Mythology!

Smakhak

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Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternate Names: Smakpoot, Smakvoet
Category: Dog

The Myth

Along the Delleweg near Stedum in Groningen, people once spoke of a haunting presence known as the Smakhak.

He was said to move along the road at night, close to travelers but often not clearly seen. What first gave him away were the sounds — heavy, wet thuds and smacking noises made by his feet as he went. The noises would come suddenly, as though something unseen was pacing alongside a person in the darkness.

When he did appear, he was described as a white dog, gliding along the road and passing close by those who walked there. He did not always attack or speak, but his presence was enough to unsettle anyone who met him.

Some said the Smakhak was not alone in the world of spirits. He was believed to be kin to another supernatural being known as the Widde Wiend, and the two were thought to belong to the same shadowy order of night wanderers.

So the Smakhak was remembered as a ghostly white hound of the road, known more by the strange sounds of his passing than by his form, a spirit that brushed past travelers and vanished again into the dark.

Gallery

Sources

Abe de Verteller. (n.d.). Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten. In abedeverteller.nl, from https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

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Bellenman

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Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Dog

The Myth

In the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Limburg, people once spoke of a night spirit known as the Bellenman.

He was said to take the form of a hideous dog or a wolf-like creature, sometimes described as almost a werewolf. Around his neck hung a bell, and chains dragged along his body. Even when he could not be seen, people claimed they could hear the rattling of iron and the dull ringing that announced his presence in the darkness.

The Bellenman was most often encountered by those walking alone at night. Travelers would suddenly sense that something was following them. Footsteps would sound behind them, or the noise of chains would scrape along the road. If they turned, they might see nothing — or only a shadowy shape keeping pace just beyond sight.

He did not usually attack. Instead, he followed his victim silently, driving them forward in fear. The spirit would pursue a person all the way to their door, only stopping once they had reached their home. Then the sounds would cease, and the night would fall quiet again.

Because he was often invisible, many believed the Bellenman belonged more to the world of ghosts than to that of living beasts — a restless presence that wandered the roads after dark, heard before he was ever seen.

And so those who traveled late at night were warned to listen carefully, for the faint ringing of a bell or the dragging of chains might mean that the Bellenman had begun to follow.

Gallery

Sources

Abe de Verteller. (n.d.). Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten. In abedeverteller.nl, from https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

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Burggruef Gnome

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Wichtel
Category: Gnome, House dweller

The Myth

In the town of Grevenmacher, people once believed that small gnomes lived in the Burggruef, the old castle moat. These beings were not hidden enemies or frightening spirits, but friendly little folk who moved easily between their own hidden dwelling and the world of humans.

The gnomes were said to walk openly among the townspeople, helping where they could and bringing quiet good fortune. Unlike many other little folk, they were not feared or avoided. Instead, they were loved, welcomed, and spoken of with warmth. Their presence was believed to bring harmony to the town, as if the land itself was content.

Over time, the gnomes of the Burggruef faded from sight. Whether they withdrew deeper into the earth or simply left when belief in them waned was never known. Yet the memory remained: that once, in the castle moat of Grevenmacher, small hidden beings lived close to humanity, and for a time, both worlds shared the same ground in peace.

Gallery

Sources

SAGEN.at contributors. (n.d.). Wichtlein (Grevenmacher). In SAGEN.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Grevenmacher.html

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Chopirako

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Tradition / Region: Japanese mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: House dweller, Gnome

The Myth

The Chopirako is said to be the most beautiful and refined of the household spirits known as zashiki-warashi. It appears as a small child, no more than four or five years old, pale and strikingly white, with a presence gentler and more radiant than its kin. Where a chopirako dwells, the house is blessed with quiet prosperity and harmony.

In old stories from northern Japan, a single household might host several such child spirits, each bound to a different space. One might live in the earthen floor, another in the living room, another near the tools of daily labor. The chopirako, however, was the highest and most graceful among them, associated with the heart of the home rather than its margins.

At night, when the house slept, these spirits made themselves known through sound rather than sight. Soft footsteps, the whisper of movement, or the faint presence of a child passing unseen through rooms were signs that the spirits were awake. They were never meant to be watched directly, and attempts to spy on them risked driving them away forever.

As with all zashiki-warashi, the chopirako was a double-edged blessing. As long as it remained, the household would thrive. If it vanished—offended, neglected, or simply choosing to depart—fortune would fade, and the house would fall into decline. Thus families treated their homes with care and respect, believing that unseen children might be listening, watching, and quietly deciding the fate of those who lived there.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). Chopirako. In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1085633632.html

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