atljaca, S^ew lark Sought with the income of tHe SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND the Sift of HENRY W. SAGE f89l )E(5-t-:^-'f«a~a-« o: N OV -a- ' ll MY 1 g Cornell University Library GR167.H3 L36 Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains. Clin 3 1924 029 919 101 MfKy Pi- at Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029919101 LEGENDS AND TALES OF THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. Legends and Tales HARZ MOUNTAINS. TOOFIE LAUDER, AUTHOR -OF EVERGREEN LEAVES.' HODDER AND STOUGHTON, 27, PATERNOSTER ROW, MDCCCLXXXI. w R 4 xo " ^ "-- 'Z-' UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, CHILWORTH AND LONDO!^. DeDicatcB (by special permission) TO HER MAJESTY MARGHERITA, QUEEN OF ITALY. CONTENTS. PAGE LEGEND OF THE ROSSTRAPPE 1 THE GOLDEN CROWN IN THE BODE KESSEI 5 THE SEVEN SPRINGS OK THALE 9 LEGENDS OF THE TEUFELSMAUER 12 THE WUNDERSTEIN I4 CHARLOTTE OF BLANKENI3URG, PRIN'CESS OF WOLFENBUTTEL ... IS THE GRAVE UNDER THE LINDENS NEAR BLANKENDURG ... 20 LEGENDS OF THE REGENSTEIN 25 THE LOST SKETCH-BOOK OF THE REGENSTEIN CHAPEL ... 3I THE FLOWER OF THE LAUENBURG 46 THE WHITE STAG $2 THE FISHERMAN OF TRESEBURG 59 LEGEND OF VOLKMARSKELLER 66 REINHILDE OF THE KONIGSBURG 7l THE TWELVE KNIGHTS IN THE SCHONEBURG 78 THE GEGENSTEINE 80 THE THREE CRYSTAL GOBLETS AND THREE GOLDEN BALLS OF SCHLOSS FALKENSTEIN ... 86 TIDIAN'S HOHLE, OR CAVE 87 THE MAGDESPRUNG AND MAGDETRAPPE 89 SAGE OF SCHLOSS QUESTENBERG 91 BARBAROSSA AND THE KYFFHAUSER 92 96 X CONTENTS. THE BURGFRAULEIN OF OSTERODE ... THE KEY-FAIRY OF THE GUNTERSBURG lOO LEGEND OF THE devil's MILL 101 THE ORIGIN OF THE RAMMELSBERG MINE, NEAR GOSLAR ... 103 LEGEND OF THE HOITELBERG I04 THE WHITE LADY I08 THE CHAPEL OR ROSES I09 PRINCESS ILSE \\z PRINCESS ILSE AND JHE DELUGE II4 THE ILSENSTEIN II5 A DREAM UNDER PRINCESS ILSE'S FIRS I16 THE RED-HAIRED TRUDE 120 THE WILD HUNTSMAN THE ORIGIN OF THE PHILIPPINE GRAF ARNO's CAPTURE THE PEBBLE THE MONK AND THE SPRING 123 127 131 I3S 144 HILDEGARD AND THE HAINERr>URG I46 THE THREE STONE PARTRIDGES j^^S THE FORESTER AND THE ENCHANTED CASTLE 140 THE STEINKIRCHE AND THE HERMIT jcr THE NYMPH RUMA AND THE WEINGARTEN HOHLE jrg LEGEND OF THE SCHILDBERG igj LEGEND OF SILBERHOHL LAUTENTHAL EVA VON TROTTA THE WEINGARTEN HOHLE AND THE THREE MEN 20I THE BELL- FOUNDER OF STOLBERG 163 1 65 172 207 CONTENTS. xi THE colt's CAVE ... 2IO LEGE.ND OF ST. CHRISTOI'HER 2IO THE maiden's CAVE IN THE SPATENBERG 211 THE THREE BROTHERS OF ZELLERFELD 214 THE RAVEN OF CLAUSTIIAL 2l6 THE BERGMONCH AND WILDER MANN 217 THE NIMROD OF THE KEHBERGERKLIPrE 2l8 THE TANZTEICH BEI ZORGE 220 THE DWARFS OF THE SACHSENTEIN 223 THE BURGGEIST OF THE HAARBURG 232 THE THREE WOOD-FAIRIES 236 THE shepherds' TOWERS 24I THE TREASURE-HUNTERS OF THE SIEBERTHAL 246 THF. ENCHANTED MAIDEN OF THE ZORGE 248 THE ACCURSED MAIDEN OF LICllTENSTEIN 249 THE GREAT HAI.L IN THE PETERSBERG 25O SPAR-DIE-MUH 250 THE DWARF-KING HIBICH 25I THE KING OF TIPPLERS 257 THE needle's EVE 258 LEGEND OF ST. HUBERTUS 25S BATHILDE VON EALLENSTEDT ... 259 LEGENDS AND TALES. AGES ago there ruled a king in Bohemia whose castle stood on a lofty mountain, where the thunder and the eagle found a home. This king had a daughter, the golden-haired Brun- hilda, the fame of whose marvellous beauty was spread far and wide. Mighty rulers and the sons of kings sought the hand of the lovely royal maiden, and among the numerous wooers came the son of the king of the Harz, who won her heart ; and after the lovers had sworn everlasting fidelity, the Harz Prince returned to his father to announce his betrothal and make arrangements for the nuptials. After his departure, there arrived a new suitor for Brunhilda's hand, whom her father feared to reject. This was one of those terrible giants who inhabited ■ I^oss, a steed ; Trappe, a footprint. 2 2 LEGENDS AND TALES OF North Europe. They were invincible, and wherever they appeared, all yielded with terror to their might. This dreadful lover brought the Princess costly gifts of gold, amber, and precious stones. The father, after three days' Bedenkzeit, promises the Giant his daughter. Brunhilda throws herself horrified on her knees before her father, weeping and tearing her hair ; but the king, though moved with pity, assures her the Giant has power to destroy him and his kingdom. From this hour Brunhilda appeared composed. She neither wept nor complained, but met her destined bridegroom with a solemn dignity. Of a truly kingly character, she constrained her agony to silence, but hoped ever for deliverance through the return of her Harz lover ; still he came not. Now the Giant had two steeds — giant steeds — one white as the snows of the Northland, his eyes shining like stars ; the other, the Giant's body-horse, black as the night, with eyes like the lightning, at whose run- ning his hoofs resounded like thunder, and the earth trembled and shook. Both these steeds seemed in the chase to overtake the storm, and keep time with the lightning. Brunhilda saw these giant steeds, and the thought of flight occurred to her. Was success possible.? She had never mounted the snowy steed. Great was the Giant's joy when Brunhilda begged to ride with him. She mounted daily the terrible THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 3 animal, and soon could ride a race with the Giant on the mountains. At last the evening before the nuptials arrived, and Brunhilda, having arrayed herself in white robes, a golden crown, and a long white veil floating behind her, and the amber and diamonds, the Giant's gifts, welcomed the numerous guests who thronged the royal palace, and looked lovingly upon the Giant Brautigam,' who was overwhelmed with an unheard of bliss at the lovely vision. At length the Princess rose and retired, the Giant remained to drink of the costly wines. Suddenly he heard the snorting and stamping of his war-steeds ! He sprang up and looked down into the courtyard. There sat Brunhilda in her glittering robes, the golden crown still upon her head, her white veil and golden hair fluttering in the wind, in her fearless courage and queenly beauty, upon the snowy steed before the open gates. At sight of him she let loose her reins, and the mighty steed shot forth, swift as the storm-wind, like a streak of light, into the darkness of the night. The Giant uttered a cry of fury that shook the castle to its foundations, seized his battle-axe, and mounted his war-horse, crying : " If she flee to the Nidhoggar^ in the Schlangengrund ^ I will bring her hence ! " ' Brdiitigam,\md£.%xo " " The spring gushing out of the rocks." " And that whispering ? " " The wind ! " " You deceive us. Your eyes burn like the lightning, you have seized both sword and shield ! " " Fear not ! We are with you ; our arm will defend you ! " Out of the thicket rush the concealed rivals; a furious combat follows ; the English princes are all slain, their bodies burnt and the ashes buried. The princesses returned to their father's castle, but hated the murderers of their English lovers. Every day they went with the dawn to the spot where the brothers lay in their deep slumber, and night found them still there in tears. Each princess planted a tree by her lover's grave, and when seven moons were passed away, one evening, as they sat by the graves, suddenly they felt a great joy spring up within them ; they wiped away their tears, but from them seven springs bubbled up spark- ling and clear. Smiling, they gave each other the hand, feeling the hour of reunion was come, and in the morning they were found dead, hand in hand. 12 LEGENDS AND TALES OF Se0cni»9 erf tlje ®eufctemawei% ON the plain, stretching away westward from the once imperial Quedlinburg, is the Devil's Wall, which rises in ragged rocks in the most fantastic shapes and forms, sometimes a hundred feet in height, mostly bare, but nearer to Blankenburg adorned with foliage. This is the backbone of a mountain chain once ex- tending from Blankenburg to Ballenstedt, which has been mostly washed away by the tempests of untold ages. These rocks are a firm sandstone with a vein of iron, containing impressions of fossils, shells, and plants, and are sometimes in such forms as to resemble the ruins of castles or human figures. These rent and torn rocks could not fail to possess their legends. In the time of Charlemagne there lived in Blanka a maiden called Thusnelda. The report of her charms attracted the attention of the brave Egbert, who had built on the Klus near Halberstadt a strong castle. He won her affections, of course. Just at this period the doctrines of the Christian faith had penetrated into the Harz ; Egbert had be- come a convert, and