Wolpertinger

In German folklore, a Wolpertinger (, also called Wolperdinger or Woiperdinger) is an animal said to inhabit the alpine forests of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany.

Origins

Images of creatures that may be Wolpertingers have been found in woodcuts and engravings dating back to the 17th century, though they might be images of rabbits infected by the Shope papilloma virus. The origin of the name is unclear, but may come from glassmakers from the village of Wolterdingen who made schnapps glasses shaped like animals, which they called "Wolterdinger." The Wolpertinger myth has increased in popularity over the past two centuries because of taxidermies created by Bavarian taxidermists in the 1800s for fun and to sell to tourists as "local wildlife."

Description

It has a body comprising various animal parts – generally wings, antlers, a tail, and fangs; all attached to the body of a small mammal. The most widespread description portrays the Wolpertinger as having the head of a rabbit, the body of a squirrel, the antlers of a deer, and the wings and occasionally the legs of a pheasant. No two Wolpertinger look alike because they are supposed the result of crossbreeding between animals in the area such as foxes, roebucks, hares, ducks, and pheasants.

According to folklore, Wolpertingers can be found in the forests of Bavaria. The folklore states that Wolpertingers only show themselves to beautiful maidens on a full moon if they are taken into secluded parts of the Bavarian forests by the right man.

Stuffed "Wolpertingers", composed of parts of real animals that have been stuffed, are often displayed in inns or sold to tourists as souvenirs in the animal's "native regions". The Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum in Munich, Germany features a permanent exhibit on the creature.

It resembles other creatures from German folklore, such as the '' Rasselbock'' of the Thuringian Forest, the Dilldapp of the Alemannic region, and the '' Elwedritsche'' of the Palatinate region, which accounts describe as a chicken-like creature with antlers; additionally, the American Jackalope as well as the Swedish Skvader somewhat resemble the wolpertinger. The Austrian counterpart of the Wolpertinger is the Raurakl.

Variant regional spellings of the name include Wolperdinger, Woipertingers, and Volpertinger. They are part of a larger family of horned mammals that exist throughout the Germanic regions of Europe, such as the Austrian Raurackl, which is nearly identical to the German Wolpertinger.

In popular culture

* Rumo, a 'Wolperting' is the main character of the novel '' Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures'' by Walter Moers, depicted as an anthropomorphic dog with horns.
* Wolpertingers are available as pets in World of Warcraft during special events.

See also

* Al-mi'raj
* Cabbit
* Elwetritsch
* Jackalope
* Lepus cornutus
* Rasselbock
* Skvader

References

Further reading

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External links

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Culture of Bavaria
German legendary creatures
Legendary mammals
Mythological rabbits and hares
Mythological hybrids
Taxidermy hoaxes
Fictional hybrid species and races