Oschdre (Where Color Comes From; Origin of the Distelfink)

-------------- PREFACE --------------

Rob had only heard parts of this when he was younger, mostly from relatives or friends of relatives from the stretch between Ashfield and Bowmanstown (version A), PA but also from the Berwick area (version B).  In 2012, Rob asked around the two areas and got leads on some people who may know about the story, and he ended up with 10 new informants for a total of 17. Other informants were familiar with one or two points of the story but not enough to make a significant contribution. More than half of the informants came from farther south, in a stretch from Orwigsburg to New Ringgold (version C). Their versions of the story bore more information and some distinct contrasts with those of the two northern areas. Thus, this particular myth has undergone some reconstruction using as a base the information that the informants provided. The more important variations are noted with footnotes below.

It should also be mentioned that only four informants (all of whom self-identified as knowing Braucherei or Hexerei), looked at any aspect of this as being anything beyond a metaphor. Informant #11 specifically referred to the three Ladies as "goddesses"; #8 referred to Oschdra as a "helpful entity";  #13 and #15 referred to the sisters as "helpful spirits." Therefore, it cannot be said that this was a widespread myth with religious significance historically, but it is applicable to the modern perspectives of Urglaawe.

It is also by no means certain that this is of any particular antiquity; it may be a story that arose in the foothills since the settlement. Thus, it is prudent to encourage readers to look at this as a new myth or a reconstruction or a retelling of a regional folk tale while allowing individuals or kindreds to view it as they will.

Michelle A. Jones and Robert L. Schreiwer

-------------- DIE OSCHDRE --------------

Three sisters, Helling, Nacht, and Oschdra,¹ gathered together at a point on the world they called East,² Each sister wore a cloak of transformative power. Helling wore a cloak of light; Nacht, a cloak of darkness; and Oschdra wore a cloak that could not been seen. They decided to meet at this moment because they were bored with the blandness of existence and wished to make it all appear more interesting and exciting.

Nacht stepped forward first and as She did so, Her cloak covered the world and everything beneath Her and it became black. Oschdra, seeing what happened when Her sister progressed, moved forward next. Only this time, Oschdra’s cloak seemingly had no effect on the world below. Next Helling walked forward, and as She did, the world below Her and Her cloak was cast in white. Most amazingly, as Helling’s white touched Nacht’s black under where Oschdra stood, Oschdra's cloak and everything below Her transformed and could now been seen in a new shade She called "gray."

Oschdra then called upon a pair of Finches,³ Distelfresser and Himmelflucht,⁴ to fly from Her right hand, a place She called North, to Her left hand, a place She called South. As they would make their flight, everything in their path would be washed in gray.

Distelfresser and Himmelflucht agreed, but asked Oschdra to grant them a simple request: Himmelflucht’s eggs shall also be gray so that she could see them regardless of Helling or Nacht being above them. Oschdra happily granted their request, and the Finches began their flight.

The three Sisters continued their walk around the world. Nacht providing the black hue, Helling, the white, and Oschdra, gray. After nine days, Oschdra became restless once again. She was unhappy that she could only create a tint on the world by standing between Her sisters. She wanted to provide Her very own hue. She looked upon Her cloak and closed Her eyes. She imagined one side of the cloak afire with a varied warm glow and She called it red, orange, and yellow. She imagined the other side luminescent with a cool iridescence and She called it green, blue, and violet.

Oschdra opened Her eyes, and now Her cloak bore all these hues which she called “Farewe,” but in Her own tongue.⁵ Now as Oschdra walked from the East to the West,⁶ the skies radiated with the new colors. Her sisters saw the change, and they admired Oschdra’s craft.

Together the three Sisters of the East, thenceforth known as the Oschdre, decided to do more. Helling added white to the colors and Nacht added black. Oschdra’s palette grew and the Sisters loved their work.⁷ The colors appeared in the sky but not elsewhere in the world. Oschdra and Her Sisters wished for the whole world to emerge with the colors of their work so they sought the assistance of the most prolific of the animal world to help them with their work. They found Haas⁸ and asked him to transform the world wherever his tail went by saturating everything in its path with the colors of the Ladies' craft. Haas agreed but asked in return that all of his descendents would inherit his role as the bearer of color.

The Oschdre Sisters agreed. While Helling and Nacht stood opposite one another, Oschdra sent Haas forth. Haas was directed to begin at the nest of the Finches, who, having completed their journey, were now flying South to North. Oschdra declared to Himmelflucht, “With Haas' colors, your eggs will always be in your sight.”