had won Thusnelda also for the new faith. But the lovers were betrayed to Thusnelda's father, the wild and savage Luitprand, and he, in fury, having THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 13 promised her to a companion in arms, shut her up in a gloomy room, deaf to all her entreaties, and laid in wait for Egbert ; but Egbert assembled all the Chris- tians of the neighbourhood, and set off in the night to storm Luitprand's castle. Suddenly a wall of rock rose before them, and they were obliged to wait till morning, when lo ! as far as they could see,only this formidable barrierthat blocked up their way. Egbert encouraged his braves to climb it ; but when half way up, the giant rocks fell upon them and crushed every daring knight to atoms. This wall the devil had built to prevent the spread of the new faith. The other legend says the devil wished to divide with Christ the empire of the world, and therefore began this wall as the border between the two kingdoms ; but the work was not finished at the time agreed upon by the contracting parties, and the con- tract was broken. The devil, in wrath at having laboured so much for nought, broke in pieces his partly built defence. There is a tradition that the holy Vehm,i or Fehm, formerly held her court also in the Teufelsmauer, not far from the majestic Reinstein. This celebrated tribunal had its origin in West- phalia, the land of the Red Earth, and was one of the most remarkable institutions of the middle ages. ■ Vehm, or Fehm, old German for punishment. 14 LEGENDS AND TALES OF The Fehm is said to have been instituted by Charlemagne to prevent Saxony, which had been forced by his arms to embrace Christianity, from re- turning to Paganism. Others claim for it a much greater antiquity.' THE vast plain north of the Harz mountains has been the scene of countless knightly feuds and battles. In 1 1 15 the battle of Welfsholz — not far from the village of Warnstedt, nestling in the shadow of the Devil's Wall — was fought between the Kaiser and the allied princes of Saxony, in which the imperial forces were routed. There is a legend that the battle was lost through the Count von Mannsfeld, who seeing his men flee, exclaimed, placing his hand on a rock at his side, " This rock shall turn into wax before I move from' the spot ! " when immediately the soft wax yielded to the pressure, and took the print of his hand, and he fled in terror and fell under the Saxon swords. There is another version of the story. Before the battle, the Earl von Mannsfeld called his men in a circle around him, and addressed them thus : " My friends ! fear not because the enemy outnumbers us ; let the rebels come, we will be their death-angel, for, listen all of you, and doUbt not of victory, for so ' See " History of the Fehm Tribunal ; or, Secret History of Westphalia." By Fr. P. Usener. Frankfort, 1832. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 15 sure as my hand presses itself into this rock as if it were dough, so sure will the victory rest with our flag as long as I fight with you." And before a thousand eager eyes he thrust his hand into the stone, leaving a deep rut. Enthusiasm inspired the souls of the soldiers at the sight, and shouts of joy went through the ranks. It is a fact that the brave Mannsfeld, impatient of victory, rushed on before his men and fell. In the old Kloster of Wenthusen in Dorf Thale — pronounced Tale — ^is still preserved a mysterious Wonderstone, which is said to protect the estate and family from misfortune. By some mishap this stone was once carried off, and disaster followed disaster till it was brought back. ON the north side of the Harz mountains lies the town of Blankenburg, the origin of which is long prior to the time of Charlemagne, probably during that of the Sassens. It existed during the stone and bronze age, as has been proved by the discovery of warlike implements which have been dug up in the neighbourhood. On a low mountain above the town stands Blan- kenburg I Schloss, white and shining in the summer's ' Blankenburg, the shining castle. 1 6 LEGENDS AND TALES OF sun, and looks out on the vast plain, the Devil's Wall, and the mountains. Its long suites of bright and homelike apartments are adorned with many costly works of art, the most precious of which being the wondrously carved ivory crucifix in the chapel, by Michael Angelo. With all this we have at present nothing to do, but rather with the singular destiny of a lady who was born here, whose portrait hangs in the drawing and billiard room. Duke Ludwig Rudolph, second son of Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, was presented by his father with the Earldom of Blankenburg. He lived with his wife, Princess Christine Louise von Oettingen, thirty years in Schloss Blankenburg. They were the parents of three princesses, noted as well for goodness of heart as for grace and beauty. The eldest was Elizabeth Christine, born in 1691. The second, Charlotte Christiane Sophie, was a year younger. The youngest, Antoinette Amalie, was born in 1696. The eldest, Elizabeth, was chosen at the age of thirteen, by Kaiser Leopold, as consort of his son Carl IIL, king of Spain, later Carl VI. of Germany. She was the mother of the great Maria Theresa. The young princess went over to the Romish faith, and met her royal bridegroom in Barcelona, where they were married. In consequence of this alliance with the Imperial family, the Earldom was raised to a Principality by Joseph I. It now belongs to the Duchy of Brunswick. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 17 The second, Princess Charlotte, was chosen by the Czar, Peter the Great, who spent some time here, as consort for his son and throne-heir, Alexis. The third, Antoinette, the loveliest of the three sisters, married Duke Ferdinand Albert of Brunswick- Bevern. She is the ancestress of the now reigning family of Brunswick. It is the history of the second sister. Princess Charlotte, with which we have to do. Her marriage with the Czarewitch Alexis took place in 171 1, in the great hall in Torgau. The savage, vulgar Prince had made his character still more degraded by a dissipated life. An uncon- querable aversion to the amiable and refined Princess led him to the horrible decision of poisoning her. He made three attempts, all of which failed. The inhuman treatment of this monster increased daily, and no courtier dared to defend the unhappy Princess against his brutality. He so far forgot his manhood as frequently to strike, and even kick her. At length, one day, the Czar and Catherine being on a distant journey, Alexis rushed into Charlotte's presence, made the most brutal demands, struck her with his fists, kicked her repeatedly, and left her lying insensible. Directly after this revolting scene the raging- monster set off on a journey, without troubling himself to learn the result of his barbarous and fiendish cruelty. A premature birth was the result. 3 1 8 LEGENDS AND TALES OF But now the friends of the Princess united for her rescue ; the opportunity was too favourable to let slip. A courier was despatched to the Czar, and also to Alexis, with the news of Charlotte's sudden death. In his terror of the Czar, Alexis ordered an immediate interment. The funeral followed as had been com- manded, but the coffin contained only a wooden doll. While all the courts of Europe put on mourning, and the father wept for his untimely loss, and caused a commemorative coin to be struck, Charlotte, with the aid of confidential friends, especially the famous Aurora von Konigsmark, escaped, weak and ill, from her palace. With gold and jewels, and as much money as could be commanded in the hurry, the Princess left St. Petersburg with a single femine de chambre and a faithful man-servant, reached Paris unrecognized, sailed for America, and lived many years in Louisiana. Here she made the acquaintance of the Chevalier d'Aubert — or d'Auban — who had been in St. Peters- burg. One day, when alone with Charlotte, he fell on his knees and confessed his recognition of her. The Princess took from him the most solemn promise of the strictest secrecy. Not long after the papers brought the news of the tragical end of Alexis, the probability of his having been beheaded. Charlotte, however, resolved to remain as dead. