German folklore German folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Germany over a number of centuries. Seeing as Germany was divided into numerous polities for most of its history, this term might both refer to the folklore of Germany proper and of all ...

, a drude (, , pl. ''Druden'') is a kind of malevolent nocturnal spirit (an alp,

kobold A kobold (; ''kobolt'', ''kobolde'', cobold) is a general or generic name for the household spirit (''hausgeist'') in German folklore. It may invisibly make noises (i.e., be a poltergeist), or helpfully perform kitchen chores or stable work. ...

hag A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy, witch, or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as "Hansel and Gretel". Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of t ...

) associated with

nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

s, prevalent especially in

Southern Germany Southern Germany (, ) is a region of Germany that includes the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, which includes the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia in present-day Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and the southern portion of Hesse ...

. Druden were said to participate in the Wild Hunt and were considered a particular class of demon in

Alfonso de Spina Alonso de Espina ( – after 1464) was a Spanish Franciscan Catholic preacher and writer. He was the author of ''Fortalitium Fidei'', a treatise on arguments to be used to oppose detractors of Catholicism. Biography Thought by many to be a conve ...

hierarchy A hierarchy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy ...

. The word also came to be used as a generic term for "

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

" in the 16th century (

Hans Sachs Hans Sachs (5 November 1494 – 19 January 1576) was a German ''Meistersinger'' ("mastersinger"), poetry, poet, playwright, and shoemaking, shoemaker. Biography Hans Sachs was born in Nuremberg (). As a child he attended a singing school that w ...

). The word is attested as the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...

''trute'', and in early modern lexicography and down to the 19th century, it was popularly associated with the word ''

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

'', without any etymological justification – its actual origin is unknown.

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 formulated Grimm's law of linguistics, and was the co-author of the ''Deutsch ...

suggests derivation from a euphemistic ''trût'' (modern ''traut'', meaning "dear, beloved; intimate"), but cites as an alternative suggestion a relation to the

valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

's name

Þrúðr (Old Norse: 'strength'),Lindow (2001:291). sometimes anglicized as Thrúd or Thrud, is a daughter of the major god Thor and the goddess Sif in Norse mythology. Þrúðr is also the name of one of the valkyries who serve ale to the einherjar in ...

. If so it is natural to connect the ''druden'' with the daughter of the chieftain of the gods in the Norse religion,

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

, and his wife

Sif In Norse mythology, Sif is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturl ...

''Drudenfuss''

The ''Drudenfuss'' (or ''Drudenfuß''), literally "drude's foot" (also ''Alpfuss''), is the

pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle around ...

symbol (in early usage also either a pentagram or a

hexagram , can be seen as a compound polygon, compound composed of an upwards (blue here) and downwards (pink) facing equilateral triangle, with their intersection as a regular hexagon (in green). A hexagram (Greek language, Greek) or sexagram (Latin l ...

), believed to ward off demons, explicitly so named in

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

(1808). The word has been in use since at least the 17th century, recorded by

Justus Georg Schottelius Justus Georg Schottelius (Latinized ''Justus-Georgius Schottelius''; 23 June 1612, Einbeck – 25 October 1676, Wolfenbüttel) was a German grammarian, best known for his publications on German grammar, language theory and poetics. Life Just ...

(as ''drutenfusz'', glossed ''omnis incolumitatis signum ''). Its apotropaic use is well recorded for 18th- to 19th-century folk belief in Bavaria and Tyrol. ''Drudenfuss'' is also the German name of the pentagram used as a heraldic device (alternatively ''Drudenkreuz'' "drude's cross" and ''Alpfuß, Alfenfuß'' "elf-foot" or ''Alpkreuz'' "elf-cross") besides the more descriptive ''Pentalpha'' or ''Fünfstern''. ''Drudenfuss'' is another name for

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate parasite, obligate parasitic plant, hemiparasitic plants in the Order (biology), order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they ...

''Drudenstein''

A ''Drudenstein'' is a pebble with a naturally formed hole in the center. In Bavaria, such pebbles were hung in rooms, on cradles or in stables to ward off nightmares, or to protect horses against matted manes or tails.Friedrich Panzer, ''Bayerische sagen und Bräuche '' vol. 2 (1855), 164. 429,

References

{{Witchcraft German legendary creatures Demons Death deities Witchcraft in folklore and mythology Witchcraft in Germany Elves Kobolds Crones and hags

''Drudenfuss''

''Drudenstein''

See also

References