Just as Hare painted the last of the eggs,⁹ Distelfresser landed in the nest to check on them and he was pleased. Haas' tail brushed against him as Haas was leaving and Distelfresser’s plumage transformed to vibrant yellow, blue, green, and red.¹⁰

Haas continued on his way, and to this day, wherever Haas goes, color follows his tail.¹¹

-------------- NOTES --------------

¹ Only two informants (#13 and #15, both of the New Ringgold area; version C) had names for all three of the ladies: Helling ("Daylight"), Nacht ("Night"), Oschdra ("of the East"). The northern versions (A, B) only listed one individual, the Lady of the East, Oschdra, rather than three. Others in the southern stretch (C) knew one name or another or simply referred to them as "Schweschdere" (sisters).

² Informant #10 referred to the Lady's home as "Mariyeland" (sometimes spelled "Maryeland"), which could be influenced by the Deitsch name for Morgenland (Lehigh County) and literally means "Tomorrow Land," referring to the East.

³ There is a distinct difference in versions here. Version A refers to a goose while version C refers to a pair of finches. Version B makes no mention of this at all. Rob initially went with the goose route because that was the version he was most acquainted with. However, the goldfinch has as many informants and all of the informants from the area of version C indicated some knowledge (albeit in some cases passive) of the finches being part of the story.

⁴ Informant #13 (version C) was the sole provider of the names of the finches, and she had stammered significantly on the male's name as she tried to remember what her father had related to her. She ultimately provided Distelfresser ("Thistle-Eater") and Himmelflucht ("Heaven-Flight") as the name of the female. As these were the only names provided, we used them.

⁵ Whatever word a goddess would use in the language of the Hohegegend (the realm of deity) that would be the equivalent of Farewe ("colors").

⁶ Almost every informant in versions A and C reported this "walk" from the East to the West. Version B was more simple in a reference to the dawn bringing the colors.

⁷ Version A included mixing them together to form the earth color brown.

⁸ Haas ("Hare"). It should be noted that the purpose of the story as related in version B by informant #7 was to explain where the Easter Bunny came from, and the colors were more a secondary tale. In version C, it was the opposite; the purpose of the story was to explain where colors, including those of the Distelfink, came from. Version A fell somewhere in between with more focus on the origination of the colors of the world.

⁹ This is where the difficulty with version C comes in as the most typical reflections of eggs at Oschdre/Easter are goose eggs and chicken eggs. The only relatively widespread association with smaller bird eggs are those of Robins, who are announcers of springtime in Deitsch lore. The variety of colors and shades among house finch eggs, though, is not to be dismissed. And, also, sometimes a metaphor is just a metaphor.

¹⁰ There was some disagreement among the version C informants of this segment. Two informants stated yellow and called it Distelfink.. two stated yellow and red and called it Distelfink... and three related yellow, blue, green, red and called it by both Distelfink and Bird of Paradise. It is anyone's guess whether any of these was the original version or any/all were an alteration to the story to reflect the artistic concepts of the Distelfink/Bird of Paradise depictions. The one conclusion we do draw from this particular tale, though, is that Distelfink got its colors from Haas on his mission to paint the world. Stressing again: It is also by no means certain that this is of any particular antiquity; it may be a story that arose in the foothills since the settlement.

¹¹ This is probably the most widespread portion that people in general remember, even if vaguely, outside of the informants on the list.

Lewesgraut - Herb of Life

One day a Landlaafer¹ arrived at a farmhouse seeking food. The farmer, who was crippled by an old injury² from a disease, invited the wanderer in and offered him food and drink. The farmer sat with the wanderer, and the two talked as if they were old friends.

When the wanderer finished his meal, he said, "You have been kind to me. In return for your hospitality, I will bring you a plant that will bring you strength." He left the farmhouse and returned later holding the plant.

"This is the Herb of Life.³  Use it to restore your health."

Pedicularis canadensis

The wanderer nodded to the farmer and departed.

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¹ "Land walker," wanderer, hobo. The English cognate of "Laafer" is "loafer."

² "Gribbelschwer" is a debilitating injury to the body resulting from a disease.

³ Lewesgraut, commonly known as Lousewort in English. See discussion below.

Several versions of this tale exist, though the overarching theme of health given in exchange for hospitality runs through all of them.

From the Urglaawe perspective, we are looking at a tale of a visit by the god Wudan, who appears in some tales (explicitly or implicitly) as a wanderer seeking and rewarding hospitality and right action. His simple request for food was exceeded by the farmer's friendly engagement. Thus, Wudan's reward for the hospitality was the restoration of health.

The actual herb used is less clear because multiple names are used in the Deitsch various tales:

Widderkumm (Come Again) = Lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis) or Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Lewesgraut (Life Herb) = Lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis) or Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis)

The names are complicated further by the English name "Wood Betony" being used for multiple plants, including both Stachys officinalis and Pedicularis canadensis, which are only very distant relatives within the Order Lamiales.

All of these herbs have medicinal value, but the most likely candidate in the context of this story seems to be Pedicularis canadensis, or Canadian Lousewort. Because this plant has parasitic qualities in its relations to other plants, it, at one time, had a unsubstantiated reputation for causing louse infestations in cattle.