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 19 The death of her devoted man-servant, who had been of such service, caused her many tears, and d'Aubert devoted himself to her, became her chief prop and stay, and at length the royal widow rewarded him with her hand. D'Aubert finally fell ill, and they returned to his native France, where his recovery was her reward. They were in the habit of walking in the gardens of the Tuileries. One day, sitting there conversing in German, chance led the celebrated Marshal Moritz von Saxony past them. Surprised to hear his mother tongue so purely spoken by Americans, as he ima- gined, he approached them, addressed the lady, started, and instantly recognized the Princess Char- lotte of Blankenburg, whom he had long years reckoned among the dead. Madame d'Aubert conjured him not to betray her secret, told him her story, and how it had been chiefly through his mother she had succeeded in escaping from Russia. Delighted at the double discovery, Moritz promised to keep the secret three months, at the expiration of which time he declared it to be his duty to communi- cate the fact to the King of France, Louis XV. D'Aubert being recovered, they sailed for I'ile Bour- bon. At the end of three months Moritz revealed the secret to the French sovereign, and the governor of the island of Bourbon received forthwith the com- mand to treat Madame d'Aubert with royal honours. 20 LEGENDS AND TALES OF The King wrote , to Maria Theresa, acquainting her with the fabulous history of her cousin. The Empress wrote to Madame d'Aubert, beseeching her to leave her husband and repair to the Austrian Court. This the Princess refused to do, and remained on the island till d'Aubert's death, in 1754. After the death of both husband and daughter, she returned to Paris, settled the affairs of her husband, and retired to Brussels, where she received an annual pension from the Austrian Empress. Charlotte lived a retired life, no one but the now aged waiting-woman who had fled with her having the remotest idea of her high rank and astounding fate. Charlotte died in 1770. The portraits of the three sisters and the great Maria Theresa hang in Blankenburg Schloss. " Sie ruhen bei einander kiihl, Waldvogleiii sangen droben, Griin Laub herunterjiel" MANY hundred years ago there lived a rich Earl in the Unterharz, who was once seized with a severe illness ; he made a vow that if he should re- cover, he would consecrate his daughter to a convent life. He recovered, and the young Countess, in the first bloom of her youth, entered the convent north of and THE HAEZ MOUNTAINS. 21 near Blankenburg, where now two large lindens stand close by the bleaching-place. The maiden obeyed her father's command with a heavy heart, for a young knight contested with heaven his claim on the bride ; and however much the novice knelt before the altar in burning tears and hand- wringing, and besought heavenly aid in renouncing all she had hitherto held dear, still her thoughts would wander beyond the dark convent walls and lonely cell to her lover. Nobis pace^n only awakened a more bitter pain, and the Ave, the Laudanms, the Gloria, and all the Penitential Psalms only called up his image before her soul. Lindor was not less unhappy ; in vain he sought to approach his Braut, wandered round and round the convent walls, climbed the trees, and watched to catch a glimpse of her, all in vain. The Abbess knew of the love of the young novice, and watched her with Argus eyes, not out of holy zeal, for the convent had long been ill-renowned for the impure life of its inmates, but out of hatred to the maiden whose father she had loved, but with an unrequited affection. She rejoiced in the deep sorrow of the daughter of the now hated Earl, whose pure, pious, unsoiled character enraged her still more, in striking contrast to her own depravity and corruption. One day the sorrowing novice, un- happily, by accident discovered how unworthily the Abbess filled her sacred office, and how great the im- morality of the nuns had become, and the Abbess, to 22 LEGENDS AND TALES OF render Lina powerless to injure her, resolved to destroy her. She called together those nuns who were in her full confidence, represented to them how they had to fear betrayal from the novice Lina, and to defend them- selves they must destroy her. This would be most easily accomplished by per- mitting a meeting with her lover after she had as- sumed the veil, surprise her, accuse her of breaking her vow, and then wall her up alive. The reprobates approved of this diabolical plan, and as soon as Lina's novitiate was ended, and she had taken the final vows, they embraced the first oppor- tunity, when Lindor was seen in the convent grounds, by giving Lina permission to walk in the garden. It was a sultry Saturday evening, the sun had set, and had left, instead of a golden twilight, only a grey, cloudy veil, which, increased by the mountain mists, spread gradually over the entire heavens, proclaiming a coming thunder-storm. Lina, although she had long languished for fresh air, found no relief She glanced toward heaven, but both moon and stars were hidden behind the dark clouds ; the flowers hung sadly their drooping heads, as if in sympathy with the maiden doomed to a convent life. She sat down much shaken on a seat of turf shaded by two lindens, and the tears streamed from her eyes. Suddenly she felt herself embraced. A cry of delighted surprise escaped her, for it was Lindor, THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 23 her beloved. All sorrow and pain were forgotten in the bliss of the meeting, and Lindor kissed the tears from her burning cheeks. A blissful moment the lovers embraced each other ; then came a feeling of duty, of assumed vows before the soul of the bride of heaven like a fiend of dark- ness. She tore herself from his arms. " Lindor 1 Lindor ! " she moaned, " I am lost to thee; our embrace is sin ! O God ! God of Love ! have mercy on the sinner ! Lindor ! Lindor ! have thou also pity ! Leave me." " Leave thee ! Nevermore ! " cried passionately the youth ; " now thou art mine for ever. Thou shalt flee with me, and no power on earth shall tear thee from me. Thou art mine, mine till death ! " "And my oath," cried Lina — "the oath I have taken .? " Lindor turned pale. " So thou hast already taken the vows, art no longer novice .'' Art irrevocably chained to the convent 1 " he cried in horror, for even love started back from the gulf that such an oath had made between them, opposing their union. " Then I am lost, my life-happiness is annihilated ! " " And mine too ! " sobbed Lina in his arms. "Or wilt thou flee with me.'' We will hide our- selves far from our native land, where no searcher can find us, and undisturbed we v/ill be happy." But Lina refused, " My oath, my oath, would it leave us peace ? Would I not draw down thy soul to 24 LEGENDS AND TALES OF perdition ? See, my anguish will soon be over, and I will wait for thee above. Give me up for this life, that God may grant us a blessed future, Lindor." He gazed on the ground and was silent. At last he gave her the hand. " Let it be so," he said, struggling for firmness. " Thou art still mine ; if not here, there above." Meanwhile the storm-clouds had blackened, and a loud clap of thunder rolled over the heads of the part- ing lovers. Both looked up, but did not see the Abbess, who was watching them for their destruction. " Now let us part for this life," said Lina, who felt her soul elevated and strengthened. " Must it be so .■' Must I lose thee, when I have just found thee } " As they gave each other a parting embrace, Lina could not tear herself from her lover's arms, and cried, " O Father in heaven ! give me strength in this part- ing hour, and forgive me if my love is sin ; but if it is not sin, bless our union." " Bless our union ! " repeated Lindor. At this mo- ment the Abbess with her nuns came forward, when lo, a flash of lightning lit up the darkness ; the lovers stood in a sea of dazzling light ; it seemed to them they saw heaven open. Arm-in-arm, struck by the stroke, they sank lifeless to the ground. Almost un- hurt in appearance, they found them under the lindens, heavenly joy painted on their faces, and there they made their grave. THE HARZ MQUXTAIXS. 25 The terrified Abbess had scarcely sprung back into the convent when a stream of fire, after a terrific thunder-clap, dashed the building to ruins, out of which arose a pillar of dust and flame. Only a few of the nuns were rescued. The Abbess and her plotting nuns were found awfully disfigured ; and now, it is said, the Abbess appears in form of a serpent every seven years near the grave under the lindens. geeenbrfi i>f tlje ^e0i;tt»tcitt, WHO that has visited the romantic Harz has not climbed the lordly sandstone mountain, the Reinstein, wondered at its vast chambers hewn in solid rock, and gazed in silent rapture on a prospect more beautiful than that from the Brocken } In the year 479, according to the chroniclers, the sharp contest between the tribes of Thuringia and the Sassen ' took place for the possession of the Harz mountains. Melverich, King of Thuringia, with his army thirsting for war, crossed the mountains to re- pulse the Sassen then dwelling on the north borders of the Harz. Near Wernigerode a bloody battle was fought, in which the Thuringians were defeated, and five thousand left dead on the field. Perhaps the Hun Stones still standing between Heimburg and Benzingerode have reference to this ' Saxons. 