In the Holzer Busch, between Bondorf and Holz, there was said to live a little dwarf known as the Hierschermännchen. This small being often spoke with people and would even allow them to carry him.
Another creature of the same kind was said to dwell at a place called Misère. It was known as the Hedemännchen, and people spoke of it as a similar small goblin who lived in the area.
Thus two little goblin-like beings were remembered in the region, each tied to its own place in the countryside.
In a ravine between Diekirch and Ingeldorf, it was said that the Knights Templar once gathered. Yet the people of the region spoke of them not as knights, but as small beings — goblins who lived underground.
In a nearby plain called Wallebroch, another group of these creatures assembled for their councils. They were known as the Plattfüßchen, a kind of goblin said to dwell beneath the earth.
Thus the land between Diekirch and Ingeldorf was believed to shelter hidden underground folk who met in secret places and lived unseen beneath the ground.
In earlier times, many gnomes were said to live around Ettelbrück. They were believed to come especially from the Nuck and from the Deiwelsbaach. The village of Warken was thought to be particularly troubled by them, and people said they emerged from Witry’s stable there.
The gnomes were believed to multiply quickly, and their numbers grew so great that the inhabitants of Ettelbrück decided to hunt them down. They were thought to have holes scattered throughout the mountains, which led to underground caves where they lived.
Even today, these openings in the ground are said to be known as fox holes, recalling the places where the gnomes were once believed to dwell.
On the Nuck near Ettelbrück, little gnomes were once said to live.
They kept horses of their own, and it was said that they nailed the horseshoes on backwards. Because of this, anyone who followed the tracks could never tell whether the gnomes had come or gone.
Thus their dwelling remained hidden, and no one could know when they moved in or when they left.
On the Pirmesknapp near Buderscheid, it was said that a castle of the Knights Templar once stood and that all who lived there perished in a single night.
Yet when the people of the region spoke of these Templars, they often described them not as knights, but as little men — gnomes who lived in underground dwellings built of brick. These small beings were believed to serve the sanctuary of the mountain and to dwell beneath it in hidden chambers.
A similar story was told of the church called Heidenkirch in Heiderscheidergrund. There, too, the little gnomes were said to have lived in brick-built underground homes.
Thus the memory of the vanished castle and the old sanctuary became joined with the tales of the small folk who were believed to dwell beneath the earth.
In the village of Riedgeskeher near Gösdorf, little gnomes once lived who were said to be about two feet tall.
For a long time, the food that people carried with them to their work disappeared without explanation. No one knew how or where it had gone. Later it was discovered that the gnomes were taking it.
The cloths used for sowing seeds were also said to vanish in the same mysterious way.
Thus the people believed that the little gnomes of Riedgeskeher were living among them, quietly taking what they needed.
More than a hundred years ago, when gnomes were still said to wander the earth, there stood a paper mill in Heiderscheidergrund on the site where houses stand today. Although the mill often lay idle during the day, its owner prospered greatly and produced the finest paper in the region.
As soon as night fell, however, the mill would suddenly begin to run and continue working until morning. Many people wondered at this, unable to understand how it was possible.
The reason was that a few meters above the mill, the little gnomes had their dwelling in a hill. They were fond of the mill owner and every night brought him heaps of rags, which kept the mill working without pause.
This went on for some time, and the people rejoiced in their prosperity. But at last they began to worry. They feared that the gnomes must be stealing the rags from others and that it was wrong to profit from such acts. They spoke to the pastor, who thought carefully and advised them to make a cap sewn from seven different pieces of cloth, each a different color, and hang it before the gate. By this means, he said, they would be rid of the little beings.
When the gnomes came again that night and saw the cap hanging there, they grew sorrowful and said, “Here hangs our reward.” They turned away and never returned.
After their departure, misfortune befell the owners of the mill. They could no longer make good paper, their business declined, and they fell into poverty and debt. In the end, they died in grief.
The grotto in the hill where the gnomes once lived can still be seen, though its entrance is now almost entirely blocked with rubble, and few dare to venture inside.
When the gnomes left, they went to Ahlhausen, not far below Esch-sur-Sûre. Later they were driven away from there as well, and since then no one has seen them in the region, though their former dwelling at Ahlhausen is still pointed out.
In the region around the village of Niederfeulen, in a place called Hinterberg, little gnomes were once said to live in caves deep beneath the earth. They were scarcely taller than a child of eight years, were never seen during the day, and only came out at night. They were said to run faster than the swiftest horse.
To housewives who treated them kindly, they spun the finest yarn. They gathered the yarn themselves and returned it unseen, no matter how closely people tried to watch them. But anyone who wronged them or bore them ill will was robbed by them whenever they had the chance, and the stolen goods were kept in their underground cave.
Once a very strong man caught one of the little gnomes who had taken a loaf of bread from him. He held the creature tightly and meant to punish it. But the gnome fought back fiercely, scratching at him and nearly clawing out his eyes. He would likely have killed the man had he not managed to escape.
After this, the people grew greatly afraid of the gnomes and gave them whatever they wanted.
Between Useldingen and Ewerlingen, in the woods near the Lohmühle mill, little gnomes were said to live. The people of the area called them Äschtercher.
These small beings were known to frighten children who wandered too far into the woods. They were said to be especially drawn to those who bathed in the Attert River, where they would appear suddenly and startle them.
Thus the people spoke of the little gnomes of the forest, who lingered near the river and the mill and whose presence was feared by the young.
Not far from the Griéfchen, a plateau-like hill near Greisch, a great number of gnomes were once said to live. They came out at night and secretly stole from the people, often taking their ripe grain from the fields.
At last the villagers resolved to put an end to this. They surprised the little thieves with a trick and stoned many of them to death. The place where this happened was afterwards said to have received the name Stênrausch, the Stone Rush.
Afterward, when most of the male gnomes had been destroyed, a single female gnome was said to remain for a long time. She lived alone in a rocky cave and was often seen, yet no one dared steal from her or harm her. The cave where she lived is still pointed out, as is the place where she kept her fire.
Because of her presence, the place came to be called Wölfragrond, the Wild Woman’s Ground.