Quite to the contrary, Canadian Lousewort has medicinal uses ranging from an aphrodisiac to an anti-tumor to a pot herb to a blood tonic and as a skeletal muscle relaxant... And a bath in a strong decoction can indeed kill lice and scabies.

Thus, we associate the medicinal plants in the Pedicularis family with Wudan as the Herb of Life or Lewesgraut. Get to know this herb!

The First Book of Urglaawe Myths

After three years of engaging in interview, piecing together the notes from those interviews, and connecting dots in our folklore, we are pleased to present The First Book of Urglaawe Myths. There is, of course, a reason that it is called the "first" book; there are still more notes to pore through! Cryptozoological creatures, deity interactions, and ancestor interventions are all here!

This little booklet consists of eight myths, most of which have been published here on the Deitsch Mythology blog in the past. 

All profits from the sale of this book go to Distelfink Sippschaft's operations, which include engaging with the community to find the myths, remnants of myths, and folklore that is critical to understanding the Heathen mindset in the Urglaawe context.

Til Eileschpiggel and the Dwarves

Til Eileschpiggel had made a nuisance of himself to the Dwarves so much that they decided that he must be dealt with, so they made plans to drown him. 

They made a casket and placed him inside it, and then they started to trek towards the sea. On their way, they came to a tavern, and they went inside to revel in their victory, leaving the casket outside. 

Along came a herder with a large drove of cattle. When Til heard the approaching hoofbeats, he began to call out, "No! I won't do it! I can't do it!"

The herder stopped and listened to the calls, finally answering, "What is it that you cannot and will not do?"

"They want me to marry the king's daughter, and I won't do it. They are taking me to the king to force me to marry her against my will. I won't do it!"

"Let me take your place," said the herdsman greedily, "I'll marry the king's daughter!"

The herdsman took Til's place in the casket and Til took the cattle towards his own home. 

When the Dwarves came out of the tavern, they took the casket to the sea and sank it. They then headed home joyously.

As they neared the gates of their home, the Dwarves were astonished to see Til alive, and even more bewildered to see him driving a huge herd of cattle towards his home. 

Til said, "Down on the bottom of the sea are many such cattle. These I drove from the bottom and up onto the shore, and I brought them home."

All of the Dwarves, eager to get cattle, ran to the sea and jumped in, heading for the bottom. Not one of them resurfaced.

How Beavers Nixed the Wassernix on Ildechs Grick

Although often considered only a nuisance (and thus seldom given the recognition they deserve), beavers provide many benefits to humanity. Their dams provide a habitat for many sensitive plants and animals. As much as their dams may cause some flooding problems, they can also help to reduce some flooding problems by slowing the flow of water. Also, beaver dams can actually improve water quality.

In this folk tale, our hero is at first annoyed by the sight of the beavers, but, it turns out, he has actually drifted into the middle of a turf war. He finds himself in a dangerous situation, and ultimately discovers that those he considered enemies turned out to be valuable allies.

How Beavers Nixed the Wassernix on Ildechs Grick

Robert L. Schreiwer

Prior to the founding of Baumansdarrif¹ and the rise of the coal and zinc industries, Ildechs Grick² was a significant source of trout for the families of Lower Towamensing. The fishermen shared the creek with a colony of beavers³, though they found the beavers' dam to be annoying when the heavy rains came in April. The dams slowed the movement of water from the Ildechs into the Lechaa⁴, and the ponding water formed marshes that became breeding spots for mosquitoes.

Early one summer morning, before the sun had fully risen, a poor Kesselflicker⁵ named Harr Schneider, brought his simple rowboat to the creek. He glanced over at the beavers, who were busy expanding their lodges with mud and sticks. He thought to himself, "If those beavers were not causing the banks of the creek to turn to marsh, I would not have to swat at mosquitoes, and I would not need this boat. I could sit along the banks and fish."

Harr Schneider decided that the beavers must be removed from the creek. He decided that he would bring his gun with him the next day. The thought also crossed his mind that the beavers' pelts would be warm in the winter.

Harr Schneider pushed his boat out into the creek and cast his line into the water. A few minutes later, he felt a bump on the bottom on the boat from the water beneath him. The beavers began to churr loudly, and Harr Schneider suddenly felt that he was in jeopardy. 

Suddenly, a blurry figure manifested itself in the water. It appeared to Harr Schneider like a large gruesome frog. He recognized this creature as a Wassernix⁶, who would hold his soul as a prisoner in her underwater den if she were to get a hold of him. Panicking, he decided to row back to the marshy bank of the creek. He had no sooner dipped his oar into the water than he heard a loud splash behind him. He turned to see the figure rising out of the water. The creature's appearance shifted from a blurry and scaly green to that more of an old woman. Harr Schneider let out a loud call for help, but no one was near enough to hear him.

