or (English:
Bertha), also commonly known as and other variations, was once known as a
goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes ...
in
Alpine paganism in the Upper German and Austrian regions of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
. Her name may mean "the bright one" ( goh, beraht, bereht, from
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic br ...
*''berhtaz'') and is probably related to the name , meaning
the feast of the Epiphany.
Eugen Mogk provides an alternative etymology, attributing the origin of the name to the
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old Hig ...
verb , meaning "hidden" or "covered".
Perchta is often identified as stemming from the same
Germanic goddess as
Holda
"Frau Holle" ( ; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Children's and Household Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480.
Frau Holle (al ...
and other female figures of German folklore (see
Frija-Frigg). According to
Jacob Grimm
Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He is known as the discoverer of Grimm's law of linguistics, the co-author of t ...
and
Lotte Motz, Perchta is Holda's southern cousin or equivalent, as they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts" and appear during the
Twelve Days of Christmas, when they oversee
spinning.
[Motz according to Hilton 1984.]
Grimm says Perchta or Berchta was known "precisely in those Upper German regions where Holda leaves off, in Swabia, in Alsace, in Switzerland, in Bavaria and Austria."
According to
Erika Timm
Erika Timm (born 1934) is a German linguist, the author of works that have made fundamental contributions to Yiddish historical linguistics and philology.
Biography
In 1985 she wrote her habilitation work in Trier University (Department of Ge ...
, Perchta emerged from an amalgamation of Germanic and pre-Germanic, probably
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foo ...
, traditions of the Alpine regions after the
Migration Period in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
.
Names of Perchta
Perchta had many different names depending on the era and region: Grimm listed the names ''Perahta'' and ''Berchte'' as the main names (in his heading), followed by ''Berchta'' in Old High German, as well as ''Behrta'' and ''Frau Perchta''. In
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...
,
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.
The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and Slovenian regions, she was often called ''Frau Faste'' (the lady of the
Ember days) or
Pehta or 'Kvaternica', in
Slovene. Elsewhere she was known as ''Posterli,'' ''Quatemberca'' and ''Fronfastenweiber''.
[Ginzburg.]
The mother of the
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
emperor
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
may have had a related albeit unwitted influence, as it did the Visigoth queen
Brunhilda on her own, into its medieval folklore,
Bertha or Berthrada was said to be of long and wide feet, in effect taller than her husband called precisely, Pippin ''the Short'' and may have been the reason why Charlemagne inherited from her his unusual height.
In southern
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, in
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carin ...
among the Slovenes, a male form of Perchta was known as ''Quantembermann'', in German, or ''Kvaternik'', in Slovene (the man of the four
Ember days). Grimm thought that her male counterpart or equivalent is ''
Berchtold.''
Regional variations of the name include ''Berigl'', ''Berchtlmuada'', ''Perhta-Baba'', ''Zlobna Pehta'', ''Bechtrababa'', ''Sampa'', ''Stampa'', ''Lutzl'', ''Zamperin'', ''Pudelfrau'', ''Zampermuatta'' and ''Rauweib''.
Description
In some descriptions, Perchta has two
forms; she may appear either as beautiful and white as snow like her name, or as elderly and haggard.
In many old descriptions, Perchta had one large foot, sometimes called a goose foot or swan foot. Grimm thought the strange foot symbolized her being a higher being who could
shapeshift
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited th ...
to animal form. He noticed that Bertha with a strange foot exists in many languages (Middle German "Berhte mit dem fuoze", French "Berthe au grand pied", Latin "Berhta cum magno pede", Italian " Berta dai gran piè", title of a medieval epic poem of Italian area): "It is apparently a
swan maiden
The swan maiden is a mythical creature who shapeshifts from human form to swan form. The key to the transformation is usually a swan skin, or a garment with swan feathers attached. In folktales of this type, the male character spies the maiden, ...
's foot, which as a mark of her higher nature she cannot lay aside...and at the same time the spinning-woman's splayfoot that worked the
treadle
A treadle (from oe, tredan, "to tread") is a mechanism operated with a pedal for converting reciprocating motion into rotating motion. Along with cranks, treadmills, and treadwheels, treadles allow human and animal machine power in the a ...
".
In the Tyrol she appears as little old woman with a very wrinkled face, bright lively eyes, and a long hooked nose; her hair is disheveled, her garments tattered and torn.
Traditional narratives
Initially, Perchta was the upholder of cultural taboos, such as the prohibition against
spinning on holidays. In the folklore of
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, Perchta was said to roam the countryside at midwinter, and to enter homes during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany (especially on the
Twelfth Night). She would know whether the children and young servants of the household had behaved well and worked hard all year. If they had, they might find a small silver coin the next day, in a shoe or pail. If they had not, she would slit their bellies open, remove their stomach and guts, and stuff the hole with straw and pebbles. She was particularly concerned to see that girls had spun the whole of their allotted portion of
flax or wool during the year.
[Frazer 1920:240.] She would also slit people's bellies open and stuff them with straw if they ate something on the night of her feast day, other than the traditional meal of fish and gruel.
The cult of Perchta, under which followers left food and drink for ''Fraw Percht'' and her followers in the hope of receiving wealth and abundance, was condemned in Bavaria in the ''Thesaurus pauperum'' (1468) and by
Thomas Ebendorfer von Haselbach in ''De decem praeceptis'' (1439).
