Mythology!

Witches of Engolasters

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Tradition / Region: Andorran Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Witch, Sheep

The Myth

The Witches of Engolasters are a collective of witches from across the Pyrenees who gather at Lake Engolasters on the night of the summer solstice to renew their pact with the devil. The lake itself is considered a deeply esoteric place, associated with mystery and supernatural forces, where even falling stars are believed to sink into its depths.

On the night of Saint John, witches travel from distant mountains and valleys to assemble at the lake. Before the sabbath begins, they gather special herbs used to create a magical drink that grants them the power to cast spells. During this preparation, the devil marks them, altering their nature and distinguishing them from ordinary women.

At midnight, under the moonlight, the sabbath begins. The witches form circles around the devil, who appears in the form of a goat and plays music that drives the ritual forward. The dance becomes increasingly wild and chaotic, accompanied by shouting, whistling, and the drinking of enchanted potions. During this time, the witches declare the curses they will cast over their lands in the coming year.

Young men sometimes attempt to spy on the gathering, climbing toward the lake with protective branches. However, they are often discovered before reaching it. The witches use enchantment against them, transforming them into black cats and drawing them into the ritual itself.

By morning, the lake returns to silence. Those who were transformed awaken far from the scene, exhausted and with no memory of what occurred. The sabbath leaves no visible trace, but its effects are believed to linger throughout the year.

Sources

Valls, À., & Carol, R. (2023). Llegendes d’Andorra. In Encamp-Montellà: Anem Editors. p. 46.

Gastó

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Tradition / Region: Andorran Mythology
Alternate Names: Gastó of Fontaneda
Category: Sorcerer

The Myth

Gastó is remembered as a powerful village sorcerer and healer, known for diagnosing and curing mysterious illnesses that ordinary medicine could not explain. His knowledge combined herbal remedies, ritual practices, and insight into hidden supernatural causes.

In the story of Cal Cametes, a young pregnant woman begins to waste away without any visible illness. Despite medical help, her condition worsens daily. Desperate, her husband travels across the land to seek Gastó’s aid.

The sorcerer first prescribes herbs to be taken as a drink, then additional remedies paired with prayers, and finally protective measures involving sacred symbols placed at the threshold of the home. When none of these work, Gastó realizes the illness is not natural.

He identifies the cause as the evil eye, cast by the woman’s own mother-in-law out of jealousy. To prove it, he instructs the husband to place an egg beneath his mother’s bed overnight. By morning, the egg has turned black and rotten, confirming the presence of malevolent influence.

Following Gastó’s guidance, the husband purifies the house with holy water and prayers, breaking the curse. The young woman recovers quickly and gives birth to a healthy child.

Gastó’s role in the tale is not that of a dark magician, but of a discerning practitioner who exposes hidden harm and restores balance, standing between human life and unseen destructive forces.

Sources

Valls, À., & Carol, R. (2023). Llegendes d’Andorra. In Encamp-Montellà: Anem Editors p. 56.

Fairy of Fontargent

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Tradition / Region: Andorran Mythology
Alternate Names: Water Woman of Fontargent
Category: Fairy, Nymph

The Myth

The Fairy of Fontargent is one of the “water women,” ethereal beings tied to lakes and mountain waters, known for their beauty and benevolent nature. Unlike witches, they were admired and even venerated across the Pyrenees.

These beings were believed to depend on water, living near streams, springs, and high mountain lakes. Their presence symbolized purity, calm, and a hidden supernatural harmony within nature.

One of the most renowned among them dwelled in Lake Fontargent. On certain summer nights, when the moon aligned between the surrounding peaks, she would rise from the water wearing a long, flowing silk tunic. She moved silently across the lake’s surface, as if untouched by gravity, in complete stillness.

Her appearance was brief and sacred. At dawn, as the first light turned the lake blue and revealed the stark mountain landscape around it, the fairy would vanish back into the depths.

Over time, traditions say these fairies disappeared from the region, driven away by the spread of Christian belief, particularly associated with the Virgin of Meritxell.

Sources

Valls, À., & Carol, R. (2023). Llegendes d’Andorra. In Encamp-Montellà: Anem Editors p. 55.

