The ''Feuermann'' (fire man; ; pl. ''Feuermänner''), also ''Brennender'', ''Brünnling'', Ranke: ''Feuermann''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 2 C.M.B.-Frautragen''. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1406. ''Brünnlinger'',Eckstein: ''Kuchen''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias''. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 654. ''Brünnlig'' (all: burning one), ''brünnigs Mannli'' (burning manikin), ''Züsler'' (sg., pl.; flickering one or arsonist), and ''Glühender'' (glowing one), is a fiery

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

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 ...

, which is different from the

will-o'-the-wisp In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, or ; ), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The phenomenon is known in the United Kingdom by a variety of names, including jack-o'- ...

(

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

''Irrlicht'') owing to its

size Size in general is the Magnitude (mathematics), magnitude or dimensions of a thing. More specifically, ''geometrical size'' (or ''spatial size'') can refer to three geometrical measures: length, area, or volume. Length can be generalized ...

: ''Feuermänner'' are rather big, while ''Irrlichter'' are rather small. An often recurring term for ''Feuermänner'' is ''glühende Männer'' (pl.; glowing men; ''die glühenden Männer''; in

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

''gloinige Männer'', ''glöhnege Männer'', ''glöänige Männer'' or ''jlönige Männer'').

Appearance

The appearance of the ''Feuermann'' varies across accounts. Some are described as rather

humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and '' -oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of ...

, such as a

human skeleton The human skeleton is the internal framework of the human body. It is composed of around 270 bones at birth – this total decreases to around 206 bones by adulthood after some bones get fused together. The bone mass in the skeleton makes up ab ...

whose insides are blazing with fire, or as a

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

en manikin wearing a leaden mantle blazing with fire underneath. Another description is of a black man inside a tall, wide pillar of fire, or a ''Feuermann'' who is half black, half fiery. It is able to change its height at will, varying from gigantic to diminutive. Variously occurring features are long scrawny legs, a missing head (if not carried under the arm), and a hollow back. In other cases the ''Feuermann'' appears as a black or invisible man with a single or two fiery eyes who is either carrying a light or

lantern A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...

or smoking a pipe which sprays fiery sparks. Rarer appearances are that of a fiery, sometimes headless rider on a fiery horse and that of a fiery ploughman with fiery horse and plough. Alternatively, the ''Feuermann'' also appears more or less shapeless like a (sometimes gigantic) sheaf or bundle of

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry wikt:stalk, stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the crop yield, yield by weight of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, ry ...

, a big floating light, a fiery ball, a

pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...

, a

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

, or a fiery

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...

. The ''Feuermann'' is very quick and able to rise in the air so that it hovers above the treetops. If the ''Feuermann'' shakes itself or collides with others of its kind, then it will spray sparks.

Identity

It is seen as a sinner remaining hauntingly on earth to repent for its

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

s during lifetime. Frequently, the ''Feuermann'' is a so-called ''Grenzfrevler'' (sg., pl.) Ranke: ''Feuermann''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 2 C.M.B.-Frautragen''. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1407. or boundary sinner who has moved a boundary stone or similar landmark with criminal intent, thus damning the soul to haunt the very boundary it unlawfully changed in life. Other possible identities of the ''Feuermann'' include a

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretal ...

who has stolen money from the collection bag, a

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

ous incendiary, a

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

of his country, and several other kinds of evildoers. ''Grenzfrevler'',

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

victims, double murderers and unrepentant

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

evildoers can appear as fiery spheres.

Haunting times and haunting spots

The ''Feuermann'' appears only at

evening Evening is the period of a day that begins at the end of daylight and overlaps with the beginning of night. It generally indicates the period of time when the sun is close to the horizon and comprises the periods of civil, nautical and astronom ...

or at

night Night, or nighttime, is the period of darkness when the Sun is below the horizon. Sunlight illuminates one side of the Earth, leaving the other in darkness. The opposite of nighttime is daytime. Earth's rotation causes the appearance of ...

, preferably at

fields Fields may refer to: Music *Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006 * Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971 * ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010) * "Fields", a song by ...

, particularly field borders, and

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s, especially

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

y ones. Its appearance in settlements is an

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages ...

of impending

firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

. In Silesia, the ''Feuermann'' or ''Feuermändel'' (fire manikin) is a nursery bogey sitting in the cornfield. The ''feuriger Fischer''. (fiery

fisherman A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million Commercial fishing, commercial and Artisan fishing, subsistence fishers and Fish farming, fi ...

; ''der feurige Fischer'') haunts

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

and is known to walk around on the water surface of the whole lake taunting the living fishermen.

Interaction with the living

Usually harmless, the ''Feuermann'' can also appear helpful to humans by showing and illuminating them the way at night for a small sum of money or a word of gratitude such as "''Vergelt's Gott''" ("May

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

reward it") or "''Bezahl dir's Gott (soviel Mal wie du's nötig hast)''" ("May God repay you (as many times as you need)"). Such a blessing redeems the burning sinner, as do

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

s and masses because of which ''Feuermänner'' draw near upon hearing a prayer. Swearing drives them away instead. During the way home, when illuminated by a ''Feuermann'', one shouldn't speak, though, and enter the house facing backwards. If invited to eat some

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

and

bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

flans after illumination service, the spirit will follow the invitation and eat up the flans. The ''Feuermann'' also burns away the cobwebs in the houses without the houses catching fire, allows humans to light their pipes with its fire, and is thankful to be given

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mate ...

s to burn since during the span of time the ribbon is burnt it is freed from the infernal pains it always has to suffer from as a

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...

. The ''Feuermann'' comes willingly if called.Ranke: ''Feuermann''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 2 C.M.B.-Frautragen''. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1408. A malicious ''Feuermann'' can be experienced when it has helped out a human and is refused the promised reward or when it takes

revenge Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

on a human who has played a

prank A practical joke or prank is a trick played on people, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. The perpetrat ...

on it. Then, the ''Feuermann'' leads astray, practices "'' aufhocken''" (i.e., leaping upon a person's back and forcing them to carry the ''aufhock''ing spirit; particularly experienced by people

whistling Whistling, without the use of an artificial whistle, is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. Th ...

at the ''Feuermann''), gives a slap in the face, or follows the person and sets the straw on their wagon or even their house ablaze. It is dangerous to touch the ''Feuermanns hand. Thus, one should always give an object instead of one's hand as one will find a black handprint burnt on it where the ''Feuermann'' has touched. The ''Feuermann'' further shoots glowing balls at passersby after

midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

.Freudenthal: ''Kugel''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias''. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 764.

Literature

* Beitl: ''Korndämonen''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias''. Berlin 1933. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Eckstein: ''Kuchen''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias''. Berlin 1933. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Freudenthal: ''glühend''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss''. Berlin 1931. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Freudenthal: ''Kugel''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias''. Berlin 1933. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Jungwirth: ''Fischer, fischen''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 2 C.M.B.-Frautragen''. Berlin 1930. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Jungwirth: ''Schweigen''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 7 Pflügen-Signatur''. Berlin 1936. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Ranke: ''Feuermann''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 2 C.M.B.-Frautragen''. Berlin 1930. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Ranke: ''Grenzfrevler''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss''. Berlin 1931. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Ranke: ''Irrlicht''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern''. Berlin 1932. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Schewe: ''blau''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 1 Aal-Butzemann''. Berlin 1927. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ) * Seemann: ''Pfeife, pfeifen, Flöte, flöten''. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: ''Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 6 Mauer-Pflugbrot''. Berlin 1935. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, )

References

{{German folklore German ghosts Headless Horseman