Later canonical and church documents characterized Perchta as synonymous with other leading female spirits:
Holda
"Frau Holle" ( ; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Children's and Household Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480.
Frau Holle (al ...
,
Diana,
Herodias,
Richella and
Abundia.
Related beings
Grimm thought
Holda
"Frau Holle" ( ; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Children's and Household Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480.
Frau Holle (al ...
is her equivalent while the may derive directly from Berchta in her white form.
The word is plural for , and this has become the name of her entourage, as well as the name of animal masks worn in parades and festivals in the mountainous regions of Austria. In the 16th century, the Perchten took two forms: Some are beautiful and bright, known as the ("beautiful Perchten"). These come during the Twelve Nights and festivals to "bring luck and wealth to the people." The other form is the ("ugly Perchten") who have fangs, tusks and horse tails which are used to drive out demons and ghosts. Men dressed as the ugly Perchten during the 16th century and went from house to house driving out bad spirits.
[Wagner 2007.]
Sometimes, is viewed as the most ("ugly") and as the most ("beautiful") .
Interpretations
According to
Jacob Grimm
Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He is known as the discoverer of Grimm's law of linguistics, the co-author of t ...
(1882), Perchta was spoken of in
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old Hig ...
in the 10th century as Frau Berchta and thought to be a white-robed goddess who oversaw spinning and weaving, like the myths of
Holda
"Frau Holle" ( ; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Children's and Household Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480.
Frau Holle (al ...
. He believed she was the feminine equivalent of
Berchtold, and was sometimes the leader of the
Wild Hunt. However, John B. Smith disagrees and suggests that Perchta represents the personification of the feast of the Epiphany (Perchta's Day), and is therefore not pre-Christian.
Modern celebrations
In contemporary culture, Perchta is portrayed as a "rewarder of the generous, and the punisher of the bad, particularly lying children".
[
Today in Austria, particularly ]Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
, where she is said to wander through Hohensalzburg Castle in the dead of night, the Perchten are still a traditional part of holidays and festivals (such as the Carnival Fastnacht). The wooden animal masks made for the festivals are today called .
In the Pongau
The Bezirk Sankt Johann im Pongau is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pongau region.
Area of the district is 1,755.37 km², with a population of 77,872 (May 15, 2001) ...
region of Austria large processions of ("beautiful Perchten") and ("ugly Perchten") are held every winter. Beautiful masks are said to encouraging financial windfalls, and the ugly masks are worn to drive away evil spirits.
Other regional variations include the in the Austrian Pinzgau region, the stilt dancers in the town of Unken
Unken is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the state of Salzburg in Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying i ...
, the or ("trunked Percht") in the Unterinntal region and the ("bell-running") in the Salzkammergut. A number of large ski-resorts have turned the tradition into a tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
attraction drawing large crowds every winter.
See also
* Baba Yaga
* Befana
In Italian folklore, the Befana () is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi Kings.Illes, Judika. ''Encyclopedia of Spirits: The ...
* Frau Holle
"Frau Holle" ( ; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Children's and Household Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480.
Frau Holle (als ...
* Krampus
* Oliebol
* Pre-Christian Alpine traditions
The central and eastern Alps of Europe are rich in folklore traditions dating back to pre-Christian times, with surviving elements originating from Germanic, Gaulish ( Gallo-Roman), Slavic ( Carantanian) and Raetian culture.
Survival throug ...
* Spillaholle
* Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht
The Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht, Fasnacht (in Switzerland) or Fasnat/Faschnat (in Vorarlberg) is the pre-Lenten carnival in Alemannic folklore in Switzerland, southern Germany, Alsace and Vorarlberg.
Etymology
Popular etymology often li ...
* Weiße Frauen
In German folklore, the Weiße Frauen (meaning White Women) are elven-like spirits that may have derived from Germanic paganism in the form of legends of light elves (Old Norse: ''Ljósálfar''). The Dutch Witte Wieven went at least as far back ...
* Wild Hunt
References
Bibliography
*
*
Sources
*Frazer, Sir James George. 1920. ''The Golden Bough. A Study in Magic and Religion.'' IX. Part 6. "The Scapegoat", pages 240–243. Macmillan & Co. (Facsimili Elibron Classics, 2005) .
Online
. File retrieved May 18, 2007.
* Motz, Lotte. 1984. "The Winter Goddess", ''Folklore'' 95:11.
* Mogk, Eugen. 1907. ''Germanische Mythologie''
*Müller, Felix and Ulrich. 1999. "Percht und Krampus, Kramperl und Schiach-Perchten." Wunderlich, Werner (Ed.): Mittelalter-Mythen 2. Dämonen-Monster-Fabelwesen. St. Gallen, S. 449–460.
Online, German
File retrieved May 18, 2007.
*Timm, Erika. 2003. ''Frau Holle, Frau Percht und verwandte Gestalten: 160 Jahre nach Grimm aus germanistischer Sicht betrachtet.''
*Wagner, Alexander. 2007. ''Perchtenläufe: Salzburg's Pagan Heritage.''
File retrieved May 18, 2007.
*Waschnitius, Viktor. 1913. ''Perht, Holda und verwandte Gestalten: ein Beitrag zur deutschen Religionsgeschichte''. Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Philosophisch-Historische Klasse.
Further reading
*
External links
*
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