Comitiva Fantasmal

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Tradition / Region: Andorran Mythology
Alternate Names: Black Procession
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Comitiva Fantasmal is a ghostly procession of dark, human-like figures that appears as a supernatural punishment for irreverence and mockery of sacred rites. It manifests as a silent, solemn group dressed in black, moving with ritual precision and carrying holy objects.

The legend tells of a group of young men who, feeling offended after being denied their own religious procession on Corpus Christi, decided to create a parody. They constructed a fake monstrance and imitated a sacred procession, singing and praying in a mocking but ceremonious way as they walked toward the hill of La Quera.

After completing their imitation, they stopped to rest and began laughing at what they had done. At that moment, they heard movement along the same path they had just taken. When they looked, they saw a second procession approaching.

This time it was real, but not human.

A silent line of figures dressed entirely in black advanced up the hill. They carried a true monstrance, surrounded by flowers, and at its center shone a radiant host with an intense, unnatural light. The entire scene had a heavy, otherworldly presence.

Overcome with terror, the young men fled in panic, believing they were witnessing a divine or supernatural punishment. They did not stop running until they reached the village.

After this event, the place became feared, and for many years no one dared to travel that path. The ghostly procession came to be understood as a manifestation of sacred forces correcting human disrespect, appearing not as chaos, but as a perfect and solemn imitation of the sacred — far more real than the living.

Sources

Valls, À., & Carol, R. (2023). Llegendes d’Andorra. In Encamp-Montellà: Anem Editors p. 74.

El Vell Llop

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Tradition / Region: Andorran Mythology
Alternate Names: Rei dels animals
Category: Wolf

The Myth

The Old Wolf is portrayed as the wise and aging king of all animals, ruling over them in a time when beasts could speak and live in organized society. As he sensed his death approaching, he gathered all the animals of the land to decide who would succeed him as ruler.

Each animal proposed a successor from its own kind, but no agreement could be reached, as every species favored itself. Faced with this division, the Old Wolf chose to decide the matter himself. He called witnesses and formally declared his final will before withdrawing to await death.

After he died, the animals assembled again and read his testament. In it, the Old Wolf declared that the true heir to his kingdom would not be one of the animals, but a mysterious and superior being of the mountains known as the tamarro.

The tamarro was described as the most clever, brave, and intelligent of all beings, yet no human had ever managed to see or capture it. Because of this, it remained an almost mythical presence, existing beyond reach.

In the end, the Old Wolf’s decision emphasized that true superiority does not belong to those who argue for power, but to that which remains unseen, elusive, and beyond ordinary understanding.

Sources

Valls, À., & Carol, R. (2023). Llegendes d’Andorra. In Encamp-Montellà: Anem Editors p. 97.

Alber

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Dragon

The Myth

The Alber is a demonic being said to appear as a great fiery dragon descending from the mountain known as the “Devil’s Corner.” It glows with an intense, unnatural light and flies through the mountains toward the valley, bringing with it signs of disaster such as plague, war, and famine.

It is not merely a creature, but a manifestation of destructive forces, associated directly with the devil and appearing during ominous or cursed moments.

In one account, two men climbed a cherry tree near a sacred cross during a pitch-black night. One of them, a dishonest and reckless man, had made a bet to steal cherries, while the other was an honest villager who had been persuaded to join him.

As they were in the tree, the Alber suddenly passed by, lighting the darkness with its fiery glow. The dishonest man was overcome with fear, nearly falling from the tree, while the honest man remained calm and even addressed the creature without fear.

Because of his integrity and lack of wrongdoing, the Alber had no power over him and departed immediately.

The Alber represents a demonic force that is drawn to corruption and wrongdoing, yet powerless against those who remain morally upright and unafraid.

Sources

A Book of Creatures contributors. (2021, May 3). Alber. In A Book of Creatures, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2021/05/03/alber/

Trud

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Bat

The Myth

The Trud is a malevolent spirit or witch-like being that can enter homes through the smallest openings, even slipping through a keyhole, which is why people traditionally block keyholes during births or illness. It is believed that protective measures such as blessed objects, crosses marked on the floor, or sacred items placed near the bed can keep it away.

