Wodan

One of the most important gods of the ancient Germanic peoples, identified with the Norse Odin. He was associated with war, knowledge, magic, poetry, power and the realm of the dead. In later legends, his traits passed into the figure of a mysterious rider, wanderer or leader of the Wild Hunt.

Donar

A Germanic god of storms, thunder and strength, corresponding to the Norse Thor. He protected people and their households from chaos and destructive forces. His memory survives, among other things, in the German name for Thursday — Donnerstag.

Frau Holle

A mysterious female figure of German folklore associated with snow, spinning, household work, fertility and women's fate. She rewarded the diligent and punished the lazy. Scholars have seen in her an echo of an older goddess or guardian of women's work, although in fairy tales she already appears as a supernatural housekeeper.

Teufel

Teufel, the Devil, was above all the Christian adversary of God, a tempter and cause of moral downfall. In the Protestant culture of nineteenth-century Prussia, his presence was reinforced by the Bible, catechism, sermons and religious upbringing. In folk tales he also appeared as a black dog, goat, hunter or elegant stranger offering wealth or help in exchange for a soul.

He could build bridges and mills, move enormous stones, guard treasures and appear at crossroads, in forests, ruins and places considered cursed. He could be dangerous, yet in folk tales people often defeated him through cleverness.

Aufhocker

A sinister being that lay in wait at night for lone travellers near roads, bridges, cemeteries and crossroads. It would leap onto a person's back and grow heavier with every step, draining their strength and making escape impossible. It could take the form of a black dog, a dwarf, a dead person or an unknown animal.

Werwolf

A werewolf - a person who transforms at night into a wolf or a creature combining human and wild-animal traits. The transformation could result from a curse, sorcery, grave sin or the use of an enchanted belt. The werewolf attacked people and animals and, after returning to human form, often did not remember its nocturnal deeds. The werewolf motif appears in many cultures.

Nachzehrer

A dead person who did not need to leave the grave to harm the living. According to legend, the Nachzehrer devoured its own shroud or body and in doing so drained the strength of relatives, brought illness and caused further deaths. This belief resembles Slavic traditions about revenants and vampires, but had its own features characteristic of German folklore.

Wechselbalg

A changeling - a strange being left in a cradle in place of a human child abducted by demons, dwarfs or evil spirits. An unusual appearance, illness or atypical behaviour in a child was once explained by such an exchange. Similar stories also appeared in Slavic culture as beliefs about changelings.

Roggenmuhme

The “rye mother” or “rye aunt” hiding among tall grain. She frightened children who entered the fields alone and might abduct or strangle them. The figure served as a warning, but also resembled the Slavic Południca and other female field spirits.

Kobold

A spirit of the house, farmstead or mine. It could help with work and warn of danger, but if treated badly it became malicious.

Wassermann

A water spirit inhabiting ponds, rivers, mill streams and deep backwaters. It might appear as a wet, greenish man or an elegant stranger betrayed by moisture seeping from his clothes. It lured people into the water, abducted the careless and guarded its underwater realm. Its close Slavic counterpart was the wodnik.

White Lady

The apparition of a woman associated with a palace, castle or tragic family history. She often appeared as a guardian of a place or an omen of death.

Wilde Jagd

The Wild Hunt. A spectral procession racing at night through the forest or across the sky. It was accompanied by horses, dogs, horns and cries. Encountering it foretold misfortune.

Alp

A demon believed to cause nightmares, sleep paralysis and a sensation of weight on the chest. Its Slavic counterparts were the zmora and mara. The German word Alptraum, meaning nightmare, preserves the memory of this being.

Irrlicht

Will-o'-the-wisps. Mysterious lights seen over marshes and wet meadows. They were believed to lead travellers astray, guide them to treasure or indicate places associated with the souls of the dead.

Rübezahl

A powerful spirit of the Giant Mountains, known in Polish as Liczyrzepa and later also as Karkonosz. He ruled over weather, fog and mountain forces, helped honest people but punished the greedy and mockers. Although he was not local to Boguszyce, he belonged to the most important legends of old German-speaking Silesia.