26 LEGENDS AND TALES OF fiery collision, and the ancient burial-places discovered in the vicinity were the graves of ihose fallen in this contest. After the battle the Sassen recognized the fact that to their leader, Hatebolt, they owed the victory; and to prove their gratitude they offered to build him a castle on the north borders of the Harz, in any spot he might choose. So Hatebolt rode till he came to a stone mountain, which was, as if by nature, formed for a stronghold. It rose rugged and steep from the sandy heath to a mighty rock, and formed a row of impassable cliffs, the western summits of which widened into a table-land sufficiently broad for the site of a castle. And Hatebolt pointed to the row of rocks and cried in the language of the Sassen, " On this Regenstein " my Burg shall stand ! " That is the fortress whose magnificent position still delights us, at whose ruins we gaze in amazemerit, in whose halls and chambers, almost entirely hewn in the rocks, we see the work of a far distant time, when comfort and luxury were unknown in this region. From these grey ruins, from the grim vaults, the half-fallen tower, and the deep dungeon, breathes the spirit of the past, and whispers many a legendary note in the ear. Is it the mysterious Devil's Hole in an ancient vault, with the date 1090, near which house spectres, whose employment it is ever to fill this four ' Regenstein, or Rcinstein, row of rocks. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 27 feet deep and wide hole with stones ; or the opening in one of the largest rock walls, which proclaims a con- quest of the castle ; or the ruinated chapel, with its tinj' Gothic door and two windows, and the aumbry still in the wall at the right on entering, the over-grown moat to the east and south, the arched entrance, the many half-broken flights of stone steps? All this has an untold mystic charm. The opening in the wall was made at a seizure of the castle, which tradition tells us was accomplished by stratagem. The besiegers had lain long before the stronghold in vain, had stormed the walls and the stronger rocks without success, and finally, evidently convinced that the fortress was impregnable, had raised the siege. And now there were feasting and joy, and the Earl von Regenstein commanded the best wine to be brought. But for security, in case of another attack, he resolved to lay in fresh provisions, and accordingly sent a messenger to the surrounding villages with an order to the people forthwith to bring the needful supplies. In a short time a troop of peasants, men and women, appeared, half-bent from the weight of baskets on their backs, and tubs of butter and cheese under the arm. The great gates were opened, the drawbridge lowered, and the troop entered. But once inside, they threw baskets and tubs to the winds, seized their arms, drove back the surprised guard, and at the same 28 ' LEGENDS AND TALES OF time a party in ambush rushed over the drawbridge. They cut down all that opposed them, but the Earl was nowhere to be found. When he saw himself out- witted, and that all opposition was useless, and every issue from the fortress in possession of the enemy, he caused himself to be sewed up in a bed, and let down on the north and perpendicular side of the rocks with ropes. The opening is still shown in one of the rocky chambers through which he is said to have escaped. Another legend is connected with the dungeon, which is hewn deep down in the rocks. A captured maiden had been imprisoned here, and had sat long in the darkness of constant night, hearing no sound .save that of the raging storms that beat against the rocks. Escape was impossible. One day she lay on her bed of straw, and sought comfort in fervent prayer. And there dawned a distant hope in her mind. She listened to the storm, and heard the hail beat against the rock walls of the dungeon, hence they must be thin. Might she perhaps break through the rocks .' They are only very porous sandstone. It is a bold thought, no sooner awakened in her mind than put in execution. She used the ring of the dungeon to break away bits of the rock, and worked many moons till she had an opening large enough to creep through. But what was her despair to find she stood on a dizzy height, and the fearful depth yawned beneath her. Still she did not hesitate, but began climbing down the smooth rocks, which offered only here and there a THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 39 crevice to her aid. But Tradition, who beUeveth all things and never faileth, says she reached the foot of the mountain and her father's castle in safety. Another legend relates how a wealthy countryman had lent an Earl von Regenstein a large sum of money, but when he came to demand payment was repulsed with scorn and derision. Soon after the Earl did not return from a predatory excursion, and many singular reports were circulated concerning his death. The countryman hoped for payment from the Earl's heir, but he treated him more roughly than his prede- cessor had done. The creditor, on his way home, heard suddenly a loud noise like the crackling of flames. He looked around and saw a cleft in the mountain, from which issued smoke. He went and looked in. It was the mouth of a cave, in the deeps of which pitch and sulphur flames with loud hissing enveloped each other, and in the midst of this fire-gulf he saw a human form, over which the flames swept without consuming it, and which sought, wailing and moaning, to escape, but fell ever back into the boiling heat, with wringing of hands and tearing of hair. He soon recognized the Earl, who after some minutes saw the creditor whom he had cheated at the entrance to the cave, and broke out in lamenta- tions and entreaties. " Oh ! see how I must suffer for my injustice. Have pity on my anguish, forgive my crime. Take my signet ring, go to my successor, tell him what you have 30 LEGENDS AND TALES OF seen, warn him not to act as I have done, and to pay my debt, that I may escape from this bed of flames." The countryman hastened to fulfil the commission, showing the signet ring. He was at once paid with heavy interest, and the castle chaplain received orders to read a mass for the suffering soul. On his way home the countryman looked again into the cave, but nothing more was to be seen either of the flames or the guilty Earl. The Spectre Maiden of the Regensteln still haunts the ruins. How solemnly the old ruinated fortress looks down upon the plain bathed in the rich lights of sunset. And around the walls and the tower sighs a spirit, and sighs the storm. Let thy stay there be short and cautious, for the ruins are haunted by night. A maiden form rises from the dark vault, and wanders to the tower, and to the great gates, and an innocent countenance smiles upon thee. Guard thyself well, O wanderer ; gaze not so deep in the mournful eyes ; it is the Spectre Maiden. She bows to thee in graceful greeting, she offers thee the full lips to kiss, she beckons, she spreads out the arms. Oh, follow her not ! Her breath is poison 1 If thou grant her the kiss, thou wilt fall an irrecoverable prey to death. Her greeting, her beckon, are not for thee ; she waits here for her lover. As Crusader, he marched to the Holy Sepulchre. She is gazing after him from the tower, waiting for his THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 31 return by the broken drawbridge, and wanders ever in search of him. If she meet thee, she will fancy thou art her fallen hero-lover. If thou dost follow when she beckons, she will draw thee into an open grave with ice-cold arms. Oh ! guard thyself well when in her sight, For she haunts the Regenstein by night ! ®l^B gust g^feetcJj-gjj^rk uf tljc ^Bgenstein THE Baronin von Felsen had led her young English friend. May Rosenmore, through the ruins of Schloss Regenstein, the authentic history of which begins with Kaiser Henry the Fowler, till at last they wandered to the tiny roofless chapel. As May entered it through the Gothic door, scarcely high enough to pass under without stooping, the first object on which her eyes fell was a crimson morocco sketch-book, closing like a pocket-book, nearly filled with sketches. The last two sketches were — first, an