Tradition: Czech Mythology
Alternative Names: The Stranger of Holmberg
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Threat is a sinister apparition that appears in the forests of Holmberg in the middle of the night. It takes the form of a strange man with an unrecognizable face, sitting alone at a table beneath the moonlight. Its presence is eerie and threatening, and those who encounter it may be marked for death.
One night, a messenger had to cross Holmberg after midnight. Deep in the forest, he discovered a table standing in the moonlight, with the mysterious stranger seated behind it. As the messenger attempted to pass, the figure suddenly raised both arms and threatened him. Overcome with dread, the messenger hurried past with his eyes lowered, too frightened to look at the apparition.
Three days later, the messenger was dead. The encounter with the stranger had seemingly foretold his death, leaving the mysterious figure as a terrifying omen lurking in the moonlit forest.
Sources
Watzlik, Hans. “Die Drohung.” In Böhmerwald-Sagen. Budweis: Böhmerwalder Dorfbücher, 1921, Heft 5. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/drohung.html