place once regarded as eerie and feared.

One night, a lone wanderer passed by the pond and heard the sharp echo of washerwomen’s sheets sounding through the still air. As he approached, he saw several old women standing at the water’s edge, silently beating laundry before them.

Seeing nothing strange in their work, he called out, “You are washing very late!” But the women gave no answer. Thinking to jest, he spoke again: “Ah, you wretched women, won’t you wash my clothes too?”

Hardly had he spoken when the women rushed upon him and beat him so severely that he fell senseless to the ground. When he later came to, he found his clothes completely soaked, and realized that the washerwomen had stripped him and washed them while he lay unconscious.

Filled with terror, he fled home as fast as he could. Only the next day did he notice that his hair had turned gray from the fright.

Gallery

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wäscherinnen am Weiher „Rahloch“. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Waescherinnen_Rahloch.html

Interpretive Lenses

Religious Readings
  • Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
  • Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
  • Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
  • Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
  • Marxist Deep Dive