They are not created by being bitten by another nachzehrer but rise from the dead after burial. Originating in the late middle ages, Knecht Ruprecht traditionally accompanied Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus as we now know him) when giving out presents to children. Each has a clear moral that demonstrates the disastrous consequences of misbehavior in an exaggerated way. While they may be old stories and traditions now, they still exist as part of the modern society to fascinate and scare people. The Mahr is a creature connected with night terrors – in fact the name itself translates into English as ‘mare’ (as in nightmare). The literal translation of this name in English is ‘White Women’. Living in the region of Europe that is now modern day Germany, these creatures were benevolent and did not pose any danger to humans normally. The world of German folklore and fairy tales contains beloved fairy tales like The Piped Piper, or Rumpelstiltskin but what about Germany’s lesser-known stories? They had the appearance of elves and usually appeared to people bathed in an ethereal white light, hence their name. Now this one is much more fearsome and scary – definitely a being that could keep you awake at night! http://bit.ly/2QTzTZT Share your story! At the very top of this treacherous climb, you’ll see hoof shapes imprinted into the rock on the edge of the cliff. Most German folklore stories feature a romanticism of natural spaces, in particular forests, and in nearly every story, the villain gets his or her retribution, thereby teaching a moral tale, with values important to the culture. The most persistent American version of the myth is a loose adaptation of Washington Irving’s 1820 story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , which draws from historical facts about the American Revolutionary War. She would usually be seen in white robes with one foot larger than the other. Perchta, the guardian of beasts, can appear in two forms – one as an old lady and the other as a white beautiful figure. OUR ULTIMATE COVID BOOKING GUARANTEE. The title of the first story provides the title of the whole book. He stood, staring at the soldiers before returning to the forest. If you possess any sort of fluency in the German language, there's a good chance you've encountered children's author Heinrich Hoffman's 1845 bedtime classic Struwwelpeter. To share in the spooky atmosphere of the season, The AEGEEan has made a list of the top 10 scariest creatures in European folklore. The traveller said “Your child is at home in a new cradle behind the chest in the side room. However, some folktales not only don’t have happy endings, but can be downright disturbing. During this same period, mothers should not go to sleep until someone else can watch over the child. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is rooted in American folktales, both in its literary form and cinematic adaptation. The folklore came from South Germany and similar legends exists in Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland and even Russia. The Watzmann Mountain in the Bavarian Alps is the third tallest in Germany. Perchta – By Čeněk Zibrt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. There have been numerous reports of creatures living around the Alpine area of Europe since the middle ages and Perchta is one example. 10 The Sacrificial Beggar Child Sweden One such legend of the Rhine talks about the Lorelei, a beautiful nymph called Lore who used to sit atop a high rock (Lei) and sing in an enchanted voice.Mesmerized by Lorelei’s melodious voice, many sailors would be drawn towards her and often lose balance, falling into the rapids. 10. Folklore is one of my favorite things to research into. Rübezahl was a famous creature from the modern day Czech Republic region, who was described as Lord of the Mountains. Nosferatu (Germany – 1922) Certainly the oldest film on the list, F.W Murnau’s German equivalent of Dracula (the rights of which Bram Stoker’s widow wouldn’t let him have) is one of the most well known, and earliest, horror films ever made as well as being an example of the German Expressionist style of film-making popular at the time. In the end, the dashing young man usually gets the beautiful girl, and everyone lives happily ever after. Countries all over the world have their share of tales and stories about scary or evil creatures and dark beings that people have passed down from generation to generation. According to the legend, Morbach is the last place a werewolf was killed, around 1988. Snallygaster of colonial America Want more creepy creatures? First, place a key next to your baby and this will prevent him from being exchanged. Cutty Dyer was either a water sprite or an ogre who stalked the waters of the River Yeo or Ashburn, depending on who you ask. 5. Goblins, Wak Waks, and Love Potions - Oh my! Sure, Germans are happy to roll in the new season with fall wine and the biggest pumpkin festival in the world, but Halloween as Americans know it has been termed too commercial, silly and - frankly - not German.. That said, the country