The creature stood on the top of the water, and, with one kick, caused the boat to capsize. Harr Schneider tumbled into the water, and the Wassernix grabbed him. Harr Schneider felt as if his soul was being torn from inside of him, and he realized hat he was about to perish.

Just as he was beginning to feel himself slip away, he heard a muffled din within the water. The Wassernix released her grasp on Harr Schneider, and he was able to spring himself from the bottom of the creek back to the surface.

As he coughed and spat water out of his lungs, he looked toward the beavers' lodge. Some of the smaller beavers were slapping the water with their tails, causing the Wassernix to become frightened and disoriented. The larger beavers were swimming in circles around the Wassernix, taking bites at her in an effort to guide her towards one of the lodges.

Harr Schneider swam quickly to the shore, and, once out of the marsh, he watched the beavers continue their attack on the Wassernix, who was now donning her original appearance. The beavers dragged her below the water, and the last Harr Schneider could see of the Wassernix was a blurry form.

Harr Schneider thought to himself, "The beavers took her to a prison like the one she planned for me." He went home and pondered his good fortune.

Every day during that summer, Harr Schneider returned to the marshy water and left the beavers a gift of freshly-cut poplar and birch branches⁷. He never saw the Wassernix again.

The beavers are gone from the Ildechs, but it is said that their lodges still lie at the bottom of the creek beneath a layer of mud and sediment. Trapped within one of those lodges is the Wassernix, whose plans to trap Harr Schneider were thwarted by her captors.

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¹ Present-day Bowmanstown, PA, which was incorporated in 1808.

² Lizard Creek in present-day Carbon County, PA.

³ Beaver = Biewer in Deitsch

⁴ Lehigh River

⁵ Tinker

⁶ Water sprite. Wassernixes have some differing personality traits in different tales, but one common theme is that they are generally hostile to humans and animals. They are originally residents of the Unnergegend ("Under Realm") but have acclimated to existence in the Hatzholz ("Hard Wood," the physical plane in which we live), which is why they can appear in spiritual or various physical forms. One of the reasons they are said to trap humans (and, in other tales, animals) is to sap the energies of the  souls in order to be able to continue to shift shape.

⁷ Poplar is sacred to Berchta (and perhaps Holle and Haerricke), and birch is sacred to Freid (Frigg).

Ewicher Yeeger

An old Deitsch myth from all across the Blobarrick

By 1732, the Deitsch colonists had entered the area now known as Lynn Township (Lehigh County), Pennsylvania and begun a rapid process of settlement. The settlers cleared huge tracts of land of all trees and brush, and they built farms along the Blobarrick, or the Blue Mountain, and went about their business.

Unfortunately, it did not take long for them to discover that the soil in this particular area was not as fertile as in adjacent areas, and the settlers experienced first a major drought. When the rain did come, it washed away the dry soil, including many of the seeds and the few seedlings that managed to take root. The drought was thus followed by a crop failure. This was a disaster to the folks, who had dubbed the name of their land Allemaengel (also Allemangel or Allemängel), which means "all deficiencies."

The drought and the crop failure were particularly disastrous because much of the wildlife that had lived in the previously forested area had fled to areas still wooded on the other side of the Blobarrick. The situation became more dire as early autumn snowstorms made it impossible to leave the Allemaengel. The colonists became increasingly desperate and began to pray and to set out meager offerings of hay and cloth.

Just as sickness and starvation began to set in, the cold, mid-autumn night's serenity was shattered by a booming voice and an overwhelming sound of barking hounds. The noise seemed to come from nowhere yet from all directions at the same time. The sound appeared intermittently throughout the black of night while the colonists remained in their shelters, frightened by the enormity of the noise.

As dawn approached, the settlers emerged from their homes. They looked out onto the barren fields and saw that the wildlife had been driven back into the Allemaengel. With deer and rabbit suddenly plentiful, the farmers took to hunting and to preserving the meat for the winter.

Throughout that winter, the sound of the hunting pack could be heard across the Blobarrick. The magnitude of the sound never waned, and the folk knew that Ewicher Yeeger (Eternal Hunter) had rescued them from certain starvation. 

To this day in parts of the Blue Mountain from Palmerton to Pine Grove and beyond, when the roaring barks and howls of Ewicher Yeeger's pack are heard, the Deitsch folk know that Ewicher Yeeger continues His errands, keeping the hunting lands of the northwest Deitscherei bountiful.

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Some comments regarding this myth:

Some versions of this tale attribute the importance of scrapple originating in the rabbits being driven over the ridge to save the colonists. The Deitsch word for scrapple is "Pannhaas," which translates to "pan (fried) rabbit."

There are many versions of this tale. In most versions, Ewicher Yeeger is an entity -- or, in Urglaawe, a deity -- of the Earth or the Air. In some other versions, Ewicher Yeeger was originally human but had an unfulfilled oath that kept him at his hunting work.

