Germany
-
Walriderske
The Walriderske is a creature from German folklore. They are spirits of nightmares much like the Mara or Alpen. They are most often female and appear as rough haired animals that are black, brown, or white. Sometimes they may appear as a girl who simply likes night walking. They are sometimes apparitions that haunt people and may even be in league with the devil. They may stick with someone for their entire life and could be kind figures as they aren’t inherently evil. They travel in a spirit form rather than physically, blending the corporeal and incorporeal. When the spirit leaves the body, they are left asleep and appear lifeless.…
-
Poltergeist
The Poltergeist is a form of ghost whose name means “noisy ghost” in German. They make their presence known by moving things, breaking things, and even interacting physically with the living. Often they are defined as ghosts that cause mischief, sometimes unexplainable noises. They are sometimes believed in modern days to not be actual creatures, but examples of a phenomenon called RSPK, meaning Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
-
Neuntöter/Neuntoter
The Neuntöter is an undead creature from Germany, usually Saxony. The name translates to “killer of nine” or “nine killer” and comes from the belief that these corpses take nine days to rise from the grave. They resemble corpses with rotting flesh and many open sores that smell like feces. They’re linked to the spreading of disease, which comes from their open sores. Because of this they’re typically seen during great epidemics. They are known to drink blood and may kill purely for its own enjoyment. A person will become a Neuntöter after death if they are born with teeth, born with a spoon in their mouth, or if they’re…
-
Nachzehrer/Nachtzehrer
The Nachzehrer is from Germany. Born with cauls on their faces and cursed to rise from the dead, they eat their burial shrouds and their own flesh to give them the energy to break out of their graves. They get out of the grave at midnight, then hunt their family to feed on their blood. They are known to spread disease, cause famine, and destroy crops. They can be repelled by putting a pair of scissors open facing the head of the bed under the pillow. Garlic can be used to ward them off. They can be stopped through exorcism. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural…
-
Mare
The Mare is another term for an Alp from German myth. When an Alp attacks a horse, it is referred to as a Mare. It mounts the horse and rides it until it dies of exhaustion. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
-
Löwenmensch
The Löwenmensch are known from stone age carvings first found in 1930s Germany. The initial depiction is a statue standing 28-31 cm tall carved from mammoth ivory. It shows a lion-headed human and has been suggested by radiocarbon to be somewhere near 40,000 years old. The statue was found by Gustav Rieck in the Vogelherd cave in the Swabian Jura region in Southern Journey in 1931. Due to WWII, the statue was improperly sorted until it was “rediscovered” in 1969 by Joachim Hahn. It’s one of the oldest examples of human art and shows the ability of early man being able to think abstractly. It’s thought to have taken over…
-
Knecht Ruprecht
Knecht Ruprecht is a figure from German mythology whose name means “servant Ruprecht.” He wears a dark hooded robe accented with fur, has a dark bushy beard, and carries switches and a large sack. This sack may be used for carrying off bad children or bringing presents to the good ones. Other times he gives the switches to bad children or their parents rather than using them himself. He may have ashes on his face and may rub ashes in the faces of bad children to mark them. This visual may have been meant to bring to mind blacksmiths, whose image sometimes brought to mind the devil with darkness and…
-
Doppelgänger
The Doppelgänger is an entity from German myth. The name translates to “double walker” or “double goer.” They appear as a shadowy double of the person who sees them, and it’s often believed everybody has one, most often invisible and without power or will. When they are seen, it is almost solely by their real counterpart and in a shadow or reflection moving in a weird way. They are sometimes evil, but more often are benign. In some rare cases they may be helpful. They sometimes manipulate the real person into doing evil and may separate from the body as the real one sleeps to go commit misdeeds. They may…
-
Büxenwolf/Boxenwolf/Böchsenwolf
This is a Werewolf from the Schaumberg region of Germany. A Büxenwolf is formed when a person makes a pact with the devil for knowledge, wealth, and power. They use a magic girdle to fully change from a human to a wolf. In wolf form they have enhanced speed, strength, and intelligence on top of their animal instincts and senses. They are known to be incredibly sadistic and will attack people from behind aiming for the neck to drag victims away. Despite their supernatural power, they can still be killed by normal weapons. Putting a piece of iron or steel above the creature’s head will break its connection with Hell.…
-
Aufhocker
The Aufhocker is from German folklore, and its name means “leap upon.” It looks like a black dog that occasionally walks on its back legs. It targets people traveling alone at night. It attacks at crossroads and rips out their victims’ throats. It can shapeshift into other animals, or even a human. It cannot be killed but will leave at the sound of church bells or when the sun rises. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