is full of spooky places to get in the Halloween spirit. Germany’s scariest children’s stories. The message is clear- goodness and kindness are rewarded, while cruelty and selfishness are punished in German folklore. Plenty of treasures lie within the collections by the Brothers Grimm and other German folklore … The new movie Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, from André Øvredal and Guillermo del Toro, has kids of the 80s and 90s reminiscing about the terrifying source material. They had the appearance of elves and usually appeared to people bathed in an ethereal white light, hence their name. Nachzehrers do not suck the blood of the living but rather consume already dead bodies for their sustenance or even attack the living. A Drude is a folklore creature originating from central Europe and is traditionally thought of as a demon. It comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. As hard as it is to believe, this addition to the list counts Santa Claus amongst his friends?! Beauty and the Beast. In collecting these horror stories, we have learned that horror folklore is abundant around campus. As you can see, the Germanic culture has had its fair share of crazy and scary monsters throughout its long history. ), but the story of Giles … For that reason, people were wary of seeing him as they never knew what mood he was in or how quickly his ire could be aroused. There is something about a good scary cautionary tale to keep you freaked out at night. The Bean Nighe was a mythical washer woman with crone like appearance and webbed feet who existed in ancient Scotland. By Stephanie Almazan | Published Feb 1, 2016. A single candle burns in the village as a reminder, but also as a warning. Instead they would meet their final fate by crashing against the dangerous rocks. The Norse tribe believed the Nidhogg was a large, angry dragon like being that was intent on creating chaos in the universe. Meaning ‘The Bright One’, she was a wild and uncontrollable deity and dwelled in the mountains of the Alps. 5. At the very top of this treacherous climb, you’ll see hoof shapes imprinted into the rock on the edge of the cliff. themost10 © 2012-2017. Subscribe today! 7 Creepy Folklore Creatures from Around the World. The Bean Nighe would wait alongside rivers for people to pass and was thought to act as a portent of doom to whoever saw her as it was a warning of their demise. Why it's creepy: The Salem Witch Trials were creepy enough to begin with (go read The Crucible again if you don't believe it! According to German folklore, atop a steep rock on the Rhine River, there once lived an exquisite nymph named Lorelei. One night the candle went out and a wolf-like figure was spotted standing at a US airbase. This mythical creature would appear in the dreams of men and women but prefers to disturb women more. Der Struwwelpeter is an 1845 German children's book by Heinrich Hoffmann. 9 Cutty Dyer. There are many stories in folklore surrounding headless horsemen—from the German folktale by the Brothers Grimm to the Irish Celtic legend of dullahan, a headless demon on a black horse. They both appear in the twelve days of Christmas and their role is to guard the beasts. The story goes that Princess Brunhilde was fleeing a forced marriage to Bodo The Giant, who chased her to the cliff edge. The Nidhogg was a creature from Norse mythology. The mother was told to go to Neuhausen and give her baby water from the Cyriak Spring. The Puca (one of the less creepy Irish legends) More Irish Mythology and Folklore Stories If the children had been good he would give them treats but if they were bad then they would receive nothing. The ‘original,’ however, is neither as sanguine nor as comic as later versions. Traditional folklore suggests that they can be created when someone dies an unnatural or accidental death. No one knows where they went, but suspicions are with a rat catcher who bewitched the kids away after The Town Mayor refused to pay him for a job. To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK", Loreley Figure in the Rhine Valley, Germany | © Diadis/Shutterstock, Statue of the “Loreley” at the Loreley Rock, Germany, The Castle Baldenau is the ruins of a moated castle in Morbach, View of the Rosstrappe cliff in the Harz Mountains, Germany, The Watzmann mountain overlooking the village, Statue of the Pied Piper of Hamelin in Hameln, Germany. She dressed in white and wore a wreath of stars in her hair. Apparently covering the child’s cradle with a pair of men’s pants will also prevent changelings from creeping in. Once upon a time, in the deepest corners of Southern Bavaria, there reigned a tyrannical king named Watzmann who enjoyed slavery and hunting local peasants. 