A well-known depiction of Ewicher Yeeger is J. Allen Pawling's painting, The Eternal Hunter, as seen here in Graeff and Meiser's Echoes of Scholla-Illustrated. Although this depiction does not show antlers or horns, Ewicher Yeeger is often seen as a horned god.

J. Allen Pawling's "The Eternal Hunter"

Despite early attempts to connect Ewicher Yeeger with Wudan via the concept of the Wild Hunt (Fogel 13), most reports of Ewicher Yeeger present an earth-borne feel to this powerful deity. In both Braucherei and Urglaawe, Ewicher Yeeger and Wudan are considered to be two very different gods. In Urglaawe, Ewicher Yeeger is considered to be of the Wane and is believed to be the consort of Holle. Additionally, the Wild Hunt takes place in the skies and in the ethereal space among the realms, and the targets of that hunt are the souls of the departed. Ewicher Yeeger's hunt is bound to the physical world.

Ewicher Yeeger is, though, on errands that exceed our understanding, and it would be easy for one to find oneself beneath the hooves of His horse or captured by His hounds. He is considered in Urglaawe to be a very old deity and is believed to be the god Holler (akin to Norse Ullr (maybe ?) or perhaps is even the Tuisto referred to in Tacitus' Germania) in the context of a regional understanding. Holler traditionally is viewed as a god of death, disease, and destruction, which would seem counterintuitive to the story that such a god would save the colonists from the elements for which He is best known. 

The way to interpret the lessons from this story emerge from Braucherei and Urglaawe philosophy.  The lore on Holler is scant, and much of the negativity associated with Him could be the result of demonization of Teutonic deities, much as Berchta was highly maligned in post-conversion Germanic lore. However, there are clues in most versions of this story that are passed among Braucherei and Hexerei practitioners that can help to explain Holler's role in this myth. 

Allemaengel has a longstanding association with "sorcery" (Smith 2), which is actually a reference to  Braucherei and/or Hexerei, so it is possible that the concept of the Zusaagpflicht was known to some of the people in that area. Many versions of this story make it clear that the settlers did not clear the land responsibly or check the soil prior to building their farms. There are no direct statements regarding to whom the prayers or the offerings were directed. Theories include the self-evident Christian deity, but other theories suggest that the offerings may have been to the land itself or, due to the strong presence of Hexerei practitioners, perhaps even to Teutonic deities. 

The residents of Allemaengel had violated the Zusaagpflicht (Tobin, Sacred Promise, 14, 16) by not caring for the land in which they were settling. The removal of all brush made the land prone to erosion, and the lack of food for the wildlife drove the game away. The resulting death, disease, and destruction were of the colonists' own making. However, the given offerings and uplifted prayers (regardless of to whom they were presented)  showed remorse and a recognition for the settlers' misdeeds. The offering of hay, in particular, can be viewed as a Schild payment to the land for the abuse thereof.

Thus, from the Urglaawe perspective, the colonists had made amends for their misdeeds and appealed for help from the divine. In this case, Holler, a god of wild game, came to their aid. The lesson of the Zusaagpflicht and the interdependence of all living things on Earth is a core Braucherei philosophy that has been in place much longer than the current era's "green movement." Stewardship is a core Urglaawe virtue that ties into the Zusaagpflicht. 

Regarding the sound of Ewicher Yeeger's pack: much like Heathens do not see Dunner (Thor) as the personification of thunder, we also do not see the reverberating sound that is associated with Ewicher Yeeger as being the Eternal Hunter Himself. Instead, we perceive His power in the sound and in the memory of the successful settlement of the region. Thus, much like the natural phenomenon of thunder is explainable by science, so may Ewicher Yeeger's sound be attributed scientifically to a wind of warm air on the cold mountains or to flocks of migrating geese (Gehman 52). However, because the deity does not emanate from the phenomenon and vice versa, there is no conflict between the sensation of the deity's presence and the scientific understanding of the world around us.

Although some similarities have been drawn between Herne the Hunter and Ewicher Yeeger, I have only found one other reference to Ewicher Yeeger in European lore, and it was an obscure Swiss German reference that I have not been able to find again (perhaps our cousins and friends in Europe can direct us to additional sources). The large number of stories in Pennsylvania related to Him, though, indicate that He has been well known in much of the Deitscherei well into present times.

The myth of Ewicher Yeeger brings to mind sections from a particular passage in Dennis Boyer's Once Upon a Hex (23-25) relating to the comments of a retired history professor in Mannheim, Germany:

"You Pennsilfaawnisch Deitsch took something with you. Something that both haunts and protects you. And you left us poorer for it. This has been a troubled land. When our German tribes displaced the Celts, the celtic spirits rested uneasily at first. But the celtic widows and orphans were absorbed into our tribes and brought some of the ancient magic into our midst.'