arbour, in which a lady and gentleman are seated ; the lady is arranging roses from a basket before her, while her companion reads to her. The last sketch is the empty arbour ; the book lies open upside-down on the table, the roses are fallen on the ground. In the pocket was a photo of a lady and gentleman together, the latter in officer's uniform. " What a contrast to these grim ruins, with all their 32 LEGENDS AND TALES OF legendary memories, is this elegant scrap of modern art ! " exclaimed May. " I am sure there is some sad history associated with this little book. Perhaps I may find the owner." " Warum nicht ? " replied the Baronin. " The woman in the Bible found her piece of silver, the shepherd his lost sheep, Saul found his father's ass, Jochebed found her baby, Joseph found his brethren, poor old Jacob found his long-lost Joseph, and the loser of this sketch-book may be as fortunate." A few days after this event the Baronin gave a Kaffee to a large Gesellschaft, in the park of Schloss Stolzstein. The company sat grouped here and there under the clumps of old beeches and oaks, the deer cast their shadows in the clear lake, graced with swans, and somewhere in the background the music of a military Capelle floated softly on the air. May Rosenmore amused herself with a study of the varied characters present, and with German manners, which were new to her. A maiden lady, the Baronin von Schattenthal, who was staying at the Castle with her young orphan niece, interested her with her quaint humour and sound conimon sense. Little Amalia came out with her attendant to her aunt. She was a lovely child, with long auburn curls, and a dash of the French character, for her mother was a Pole. Finding that her aunt paid no attention to her THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 33 toilette nor her curls, Amalia finally whispered, " See, Tante, Gretchen has curled my hair." " I see, my dear," said the Baronin ; " but it will do you no harm if your hair does curl, if you are a good little girl." Amalia's crestfallen, puzzled look as she walked away were amusing enough. Soon after she came back with a very knotty question. " Tante, could all our family ride on an elephant at once ? Gretchen says they could!' " Yes, child, several small families could ride on an elephant at once." But May was not left long at leisure to amuse her- self with the pretty child. Her hostess brought and introduced to her Baron von Stammnitz, fresh from the Heidelberg University. She soon found, however, that he was possessed of much finer cultivated hair and moustache than mind. He had dipped a little into the natural sciences, and learned a smattering of some of the absurdities of German Pantheism, and held himself competent to solve the mysteries of creation, and moral relations, of the universe and of mind, much better than the old- fashioned Moses and the Prophets, or St. Paul. It is this false moral training of the students of Germany that will prove one of her greatest dangers in the future. Baron von Stammnitz had studied English, and 4 . 34 LEGENDS AND TALES OF began at once to edify May by airing it. She ex- pressed her admiration of the Harz, its history and legends. He replied, " Yes, the Harz is highly interesting, but chiefly so through its old leg-ends." But let us not be too hard on the Baron in this respect, for the English often make as ludicrous errors in German. The writer heard a young lady in Cologne order Himmelfleisch, meaning Hammelfleisch. She in- tended to ask for mutton, but in reality ordered heaven's meat. And the waiter, with his solemn, impenetrable face, replied, " I regret we have not that dish." A gentleman in Leipzig ordered Kinderbraten and Pantoffel — child roast and slippers! He wanted Kinder- braten and Kartoffel — roast beef and potatoes ! People who drop their H's in English do the same in German. An English girl driving away from Ballenstedt, cried out, " Farewell, Arz 1 " At the hotel by the Radau waterfall an old man ordered the Kellner to bring beer, and called after him, " Aber ell ! " Hell he meant — clear or white in con- trast to brown beer. He had been parading about and ordering the Kellner as if he owned the whole place, which made his missing h all the more amusing. But to return to the Baron. May spoke of the towered village church nestling so confidingly in the rich foliage, and regretted she had not yet seen the interior, but hoped to the following Sunday. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 35 " Pray, Miss Rosenmore, you do not keep up that absurd idea of going to church ? I have not been in a church for five years. While they insist on preach- ing tlie old fables that nobody believes any more, I shall not go. I can attend to my religion much better in my own room, or in the woods, where the trees form nobler Gothic arches than any cathedral, from Koln and Halberstadt down. Even meine Mutter told me not to trouble myself about the Bible, for there was no truth in it." " Woe to any mother who could give such advice !" cried May, in great excitement. She spoke of some of the strongest proofs of the Divine origin of the Bible, and asked the Baron if he could explain why it was that Christian nations were the most elevated, those without the light of revelation being the degraded ones. " Oh ! " said he, " .such a view has something beauti- ful in it ; but it is only a delusion, a transition period in the history and development of mind, I might say, the Raupenkleid — chrysalis — of education, out of which the splendid and brilliant butterfly of free thought breaks forth, and Science unfolds her golden wings, and in her commanding presence, the old orthodox Bible-faith can never again lift its head. " There is an endless primeval matter, I may say the Urkraft — first cause — of all things, which is scattered in countless atoms in eternal space. " From this primeval matter, during the course of millions on millions of ages, slowly and gradually 36 LEGENDS AND TALES OF unfolded beings, from the most insignificant to the highest. From a scrap of mud, through the effect of light and heat, perhaps by contact with some other body, a frog was produced. Nearest related to the frog stands the Labyrinthodonten, whose hand-like foot- tracks have been found in the sandstone, and which is decidedly the transition between these animals and the higher species of the ape ; and from the ape, during impossible-to-comprehend ages, man has sprung, at first rough and animal, as we see to-day in savage races, from step to step unfolding and rising, till we have the Mensch of our present civilization and re- finement." All this was said with a foppish, self-satisfied air, as if he were a personification of wisdom. May looked at him in amazement, wondering at his shallowness. At length she said, " Concerning origin and ancestors I will not now dispute. If you deny the Bible, we have no common ground of argument ; and if your argument be true, we have after this life — nothing. Let proud Science beware lest she scorch her ' golden wings ' in the avenging fire of Divine wrath. " If you are content with the doctrine of man's descent from an ape, originally, according to your own argument, from a frog ! I deny its truth, and claim mine from an eternal, omnipotent and holy Creator, and personal Father, not simply an eviges Sein — eternal state of being — but something infinitely and incomprehensibly more exalted." THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 37 Here the conversation was interrupted by the ap- proach of the Baronin, accompanied by a tall noble- looking lady attired in black. May started, for it was the lady in the photo of the lost sketch-book. Her friend introduced the stranger as the Countess von Omnesky, a lady of Russian birth, but who had been partly educated in England, her father having long filled an official position there under the Russian Government. The Countess was still young, only five-and-twenty, of a pale, melancholy, but highly intelligent counte- nance, and her sapphire blue eyes had a mournful, far- away look in them, that touched one deeply. Their conversation turned on the beauties of Harz scenery, and its romantic ruins, and the Countess re- marked she had only the other day visited the Regen- stein, and during the day had lost an object, to her of great value — a sketch-book, filled by her late husband, with the exception of the last sketch, which she had herself sketched after his death. May drew forth the sketch-book, which she had purposely carried in her pocket, and handed it to her, remarking she had recognized her from the photo at the first glance, and explained how it had come