Lindwyrm dragon, sinister Mare and fiery pig demons are fantastic creatures in the realm of German mythology. Eldritch nature spirits, these legendary entities might help a person out, but are also nasty and lethal.
READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures
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1. The Lindwyrm
A type of dragon, the Lindwyrm (Lindwurm, Lindworm, Wyrm) dwells in the deep forests of Germania and Northern Europe. Its name means agile dragon. The Lindwyrm can be helpful, bestowing treasure or wisdom. Or, it might prefer a snack of human.
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Lindwyrm can put its tail in its mouth and roll like a wheel to pursue human victims. A typical Lindwyrm has small front limbs or no limbs at all. The creature slithers like a snake through the trees. Sometimes the Lindwyrm has wings like a Wyvern.
READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures
When the Lindwyrm is at rest, its coils can be mistaken as part of the landscape, such as stepping stones in a river or tree roots on the ground. With cunning it blends into the environment.
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According to legend, anything the Lindwyrm lies upon multiplies. Thus are dragons associated with increasing hoards of treasure. It's also said the shed skin of the Lindwyrm can bestow knowledge of nature and medicine.
READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure
A helpful Lindwyrm is a powerful ally. If its favor is won, it can bring limitless treasure or untold wisdom, or perhaps fulfill a wish. It's hard to know if the Wyrm is helpful, hostile or hungry until too late.
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READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures
The average Lindwyrm doesn't breathe fire. Instead it spits venom. Bram Stoker, author of Dracula (1897), uses the Lindwyrm concept in his short story "Lair of the White Worm."
2. The Mare
In German, the vowels a & e are both pronounced softly, but there's nothing soft about this evil elf. The Mare is a bringer of nightmares. It's about the size of a Schnauzer. One of its favorite tricks is to crouch on the chest of a sleeper, so the person can't breathe.
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Swiss painter Henry Fuseli's famous 18th century painting shows a Mare on the chest of a woman having a nightmare or Ger. Alptaum (Elf dream). The Mare is a powerful evil Elf. It's also associated with the incubus.
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The Lora Ley novel Poltergeist features a Mare. These furious creatures are also known to ride horses at full gallop all night, so the animals are exhausted and sweaty by morning. Red ribbons braided or tied into the mane of a horse can help prevent a Mare attack.
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The pentagram or Drudenfuss also has protective powers. Nocturnal creatures, Mare may ride trees, especially pine trees, twisting them out of shape. Trees appearing this way are Alptraum-Kiefer (nightmare pines).
READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure
At one time elves are thought to cause disease, bad dreams, anxiety attacks, insomnia, depression, chronic illness, plague and blight. In early Europe Elf is often interchanged with Dwarf and Fairy.
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Elves bring hallucinations, delusions and illusions. From Old High German comes the phrase "die Elben/der Elf trieget mich' (the elves/elf is/are deceiving me)."
READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure
A Mare can also be a witch who shape-shifts during a trance. Mare can be responsible for tangling a person's hair at night. Waking up sweaty with sheets tangled may indicate an attack through dreams. Insomnia is also a sign of "elf oppression".
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From Westphalia in northwestern Germany comes a verse of protection against Mare, spoken when going to bed:
Here I am lying down to sleep;
No night-mare shall plague me
until they have swum through all the waters
that flow upon the earth,
and counted all stars
that appear in the firmament.
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READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure
A mirror hung over the bed is said to prevent Mare attacks. The theory involves the Mare being so frightened by its own reflection it flees and never returns. But, beware. Mirrors can act as portals to other worlds and the wrong connections could open Pandora's Box.
3. Pig Demons
Pig demons are harvest spirits you don't want to mess with. The Korneber or Grain Boar has a nasty temperament. A youthful Korneber appears in The Corn Spirits, a Lora Ley adventure. The female equivalent of the Korneber is the Kornsau.
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Corn or Grain Spirits dwell among the wheat, corn, oats, barley and other harvest crops. Many are dangerous or greedy, but it's important to treat all harvest spirits with respect.
It's not wise to approach a pig demon. The pig may be unsettled by the tinkling of bells, and move to another field. Pig Demons have another dangerous talent. They are Aufhöcker, creatures who leap on a person's back.
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The Aufhocker becomes heavier with each step, and can crush a person to death. The victim might escape by uttering a spell or delivering the creature to a destination.
READ: Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction - German Mythology Adventures
As a demon, the Korneber or Kornsau is associated with fire and may breathe flame. Its bite can get infected and poison the blood. At sowing time, demons and malicious corn spirits can be dissuaded if the farmer plows and sows the perimeter of a field first.
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At harvest, spirits caught in the fields flee into the last standing stalks, which can be cut with care, brought into the house and given a place of honor. In this way the farm wins the spirit's favor for bounty next year.
Demonic harvest spirits are less accommodating and not welcome in house or outbuildings because of their predilection for starting fires. The favorite crop of the Pig is corn but the demon shows up in almost any grain, cereal, vegetable or root crop, and orchards too.
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The farmer can leave a portion of standing crop to appease the porker, or call in an expert with strong magic to drive it out. Some demons abhor the sound of bells, chimes, clangers and clappers and will flee, leaving nothing but a bad smell. Others must be banished.
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