'When the Romans came, the bloodshed stirred up the old spirits and added fresh souls to the porridge. Confrontation, then absorption into the mercenary machine, and the end of our tribal identity.'

'Next, Christianity with God's message of peace and man's brutal distortions. A time of forced conversions and mass executions. Still, the old spirits stirred and welcomed the new energy into the mournful pool.'

'Then the push and pull of the so-called Dark Ages. There were tranquil periods when new gods of progress faded from the backwaters and left the people to the old rhythms of the land. So in between the temper tantrums of bishops and the greedy predations of feudal lords, the old spirits dwelt among the peasants. Those spirits infused the old wise ones with healing energy and food for the soul.'

'But the growing institutions of church and state needed to feed their appetites for control. So we came out of the Dark Ages and into the darkness. The endless wars, the plagues, the religious hysteria, and "witch" killings, and the peasant revolts and the slaughter at Münster, the quests for territorial dominion under the cover of Catholic-Protestant strife, and the persecution of the anabaptists.'

'It was the time when the old rhythms started to unravel. It was the time when the old spirits cried out at the murder of the old wise ones. It was the time when the stage was set for your people's departure.'

'In pockets along he Rhine, in Alsace, and in Switzerland, some of the old ways and old spirits hung on, biding their time. When the New World was opened to the people of the Rhineland, the impulse of these spirits made it inevitable that the humans in touch with them would burst out of their confinement.'

'I believe there is a spirit essence within a people. It is forged out of their diverse predecessors and out of their common suffering. It is not a ghost that haunts them. It is their way of haunting others.'

'It was that protective capacity the emigrants took with them. They took our best spirits, our ghosts of laughter, and our healing presences. And the last century makes it obvious that we were left more vulnerable when we lost these things.'

'We had stone quarry spirits and woodsmen spirits, spirits of the rye and barley fields, ghosts of grist mills and blacksmith forges, and even a turnip spirit. They all went to Pennsylvania...'

'But we are getting close to a new time. Many of the old German things seem to want to come back to us. Maybe you can help us find these old ghosts. If you want to find them, go back to the beginning of the Pennsylvania experience. They traveled with the emigrants in tool boxes, dowry chests, crocks, and seed packets."

Perhaps Ewicher Yeeger is one of these old "ghosts" - a deity whose new time is nigh. Current Urglaawe theory draws connections to the god Holler (perhaps also the Scandinavian Ullr), and that relationship will be explored in later posts.

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REFERENCES

Adams, Charles J., III. Haunted Berks County. Reading, PA: Exeter House Books, 2005.

Boyer, Dennis. Once Upon a Hex. Oregon, Wisconsin: Badger Books, 2004.

Fogel, Edwin Miller, Ph.D. Beliefs and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans. Millersville, PA: Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, 1995.

Gehman, Henry S. "Ghost Stories and Old Superstitions of Lancaster County." Pennsylvania Folklife vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 48-53. Lancaster, PA: Pennsylvania Folklife Society, Summer 1970.

Graeff, Arthur D. and George M. Meiser, IX. Echoes of Scholla—Illustrated. Kutztown, PA: The Berksiana Foundation, 1976.

Polley, Jane, ed. "Homely and Earthy Talk: Pennsylvanians from Germany." American Folklore and Legend, pp. 28-29. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Association, 1978.

Smith, Norman A. "Der Alt Hexa Zehner." The Pennsylvania Dutchman, vol. 1, no. 17, p. 2. Lancaster, PA: The Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center, August 25, 1949.

Tacitus, Pubilius Cornelius, translated by Herbert W. Benario. "Germany." Agricola, Germany, and Dialogue on Orators, pp. 63-88. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 2006.

Tobin, Jesse. Der Braucherei Weg [CD; 12-month course]. Kempton, PA: The Three Sisters Center for the Healing Arts, 2008.

Tobin, Jesse. "The Sacred Promise at Erntedankfescht." Hollerbeier Haven: Newsletter for Herbal and Healing Arts, v. 1 no. 2, pp. 14, 16. Kempton, PA: Three Sisters Center for the Healing Arts, August 2007.

Wentz, Richard E. Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Spirituality, pp. 300-302. New York: Paulist Press, 1993.

Yoder, Don, ed. "A Legend of Alle-Maengel." The Pennsylvania Dutchman, vol. 1, no. 12, p. 5. Lancaster, PA: Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center, July 21, 1949.

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Please use the following information when citing this article:

Schreiwer, Robert L.. Ewicher Yeeger. deitschmythology.blogspot.com, November 24, 2013. Bristol, PA: Deitscherei.com, 2013.

The Legend of Delbel the Butzemann

A retelling of a Deitsch folk tale
by Robert L. Schreiwer

Harr Meyer was a pleasant man and a diligent farmer. Unfortunately, he had experienced a farm injury as a young man, and, now as an old man, he walked with a pronounced limp on his right leg. With each passing year, Harr Meyer encountered more and more trouble keeping up with his crops and felt less and less confident in his ability to care for them.