into her possession. The Countess turned to the sketch in the arbour, remarking, "We were sitting thus, when Karl was summoned to join his regiment at the breaking out of the last war between France and Germany. We had 38 LEGENDS AND TALES OF only been married three weeks when France declared war, and my joy was broken for ever. If you will not be wearied, I will tell you the history." May assured her of her deep interest and sym- pathy, and they seated themselves under a magnificent oak near the lake. " My sister Olga and I were married on the same day to two brothers, German officers, just three weeks before the commencement of the war. We were in Switzerland at the time of the mobilization of the German army, and hastening to obey the call, we re- paired to Berlin, where we took leave of 6ne another, never again all to meet in this world. " Olga and I remained a short time in Berlin, but after the reports of the battle bei Worth we grew too excited to stay so far from the scene of action ; and accordingly went to Baden, taking only our maid with us,andnotwishingtogoto an hotel, we took apartments in a private /f«JW7z kept by a family from Edinburgh, two old maids and their brother, Mac Stab by name ; and though I have travelled over nearly all Europe their equal I have never met, and have reason to be- lieve Scotland or Germany could produce few such creatures. " You may imagine the difficulties of travelling in time of war, with soldiers being transported to active service, and the sick and wounded to hospitals ; and we lost our luggage, consisting only of two trunks. " We explained to the elder Miss Mac Stab, who THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 39 wore a couple of pig-tall curls each side of her face, that our trunks were lost, but we hoped would be found in a day or two. " The second day passed, but our missing trunks did not appear — in fact never did — and the third morning, as poor Olga was descending the stairs for breakfast, Miss Mac Stab attacked her crying out, ' See the painted Jezebel ! with her curls and diamond rings ! The impostor seeks to deceive honest folk with her pretended wedding ring and tales of lost luggage ! ' " Olga in perfect terror, pale as marble, came rush- ing to meet me. She could not speak, and did not need to, for I had heard what had passed. I took Olga by the arm and walked firmly to the breakfast- room. Miss Mac Stab was arranging our breakfast- table as we entered. I inquired if any letters were come. " Miss Mac Stab glowered at us with an awful face, and replied savagely, in coarse tones, ' Yes, here is a letter ; but you wrote and sent it to the post your- selves ; nobody would write to the likes of you. Such grand pretensions, with your crests ! You'll not get no more letters here ; I'll intercept them, and expose your falsehoods.' " We hastened to our rooms, and sent Paulina to call a carriage. I knew there was an English clergy- man in the place, the Rev. William Samper, and we thought it better to acquaint him with our embar- rassment, as we were alone, and ask his advice. " Olga went, taking Paulina with her, and I remained 40 LEGENDS AND TALES OF alone. There were two or three strangers staying in the house who had also gone out, hence there was no one but the family at home. " The day before, on going out for a drive, we had locked our door, and the Mac Stabs denied our right to lock any door, or even to keep any door-key. No sooner was Olga gone than Miss Mac Stab, accom- panied by her brother and sister, came upstairs and entered my room without knocking. Mr. Mac Stab demanded the keys. I told him I should not deliver up the keys till I had done with the apartments, and expressed my surprise at the insolence in thus entering my room unbidden, and the cowardice of such conduct when no one was there to see or hear. Miss Mac Stab, with one sweep of her hand, brushed all my writing materials on the floor, and her no less amiable brother seated himself, saying he should wait till he had the keys. ' You will wait, then,' I said, ' until my sister and maid return.' " ' My maid ' ! cried Miss Mac Stab. Just then a loud ring hurried them all away. "I locked my door till Olga returned. She had seen Mr. Samper, and shown our letters, and he would be with us in a few moments. He came and insisted on our going with him, perfect strangers though we were, at once to his house; assuring us Mrs. Samper was expecting us, breakfast was being made ready, and our rooms awaited us. " The very atmosphere of their house was peace. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 41 and Mrs. Samper was like a mother to us, and the noble Christian pair have the warmest place in my memory and heart. The following day Mr. Samper received a letter from the Mac Stabs, claiming damages for a broken Sevres vase and an injured piano, amounting to four pounds — all, of course, abso- lutely false. Mr. Samper wrote declining any further correspondence, and informed them the post and the law were open. " Karl and Franz, on hearing our story, sent them a solicitor's letter, demanding an explanation of their infamous conduct to two defenceless ladies. The reply to this letter was absolute silence, and the sud- den disappearance of the Mac Stabs from the town. We found they had treated many badly, and had sought in various instances, by driving people to leave before the expiration of the time already paid for, or by involving them in law proceedings, to gain money. " We stayed a few days with the good minister, but in a state of feverish excitement, watching the de- scriptions of succeeding battles, and reading the lists of wounded, dead, and missing with a horrible fascination. " At last we could bear the uncertainty no longer, and assuming the dresses of nuns, we joined several actual nuns and a couple of surgeons, who were going to France to follow the second army, in which Franz and Karl served, to nurse the wounded, seeking them out on the battle-field, which was very necessary, for 42 LEGENDS AND TALES OF there were not nurses and surgeons sufficient for the need, and many died for the lack of nursing in time. " At length came the terrible battle of Mars la Tour — St. Hilaire, or Vionville — in the burning heat of August — the 1 6th it was — and Major Franz Omnesky was among the missing. Olga set off alone in her wild grief, to search on the battle-field, knowing we would not let her go ; and when we first missed her, we had no idea how long she had been gone. " Oh ! how shall I attempt to depict that dreadful night-scene among the dead and dying on the field of Mars la Tour ? The pale, ghastly faces looking up to God's pure, blue heavens so fearfidly calm above all this human woe and anguish. " Among the heaps of the slain, stumbling over horse and rider, we seached till night grew pale before the dawn, and then we found what we sought — and V dreaded to find — Franz dead, and Olga lying with her head on his breast, in a deathly swoon, her garments wet with dew, and her long beautiful hair falling over her dead husband's face. " Olga never rallied ; the grief, exposure, and fatigue were too much for her delicate frame and passionate love for Franz. We laid them both in one grave, on a knoll, under a clump of limes — the two brave hearts so true and noble. "Then came the i8th of August, that most mur- derous of all the engagements of the war, the battle of Gravelotte, in which the Kaiser commanded in person. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 43 with a brilliant staff, Prinz Friedrich Karl, Steinmetz, Moltke, Roon, Bismarck being on it. " Colonel Karl Omnesky was among the wounded, and I hastened on to nurse him, as I hoped, to renewed life and vigour, but the moment I saw him all hope died for ever. Death was written on his noble brow, but his great, deep violet eyes looked bravely and tenderly as ever into mine. Oh those precious days' Golden is their memory, though so unspeakably sad. " He was ready to go, awaiting eagerly the change to the better land, but full of a tender sympathy and sorrow for me and his unborn child. " He never was weary of hearing that wonderful prayer of our Saviour, the seventeenth of St. John, and the iifteenth of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. " Often, accompanied by the harp he so loved, I sang his favourite lines, my heart frantic with grief, but outwardly calm, for God lent me strength. " ' Bleibe bei mir vom Morgen bis Abend, Denn ohne Dich kann ich nicht leben. Bleibe bei mir denn die Nacht ist dunkel, Und ohne Dich darf ich nicht sterben.' " ' Abide with me from morn till eve, For without Thee I cannot live. Abide with me when night is nigh. For without Thee I cannot die.' " The 'noble-hearted Kaiser honoured my dying husband, before the second army moved on, with a visit, and the tear his Majesty brushed away did honour to the Sovereign so deservedly beloved. 