Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: Die Frau mit den roten Haaren, The Red-Haired Woman
Category: Ghost
The Myth
In Dornbirn, Vorarlberg, there once lived a carpenter whose young wife had red hair. When she fell seriously ill, her husband made a vow at her bedside to undertake a pilgrimage to Einsiedeln in Switzerland if she recovered. However, the woman died a few weeks later, and the carpenter soon forgot his promise. Instead of fulfilling his vow, he began courting a friend of his deceased wife and eventually married her.
About fourteen days after the wedding, the new wife went downstairs into a room on the ground floor to collect wood shavings for the kitchen. When she returned, she had a terrifying encounter: her predecessor was sitting upon the pile of shavings. The red-haired woman addressed her in a loud voice, explaining that her husband had promised to make a pilgrimage to Einsiedeln. Until he fulfilled this vow, she could find no peace in her grave and was condemned to remain among the living.
The following morning, at three o’clock, the carpenter and his new wife set off for Switzerland. They travelled to Einsiedeln, prayed at the holy site, and arranged for several Masses to be celebrated. After they returned home, the red-haired woman’s ghost was never seen again. The carpenter’s new wife could once more enter the room and collect wood shavings without fear, for the restless spirit had finally found peace.
Sources
“Die Frau.” SAGEN.at – Vorarlberger Sagen aus dem Rheintal. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/vorarlberg/rheintal/diefrau.html