One year, as the snows of winter roared, Harr Meyer finally decided he needed help with the protection of his crops. His bones were aching, and his old injury was throbbing from the icy humidity. In order to seek some relief from his pains, Harr Meyer visited his village Braucherin¹, who was renowned for her herbal wisdom, healing touch, and keen insights.

The Braucherin greeted Harr Meyer as usual, and, throughout the course of their conversation, Harr Meyer asked for the Braucherin's advice regarding his plight with his crops. The Braucherin immediately replied that Harr Meyer should construct a Lumbemann² from crop remnants in the fields and bring him to her for activation on Grundsaudaag³. 

Harr Meyer did not understand what activation was, but, upon leaving the Braucherin's cottage, he did as she had instructed and built his scarecrow. Thinking that he and the scarecrow together made a whole unit, he constructed the scarecrow with weaker materials in his left leg. "His left limp will match mine," thought Harr Meyer.

On February 2, he returned to the Braucherin, bringing his scarecrow with him. The Braucherin took the  Lumbemann and whispered some incantations over his head. When the Braucherin asked Harr Meyer what he'd like to name this scarecrow, he thought of the limp, and answered, "Delbel⁴." She continued her incantations, this time also drawing symbols over the scarecrows head. She then took a deep breath and exhaled it over the mouth of the scarecrow.

"Daer do iss dei Butzemann, Delbel der Nei⁵," she announced, holding the newly activated scarecrow up to a bewildered Harr Meyer. She then provided Harr Meyer with additional instructions for his scarecrow, stating that, if he followed them carefully, this "Butzemann"⁶ would patrol his land and help to protect his crops.

"Most important, though," said she, "is that you set him afire no later than Allelieweziel⁷, when Holle⁸ calls for him. Otherwise, trouble will beset everyone and everything around you." Harr Meyer shrugged and returned home.

Harr Meyer observed the Braucherin's instructions faithfully throughout the spring. He showed Delbel his turf, provided him with clothes and a perch, and he lavished offerings of molasses and milk upon the Butzemann. In turn, Delbel grew stronger. The plant spirit within him grew bolder. At night, Delbel would emerge as a spirt from the scarecrow shell. Despite his limp, he learned to fight the Frost Giants and to keep troublesome land spirits at bay.

By Midsummer⁹, Harr Meyer's land was bursting with bounty. Delbel was very happy on his perch by day and in the fields by night. Harr Meyer continued to reap the richness of the land and to share his wealth with Delbel throughout the Hoiet¹⁰.

One day, Delbel noticed that Harr Meyer was not out working in the fields. He continued his own work in the fields, scaring away birds and dangerous spirits alike. Two more days passed, and Harr Meyer had not returned to the fields.

Delbel became concerned when he noticed a large group of people, dressed mostly in black, carrying a large wooden box down the lane from the house. As the group came closer, Delbel could see his master, stretched out inside of the box. Although Delbel was not highly experienced with the world of humans, he knew that what he was seeing was not pleasant.

Delbel resumed his work. Week after week passed, and the crops became overgrown and began to wither. Then the day temperatures turned cooler, and the Frost Giants began to attack at night. Delbel watched the leaves on the trees change color. When he noticed that the crops were beginning to fade, Delbel also began to feel an unexplained pull towards the ground. 

This sensation grew stronger with each passing day, and the source of this pull felt closer and closer to the surface of the ground beneath him. He felt more and more drawn to it. He wanted to be with it, even though he was unsure what it was. 

One day, Delbel noticed an odd little man loafing around the edge of his turf. His back appeared to be buckled and crooked, and Delbel felt very uneasy about his presence. At night, the little man suddenly shifted in his shape. He maintained his crooked back, but Delbel now sensed that this was a dangerous spirit.

Each day, Buckliches Mannli¹¹, as Delbel called him would approach the edge of Delbel's turf, but he would not cross the line. He did not seem interested in the crops, though; instead, he seemed most interested in observing Delbel's actions.

And, each day, the pull became stronger, until the source was almost within Delbel's reach. He felt a dazzling energy coming from the land below him. Delbel now realized that it was time for him to leave his turf. Delbel yearned to be with the source of this energy, but he was disturbed by Buckliches Mannli's persistent interest.

Finally, one crisp autumn night, Delbel felt the energy arise from beneath him. A beautiful White Lady emerged from the ground, enveloping him and pulling his spirit upward from the shell of the scarecrow.  She arose above him, filling all of the night sky with ethereal light and warmth. Delbel felt himself beginning to depart from his body, and he was elated by the glory of all he was witnessing.

