The Erdhenne (German: lit. ''Earth Hen''; ), alternatively called Coluber domesticus, Erdhühnlein, Erdglucke, Erdglutsch, or Herdhendl, is a German

house spirit A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

originating from

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 ...

of the Alp region, the

Upper Palatinate The Upper Palatinate (; , , ) is an administrative district in the east of Bavaria, Germany. It consists of seven districts and 226 municipalities, including three cities. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and nume ...

, and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Description

Most of the time, the Erdhenne remains unseen, only communicating with the inhabitants of its home by clucking loudly, as if calling chicks. By this, they alert the inhabitants of dangers threatening them or the house. Some legends claim that the spirit answers questions about the danger when asked directly. When not hiding in the shadows of the

farmhouse kitchen A farmhouse kitchen is a kitchen room designed for food preparation, dining and a sociable space. Typical of poorer farmhouses throughout the Middle Ages where rooms were limited, wealthier households would separate the smoke of the kitchen from ...

or beneath the ground, the spirit appears as an old, ash grey, shaggy hen with a short neck. By becoming visible, the Erdhenne foretells death within a year, usually that of the person it shows itself to. However, according to another legend, should it cluck and flutter its wings nine times, the head of the house would fall deadly ill.

Johann Andreas Schmeller Johann Andreas Schmeller (6 August 1785 in Tirschenreuth – 27 September 1852 in Munich) was a German philologist who initially studied the Bavarian dialect. From 1828 until his death he taught in the University of Munich. He is considered the ...

ridiculed the myths of the Erdhenne in his ''Bayerisches Wörterbuch'', claiming that reports about it were created by misinterpreting moonlight shining through crown glass windows. According to his writings, this created a bright halo with something dark in the center, which was made up to be a protective spirit.

Footnotes

References

* Erich Hupfauf: ''Sagen, Brauchtum und Mundart im Zillertal'' (= Schlern-Schriften. Band 148). Wagner, Innsbruck 1956. * Leander Petzoldt: ''Kleines Lexikon der Dämonen und Elementargeister''. 3. Auflage. München 2003, pp. 66–67, * Siegfried W. de Rachewiltz: ''"Schragl" und Erdglutsch'', in: Das Fenster. Tiroler Kulturzeitschrift 26/1980, pp. 2634–2642. * ''Bayrisches Wörterbuch von Hans Ferdinand Maßmann und Johann Andreas Schmeller'', 1827–1837.

External links

"''Die Erdhenne''" – Sage aus dem Tiroler Gerlostal

"''Die Erdhenne''" Das Große Deutsche Sagenbuch
{{German folklore German legendary creatures Legendary birds Household deities