44 LEGENDS AND TALES OF " In peace my poor Karl died, and I closed the loving eyes — and my heart died. " I buried him beside Olga and Franz, and am building a chapel over them. " Five months after Karl's death my golden-haired Tatjana was born. For her sake I strive to reconcile myself to life. " But, alas ! my wealth and joy are— « grave ! " Sitting the other day in the enchanting valley of the graceful Use, leaping proudly and gaily in a thousand tiny waterfalls over the moss-grown stones, as if conscious of her royal origin, I wrote the following lines, which express faintly my feelings, and which I beg you to keep as a souvenir of our first meeting. ALONE. " The sun has set, the eveninpf brightness fades. The gloom increases in the forest glades ; And a deep sadness all my soul pervades : I am alone. •' A wild bird here and there still sings to cheer His mate that nestles in the thicket near ; But ah ! no voice of love falls on viy ear : I am alone. " The gentle air plays with the rustling leaves, Sweet with the fragrant odours it receives ; My bosom with no whispered incense heaves : I am alone. "A distant horn the evening silence breaks, The mountain in soft echoes answer makes ; No heart responsive to my voice awakes : I am alone. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 45 " O'er rocky heights the Use, wild and free, Hastes like an eager lover to the sea ; But whither shall / turn for love ? Ah me ! I am alone. " Still dreaming dreams I can to none impart, I live with Nature and my own sad heart ; Whatever comes of joy or suffering's smart, I bear alone." The following is the German translation : — Des Abends ros'ger Glanz erbleicht, das Land Wird dunkel, dunkel wird's am Waldesrand ; In mir auch nachtel's, einsam ist die Hand : Ich bin allein. Ein'Vogel hier und dort dem Weibchen singt, Das nestlos nahe lauscht, wie's zu ihm klingl ; Zu meinem Ohr kein Ruf der Liebe dringt : Ich bin allein. Die Blatter lispeln, sie umkost die Luft Mit sanftem Spiel, einathmend ihren Duft ; Wer fliistert Balsam mir in's Herz hinein ? Ich bin allein. Ein femes Horn ertont mit sanftem Schall, Der Berg antwortet ihm im Wiederhall ; Auf meinen Laut erwacht kein Herz im All : Ich bin allein. Es stiirzt die Use sich vom Felsbett her In hast'gem Liebeslauf hinab zum Meer ; Doch ich .'' wohin ? die Welt ist liebeleer : Ich bin allein. Noch traum' ich Traume, doch sie theilt kein Herz, Allein mit der Natur und meinem Schmerz, — Kommt Freude mir, bricht Leid herein : Ich trag's allein. 46 LEGENDS AND TALES OF BROKEN walls of the grey, long-past centuries, on the wooded mountains, a dilapidated tower, moats overgrown with wild thorns, a few dark and gloomy vaults, and half-fallen windows and arches — those are the small remains of the most magnificent of the former castles of the Harz mountains, the ruins of the ancient seat of the Counts-palatine, the Lauen- burg. In former days the spot lay much more desolate than now ; the old ways and the delicious wood-paths_ had not been opened up. Heaps of rubbish and shapeless ruins lay scattered everywhere ; scarcely could the wanderer break his way through the creepers of the common virgin's bower, and the prickles of the buckthorn over the moss-grown walls, to the broken tower. But the young people of Dorf Steckelnberg, at the foot of the lower adjacent mountain, on which lie the ruins of Schloss Steckelnburg, found their way easier ; it was just the wild and savage character of the place that attracted them, and it was very seldom that a troop of merry boys did not choose the lonely ruins as the scene of their games, and even timorous maidens ventured to approach the haunted walls in their search after berries and wild-flowers. Once, more than a hundred years ago, on St. John's THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 47 Day, a number of children from Steckelnberg were scattered in the thickets around the ruins gathering flowers and making wreaths and garlands, when suddenly one of the boys uttered a cry of astonish- ment. The others ran to him, and lo ! there stood on the edge of the tower walls, then rising only the height of a man from the debris, a wonderful flower, the like of which the children had never seen before. It looked so strange, and still seemed to gaze so mildly and confidentially in the eyes of the children, that they all at once fancied something supernatural in the flower. They had often heard their parents and grand- parents relate how once, in the greyest times, a maiden had been carried off by the Ritter of the Lauenburg, and in the hour of her greatest danger had been rescued from his power by transformation into a flower, which bloomed every year a single day, and the maiden came and wandered a single night through the ruins. " Might this be the flower .? " they asked. At last one of the boys began climbing up the tower walls to pluck it, when he heard a soft voice murmur so clearly that all heard it, " Do not pluck me." The boy started back in affright ; but, vexed at his fear, feeling sure a flower could not speak, he began again to mount the tower; but the same voice csme 48 LEGENDS AND TALES OF from the flower, " Do not pluck me," and the children cried, " Give it up and come down ! " This excited him still more, and stretching out his hand to pick the flower, a hideous serpent raised its head hissing from under the leaves, when the boy fell back in deadly terror among thorns and fallen stones, and was carried home with broken limbs. Again, on a St. John's Day, the children of Steckeln- berg played among the ruins of the Lauenburg, when they saw again the wonderful flower, and heard the same soft voice, " Do not pluck me." In affright they fled down the mountain. But a quiet little girl had remained behind, for it seemed to her the flower did not say, " Do not pluck me," but, " Pluck me." Hence she stood thoughtfully gazing in the flower's clear eye, when again she heard in soft tones, " Pluck me ! pluck me ! " The maiden came nearer, the flower's glance grew more loving, but under her leaves she saw the serpent- head, which rose hissing and coiling. Then she drew back her hand, and dared not touch the flower, and as she fled she heard still the voice, " Only pluck me ! " The next day she went back, determined to obey the voice, and pick the flower, but it and the serpent had vanished. Years fled. The little girl had grown to woman- hood and become the Braut of an honest but poor youth. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 49 Then she recalled the wonder-flower and entreating voice, and thought to herself she had missed her good fortune through her disobedience. This she related to her lover one day as they wan- dered through the wood around the ruins. And he strove to comfort her, and thought they were enough in each other, and would be able to support themselves without aid from the world of enchantment ; but in his mind he thought she might have gathered the flower, for tales were still told of great treasures guarded by the maiden of the Lauen- burg, and he had himself already seen much of the wonder-world, and the influence of higher powers over human destiny. Was he not a Sunday child .' ' He was present as the owner of the estate Winata- husen in Thale, had removed the wonder- stone, on which the good fortune of the estate hangs, and had seen how sixteen horses and hundreds of men had only with difficulty moved it ; while the heavens had grown dark, and the storm threatened to destroy the buildings, and only misfortune followed misfortune, till the stone was restored to the ancient convent estate. He had also learned the power of enchantment possessed by the dwellers of the caves in the Bode- thal. ^ In the Harz it is said all children born on Sunday are always fortunate. 