In southern Burgenland, the Trud is said to appear during moonlit nights at the ghostly hour, taking the form of a large, bat-like creature with wide wings and clawed limbs. It is described as extremely ugly and unnatural in appearance. The Trud flies through the night and enters stables, where it sits on animals and “bewitches” them, causing cows to stop giving milk or preventing them from calving.

It is also feared as a danger to mothers and newborn children. During the days following childbirth, both are carefully protected because the Trud is believed to strangle infants or harm them through supernatural means. Various rituals and religious protections are used to guard against it, including holy water, prayer books, and symbolic objects.

The Trud can also change form. In one account, it transformed into a straw that was about to be burned, but when the fire was lit, it turned back into a woman who begged for mercy and claimed to be released from its condition.

The Trud represents a nocturnal, intrusive force associated with vulnerability, especially in moments of weakness such as illness or childbirth, and is repelled by strong symbolic and religious protections.

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Von der Trud. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/burgenland/petzoldt/von_der_trud.html

Black Hare

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternate Names: –
Category: Rabbit (hare)

The Myth

The Devil appears as a black hare and is understood to be a manifestation of the Devil himself, taking animal form to deceive and claim human lives.

The legend takes place in an old farmhouse where a group of workers were threshing grain in autumn. During a break, they joked and challenged one another, and one of the farmhands boasted that a person could hang themselves even from a single straw. When the others doubted him, he insisted it was possible and agreed to prove it, asking them to cut him down immediately if he began to suffocate.

He tied a straw to a beam and placed it around his neck, attempting to demonstrate his claim. At that exact moment, a pitch-black hare with glowing red eyes suddenly ran through the barn. The sight startled everyone, and they all chased after it, completely forgetting the man hanging from the straw.

When they finally returned, exhausted and empty-handed, they found him dead, still hanging. The straw had not broken.

The black hare was understood to have been the Devil, appearing deliberately to distract the others and claim the life of the reckless man.

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Der schwarze Hase. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/oberoesterreich/linz/derschwarzehase.html

Wörthersee Sprite

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternate Names: Wassermann
Category: Spirit

The Myth

The Wörthersee Sprite is a male water spirit said to inhabit Lake Wörthersee and is known for dragging young women into its depths. One evening, a servant girl went alone to bathe in the lake at sunset. After some time in the water, the surface suddenly grew restless and waves began to rise, and from the middle of the lake she saw something approaching her. She recognized the figure by its pale green face and the wreath of reeds in its hair — it was the Wassermann.

Overcome with fear, she ran out of the water and fled back to the house, managing to lock the door just in time. Moments later, the Wassermann reached the house and could be heard outside, but it was unable to enter. The doorway bore the protective sign “C + M + B”, which prevented the spirit from crossing the threshold.

The Wassermann, which was said to claim victims from the lake each year, was forced to leave empty-handed. The girl survived, but from that day on, she never entered the lake after sunset again.

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelcher zu Useldingen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Useldingen.html

Ghostly Cat

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternate Names: White Cat Spirit
Category: Cat, Ghost

The Myth

The Ghostly Cat is the spirit of a woman condemned to wander in the form of a large white cat, appearing at night on the rooftops of an old house.

The legend tells of a man who lived a corrupt and immoral life, while his wife endured everything in silence. Eventually, he fell under the influence of another wicked woman, and together they plotted to murder his wife using poisoned food.

However, through a twist of fate, the poison was consumed by the very woman who had prepared it. The effects were unnatural and disturbing. Instead of dying immediately, she began to lose her humanity and believed herself to be a cat.

She crawled on all fours, ran wildly through the house, climbed across the roof, and screamed like an animal. Her madness intensified with time, growing worse by the hour, until finally she fell from the highest point of the roof and broke her neck.

After her death, she did not find rest.

She became a restless spirit, condemned to return as a ghostly white cat, roaming the rooftops at night. Those who come too close to her path risk being attacked, as she lashes out with sharp claws at anyone who dares approach.

The Ghostly Cat represents a punishment tied to guilt, corruption, and unnatural transformation — a human reduced to an animal in life, and bound to that form even after death.

Sources

sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die gespenstische Katze. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/wien/sagen_legenden_gugitz/katze.html