Harvest spirits abound in German mythology and folklore. They're helpful, harmful or indifferent but must all be treated with respect. Harvest Bull, Grain Child, and Hafermann or Oat Man are only three of many.
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Also called Field Spirits, Corn Spirits, Wheat, Barley or Rye Spirits, Harvest spirits can be named for crops they inhabit or for their special qualities. Some are demonic in nature, many are hostile, a few trickster energies surface, and a very few will be helpful to humans without a sacrificial bribe.
In the past, sacrifice involved live animals such as chickens. Or, a swatch of grain or corn was left standing as spirit appeasement. Some spirits, found in the final seed stalks, can come into the house or barn for the winter and give a blessing if treated well. This is one origin of corn husk dolls.
1. Grain Child - Kornkind
This harvest spirit assumes the form of a small child. The child may be beautiful and shy or ugly and rude. One shouldn't be fooled by the size and apparent vulnerability of this spirit. It has demonic associations and can cause destruction, sometimes without understanding the severity of its actions.
When the threshers come, some harvest spirits including Kornkind flee into the last rows or corn or stalks of wheat. The final stalks must be carefully cut, not left to lie in the field, but brought to the house.
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The family creates a doll or figurine from the husks or stalks, and this is the origin of corn dolls. The doll occupies a place of honor, usually a shelf in the kitchen, where household members gather.
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The spirit enjoys company and harmony, but fights or anger can upset it. Because of its demonic influence the Kornkind can cause fires, accidents or illness if unhappy. As an emotionally reactive spirit, it's sensitive to the emotions of household members and visitors.
The figure containing the Grain Child stays in the house over winter. When spring warms the ground the spirit wants to go out to play again. Any seeds or grains in the figure are sown, and the cycle continues.
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2. Harvest Bull - Kornstier
The Kornstier or Grain Bull is a harvest spirit in the form of a bull or ox. In spring the Bull is called Aprilochse (April ox) or Maiochse (May ox).
In folklore and shamanism the Bull is a powerful spirit animal or totem. The Cult the Bull is among the oldest in pagan animal worship. He relates to the Sun and day Moon, as his horns form a crescent to the sky. Bird spirits such as blackbirds or cranes might accompany the Bull.
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The Bull relates to fertility and abundance. Harvest Spirits Bull, Goat and Donkey come to fertilize the fruit trees over Christmas. Fruit trees such as plum, cherry and apple are important to Germans then and now who cultivate the land and depend on their own produce for food or income. In pagan lore, tree spirits might also inhabit fruit trees, and if the spirits are happy, the trees may be generous.
Growers made offerings to the nature spirits from early times, and some still do. A swatch of uncut grain or a few sheaves left in the field can satisfy the Harvest Bull and other domestic animal spirits.
3. Hafermann - Dread Demon of Darkness
Associated with shadows and darkness, Hafermann is an apex predator in the spirit world. He's also known as the Black Man (Schwarzer Mann) and linked to tales of the Butzemann or German Bogeyman.
Hafermann (lit. Oat Man) inhabits any crop and stalks the fields with an iron walking stick, seeking children to steal, eat or pummel. He can also fly to descend on unwary victims from above. He preys on adults or children. A person walking through corn rows or oat fields might be struck with his iron stick.
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A demon, he has the power to kill with a glance. It's said he peeks in windows at night, and if anyone sees him, that person must die within a year and a day. He wears black clothes and blends with the shadows. He will nab any children out on the street after dark and whisk them off to a horrible fate. Children stolen by demons are either eaten, or enslaved. And then eaten.
Hafermann can use others to do his bidding. Shape-changing spirits or black dogs may be his helpers. His stick fortifies his magical strength and demonic powers. Hafermann cannot die. He's part of the eternal energy of all things.
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