10 Most Interesting Mythical Places To Discover In The World, 10 Most Important Thing To Look For In An Online Casino, 10 Most Unsettling Real-Life Horror Stories, 10 Most Awesome Real-Life Places to Visit in Minecraft, 10 Most Creative Packaging Design – Part II, 10 Most Popular Apple Products In History, 10 Most Creative Kitchen Gadgets to Make Your Everyday Life Easier, 10 Most Innovative Gadgets For Home Automation, 10 Most Amazing Coffee Shops in the World, 10 Most Important Travel Gadgets for Geeks. Enticed by her song, legend has it that no sailor who tried to reach Lorelei ever returned. This is a set of important instructions told by Jacob Grimm, on how to protect your child from ‘changelings’ in German Mythology. This is one of the spookier creatures on this list as he was thought to appear to people only to warn of death. Found in the Bavarian region of Germany, Erdhenne was a house spirit and as such did not usually appear in physical form. 7) Zappelphilipp (Fidgety Philipp) by Heinrich Hoffmann - For all those who can’t sit still, a cautionary tale not to be too bumptious at the table. They could manipulate dreams to their liking and would create horrible nightmares. Alp. Make sure the new mother is never left alone during the first six weeks after childbirth, as it’s during this time the devil has more power over the innocent. http://bit.ly/2FEgquh Follow me on Twitter! Once upon a time, at Hessloch near Odernheim, a servant and the cook of a clergyman were living together as man and wife – but their newborn baby would not grow or gain weight. It was said she could also appear as a beautiful young women depending on the situation. The Nidhogg hoped that it would eat away enough to destroy the world and achieve its aim. Every major culture around the world past and present has had its fair share of mythical creatures. One day after a bloody day of killing, a curse was cast upon him and his family. When the mother arrived home, she found her baby healthy and laughing in its new cradle. The Abhartach aka the Irish Vampire (one of the scariest Irish legends) 2. The Banshee (one of the better-known Irish legends) 4. We are going to round up the ten most fearsome for you – don’t have nightmares! 10. Writers used to instill good manners through strange, scary cautionary tales—and some stories were so bizarre it's a wonder the kids that read them turned out OK. The folklore of Germany is vast. They were all turned to stone, and it’s said they are still entombed within a range of seven mountains, near the town of Berchtesgaden. According to the townsfolk, if the candle ever goes out the werewolf will return. Herne appears as a half-human, half-stag chimera, and haunts Windsor Great Park, a former royal hunting preserve in Berkshire, and was used by parents to scare their errant children from mischief. According to the German folklore, she was the cousin of Holda, who was also a goddess. Rubezahl – By Manfred Brückels (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Bean Nighe – Henry Meynell Rheam [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. The Alps are creatures that appear in nightmares in the middle of the night. They would go out of their nest during nighttime to hunt. Usually he was a kind creature that would treat you well if you did the same to him but he could be moody with a quick temper. These are the creepiest creatures from Eastern European folklore. The candle was re-lit, and has never gone out since. It has been described as a vampire in some quarters but this is not technically correct. All Rights Reserved. Warm your imagination with some of these fantastical favourites. Dwight Schrute introduced the figure to American audiences on The Office , dressing up as the fur-wearing, stick-carrying curmudgeon with a coal-smeared face in the Christmas episode of season nine. To cut a long story short, on route the infant became heavy and monstrous, and a traveller yelled out that the woman was carrying the devil on her back. So Shakespeare sums up the story of Herne the Hunter in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Act IV, Scene 4). In fact, the cause of people having nightmares in German and Swedish folklore was attributed to the Mahr. The Alps are creatures that appear in nightmares in the middle of the night. He was covered in colourful scales and had large horns protruding from his head. These legendary creatures will leave you sleeping with one eye open. Yikes! This large serpent would knaw away at the roots of the world with his large claws and forelegs which harmed them. But you just need to be brave enough to listen. Living in the region of Europe that is now modern day Germany, these creatures were benevolent and did not pose any danger to humans normally. Creatures found in the legends and folktales of German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria or Switzerland.. Subcategories. Der Struwwelpeter is one of the earliest books for children that combines visual and … The Rosstrappe is a craggy hill in the Harz mountain range in Central Germany. … This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total. The tales will surely live on as long as people love to be scared. Germany’s famous black forests and early society make it the perfect magic pot for campfire stories. Elves, beasts, monsters and spirits are said to haunt the forests and homes in this part of the world. Many of the tales in Scandinavian folklore are grim, and some are completely terrifying.