Tradition: Luxembourgish Mythology
Alternative Names: Goldkaul Dragon
Category: Dragon
The Myth
In ancient times, a knight’s castle stood in the area called Burgkopf near Consdorf. A widow lived there with her daughter, and the two were constantly quarrelling. Although the daughter was still underage, she was already eager to marry and demanded her inheritance in gold every day.
The widow refused to give it to her. As their arguments grew more bitter, the mother’s patience finally broke. She took a chest filled with money, threw it at her daughter’s feet, and cursed her into the depths of the earth.
The mother’s curse came true. The greedy girl disappeared into the abyss together with her chest, and the nearby village of Eonsbrück vanished with her. The place is still called Goldkaul.
During the day, an eerie mist rises from the pit. It is said to be either the breath of the unfortunate girl or the breath of a fierce dragon whose fiery jaws guard the key to the chest of gold.
When the full moon shines at midnight, the shadowy figure of the cursed daughter can be seen flying from tree to tree. She waits for someone to free her, but only a person in a state of grace and filled with holy courage will be able to approach the dragon and seize the key from its possession.
Sources
“Der Kampf mit dem Lindwurm.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus Österreich (Kärnten). Reproduced by SAGEN.at.
https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/kaernten/franz_pehr/kampfmitlindwurm.html