At that moment, however, Delbel felt a tremor in his physical shell. "Buckliches Mannli!" he exclaimed, "He's taking my body!" Delbel fought to keep the strange spirit from overtaking his shell. The scarecrow fell to the ground, breaking the plant stems that made up Delbel's weak left leg. The impact of the fall pushed Delbel's spirit from the shell. Delbel was saddened to have lost his body to Buckliches Mannli, but he was now free to join the White Lady Holle on her journey through the skies.

As Delbel joined a parade of souls behind the goddess, his joy was suddenly interrupted by the realization that part of his soul was missing. Although he was loath to leave the parade, he decided to search for the part of him that was missing.

Upon returning to his turf, he observed his limping shell, which Buckliches Mannli had stolen creating all sorts of mayhem. The fields were aflame. The neighboring cattle had been let loose, and the neighborhood children were quaking with fear. 

Delbel panicked. He had lost his turf, and the whole community was in chaos. He sought help from the neighbors, but, without his shell, no one noticed he was there.

Delbel began to move about the land, following in reverese the path that Harr Meyer had walked when he brought Delbel home from the Braucherin. Delbel eventually came upon the cottage in which he was born. He peered through a window, and he saw the Braucherin sitting and meditating at her altar.

Delbel walked through the walls, and immediately the Braucherin stirred. "Delbel der Nei," she whispered. "What brings you here?"

Delbel had never spoken a word aloud before, so he was not sure that the Braucherin would hear him. "I am in need of help."

The Braucherin replied, "I hear you. Tell me what is amiss."

Delbel narrated the story to the Braucherin, who quickly arose from her seat. She uttered some incantations and drew some symbols over Delbel's soul. She then grabbed a bag, emptied its contents, which were some branches, into a large pot, and set them ablaze.

She returned to her seat and continued her incantations in a whispered voice, and all Delbel could make out were the names of Hasselheck¹² and Hollerbeier¹³. 

The Braucherin stood up. "The leg of your soul calls out to the smoke in the bowl," she said. "Let us take the pot and follow the smoke of the burning branches."

The Braucherin and Delbel hastily trailed the smoke into the dark night. The smoke led them to a neighboring farm's chicken coop, where Delbel saw his limping shell breaking the eggs beneath sitting hens. When Buckliches Mannli saw Delbel, he attempted to run, but his left leg gave out under him.

The Braucherin grabbed the shell, drew symbols upon its head, and uttered some incantations. She then pushed the shell into the pot with the burning branches, setting it on fire. Buckliches Mannli jumped out along with the left leg of Delbel's spirit. Although the two parts were not connected, Delbel was still able to use his left leg to kick Buckliches Mannli down to ground, and the Braucherin banished the troublesome spirit from the physical realm.

Delbel absorbed his leg back into his soul. He was pleased to be intact, but he was saddened that he was no longer in the parade of souls. 

"Fret not," said the Braucherin. "The burning branches can lead you to your destination, too." She blew the smoke from the pot onto Delbel, and Delbel felt the energy once again around him. 

He fell into what seemed like a deep sleep, and, when he awakened, he was in a blooming meadow that surrounded a large mill. Delbel's last words were a request to the goddess for blessings to be bestowed on the Braucherin, who helped him to save the community.

The Braucherin returned to her cottage and went to sleep. She awoke the next morning to the sound of knocking on her door. She opened to door and was handed a message that informed her that she was the heir of the late Harr Meyer's farm. 

Each year since then, the Braucherin has remained in her cottage but tended to Harr Meyer's land. For the remainder of her life, she continued the tradition of building a Butzemann of Delbel's lineage each year. 

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1 Braucherin: A wise woman trained in the Deitsch healing tradition of Braucherei.

2 Lumbemann: A scarecrow.

3 Grundsaudaag: Groundhog Day, February 2

4 Delbel: Awkward person

5 "Daer do iss dei Butzemann, Delbel der Nei": "This here is your activated scarecrow, Delbel the New." The naming of scarecrows follows the old Deitsch convention. For more information on that convention, please see http://urglaawe.blogspot.com/2012/02/butzemann-naming-convention.html. 

6 Butzemann: A spiritually activated scarecrow.

7 Allelieweziel: October 31

8 Holle: Goddess of land fertility who leads the Wild Hunt of souls through the realms starting on Allelieweziel

9 Midsummer: Summer Solstice

10 Hoiet: Haymaking time; month of July on the Urglaawe calendar

11 Buckliches Mannli: Also known as 'S Bucklich Mannli or Butz. Bogeyman. A mischievous and dangerous field- or house-spirit. Akin to a puck or a pucca. 

12 Hasselheck: Hazel bush

13 Hollerbeer: Elder, only parts of which can be burned in matters relating to Holle.

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When citing this article, please use the following information:

Schreiwer, Robert Lusch. The Legend of Delbel the Butzemann. deitschmythology.blogspot.com October 29, 2013. Bristol, PA: Deitscherei.com, 2013.