A
devilish Christmas legend
Once upon a time in Styria lived a farmer who had an
old book of magic. One day, as he went to midnight mass, he forgot to hide it.
He rushed back home fearing his children would find it and use it. But it
was too late. The book was wide open and the room filled with devils. To
get rid of them, he had to read backwards as many pages as the children
had turned. Meanwhile, the devils had to be kept busy with a job
requiring more time than he needed to complete his reading. Should
they be done first, they would possess him; if not, he would be free. The farmer
gave the following jobs to the devils: he poured a bag of flour in the
river and told them to pick it up. They also had to build a new road through
the mountains to the village of Jassinggau. The devils only did half the
job for the farmer was done with reading, and they lost their power over
him. The road remained unfinished and has been known as "Devils'
Road" since.
(Source: Admont und das
Gesäuse in Geschichte und Sage) |
Winter is the time of
long nights, weird sounds, and fear. Many cultures tell stories about ghosts,
witches, devils. Halloween in America, Perchten in Austria, Black Peter...
Some of them have been integrated in the Christian religion.
In Austria, there are three "rough
nights" (Rauhnächte): Holy Night, New Year's night and Epiphany.
Farmers prepare a sweet porridge diner. Everyone eats from the same plate and leaves his
spoon therein. The Perchtl (the pagan goddess of death) then comes by and eats one bite with every spoon. Those who find their spoon
upside down or out of the plate will die within the year.
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