5 50 LEGENDS AND TALES OF A dwarf of one cave had often brought him a bundle of healing herbs for his sick mother, and he knew that he always laid healing plants ready for those who had entreated his help. But the angry cobold, who in the form of a green bottle-fly dwelt in another cave, had once nearly thrown him headlong from the rocks as he gathered plants, and he only saved himself by making the sign of the cross three times. He had also seen the blue flame in the garden of the Kloster estate in Thale, which marked the spot where treasures were hidden. While indulging in these reminiscences a low ex- clamation from his companion aroused him from his reverie. She grasped him by the arm, and pointed to the ruins. There, above the tower, rose amid the slender grass, in wonderful beauty, white as a lily and as graceful, the Flower of the Lauenburg, which had just been the subject of their conversation and their dreams. She seemed to bend her white corolla in greeting, and like a low melody to call down to them, " Pluck me ! pluck me ! " The lovers gazed a moment, surprised, at each other ; and, as if the glance had filled him with enthusiasm, the youth then hastened forward, and raised his arm to gather the flower. At this moment the serpent head raised itself, THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 51 terrible to behold ; the scales of the coiled body- seemed to bristle, and resembled a coat of mail ; the vicious eyes burned in rage, and the sharp tongue pointed at them like a poisoned arrow. Terrified at the sight, he lost his courage, forgot to cross himself, and, seizing the hand of the maiden turned to flee. But she held him back ; she stood lost in thought a moment ; then pressing his hand warmly and glancing toward heaven, she approached fearlessly the tower, and stretched forth her hand firmly to pluck the flower. And see ! the serpent, though hissing more furiously, drew slowly back its head, and as she plucked the flower fled, and at the same moment the whole scene changed. Where the flower grew, now stood, sweetly smiling, in swan-white garments, a graceful maiden, who looked kindly on the lovers, and, pointing to a vault at the base of the tower, in which glittered gold and silver vessels of all sorts, stooped and handed one piece after another to the astonished lovers, who took the costly gifts as in a dream. When they had all they could carry, she waved the hand in farewell, as bidding them to depart, and vanished. 52 LEGENDS AND TALES OF LONG centuries ago a peculiar appearance attracted the attention of the inhabitants of Dorf Treseburg. Every morning stood, high on the summit of the Hagedornberg, which rises perpendicular to the banks of the Bode, a White Stag, and gazed fixedl}- below into the valley. He stood hours at a time, and had done so over a hundred years, without any variation or the faintest sign of age. Wonderful as this was, it was still more remarkable that no one had ever been able to come near him, although various sportsmen had attempted it, not even when they waited in the early morning on the spot where he was wont to appear. They waited in vain, and yet at the same time the villagers below had seen him as usual. So it had come that for a whole generation no one had sought to come near the White Stag. Hence every one shook the head doubtfully when one day an herb- gatherer of the village, named Weidemann, declared that he had not only been near the Stag, but that the animal had come close to him, leaned against him, eaten of the plants he carried, and finally had followed him part way down the declivity of the mountain. The herb-gatherer, however, was known to be a man of veracity, and they soon became convinced of the THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 53 truth of his statement ; for no sooner had he climbed the Hagedorn than the White Stag ran to him, and walked trustfully by his side, ate from his hand, and followed his steps. This excited all the more surprise inasmuch as the stag avoided everybody else. Weidemann was sur- prised himself at this confidence, which grew every day ; and it seemed to him, when the stag gazed at him with its clear eyes so winningly, as if it would speak, and only language failed. At last, he said one day to his wife, " There is some- thing the matter with the White Stag, and he longs to tell. If I only could know what it is ! " " That is not so difficult," replied his wife. "Just ask old Fischersche, who will be able to tell thee." Fischersche was, according to some, a wise, good old woman, according to others a witch, who lived in a hut a little out of the village, never leaving it, alone and without friends, avoiding men and shunned by them in return — but only till they got into some trouble ; when illness or some accident had befallen them, then they sought out old Fischersche, related their trouble, and found ever help and counsel, or herbs and healing draughts, before which every sickness fled. To her the herb-gatherer applied, told her what had happened, and begged for an explanation of the matter. Fischersche bent her ice-grey head and remained a 54 LEGENDS AND TALES OF while sunk in thought. At length she said : " It is a wonderful history of the White Stag ; my aged grand- mother told it me over a hundred years ago, but I cannot now remember it perfectly ! I only know that it is an enchanted young noble, the son of an Earl, but how it all hangs together has escaped me. But we will soon learn. I will ask my ravens." So saying, she opened the windows of the hut, one towards the north, the other to the south, and murmured a few unintelligible words, and uttered one piercing whistle. Soon the beating of heavy wings was heard, and a hoarse croaking, and a pair of huge primeval ravens flew down, and sat, one on the north, one on the south window, and cried : " Kra ! Kra ! Kra— h ! Wir sind da ! " And Fishersche addressed them in a loud voice : " Ye good ravens, ye are as old as the Harz and the primeval forests, and ye know all things ; hence ye shall tell me the history of the White Stag." Then one raven flapped his wings, nodded with his head, opened his bill and cried : " Kra ! kra ! kra— h ! Ich weiss wie es geschah ! " The son of an Earl had fallen in love with the daughter of the Ritter who dwelt ages ago in Schloss Treseburg, and came every day and stood on the THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 55 summit of the Hagedorn, and gazed across to the Treseburg, to see if he could catch a glimpse of the maiden, or a greeting from her. "It happened once that he met there a noble white stag, and being a passionate lover of the chase, he threw his spear, killing the animal on the spot. " Just as he was about to detach the splendid antlers, to hang up in his castle — for a pair of antlers was his coat of arms — the Waldfrau, the powerful queen of the forest and all game, suddenly broke forth from the underbrush with indignation and wrath, for the dead stag had been her favourite, and cursed the youth in words of fury : " 'Thou bloodthirsty man, thou shalt henceforth no more hunt, but be hunted ; thou shalt be thyself a stag in the place of the one thou hast killed, and shalt wander in these preserves centuries long.' "And at these words the Earl's son was transformed into that of the stag, and that is the White Stag of the Hagedorn." The raven nodded three times with his head in con- firmation of his tale, and remained silent. And Fischersche asked further: "Say on, raven, who knowest all things, if and how the enchantment may be broken." Immediately the other raven rose, flapped his wings and cried : " Kra ! Kra ! Kra-h ! Ja! Ja! Ja! 56 LEGENDS AND TALES OF " It was a deed of blood ! Blood can break the en- chantment. If a hunter who has never shed blood gives him blood that belongs neither to man nor beast, and he both drinks and eats it at the same time, the enchantment of the White Stag is broken." Fischersche would inquire further, but the ravens both remained silent, shook their heads, spread rustling their wings, and flew forth, one up the other down the roaring Bode, to their Hort ' in the steep rocks of the Bodethal, which still bear the name of the Raben- stein. 2 When the ravens had disappeared, Fischersche sank in deep thought, and seemed to forget the presence of Weidemann. " That is a dark saying," she at length said, break- ing the silence, and muttered thoughtfully to herself. "Just wait, just wait, I begin to see through the thing. How was it, then .' Who can break the en- chantment .' " " A hunter who has never shed blood," replied Weidemann. " And where may we find such an one ? " " Probably nowhere." Fischersche looked at him oddly, while a smile flitted over her wrinkled face. " Tell me, then, hast thou ever shed blood .' " The man started at the question. ' Safe retreat in the rocks ; usually applied to the eagle. 2 Ravens' cliffs. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 57 " God forbid ! " cried he hastily. " How canst thou imagine anything so dreadful of me ?" " Well, well, I did not mean it so badly. I know row where I am, and listen well. Thou thyself canst break the enchantment. Thou art called Weide- mann,i because thy ancestor was ranger to the knights of the Treseburg ; and dost thou not say thou hast never shed blood ? So a Weidem.ann is found, and it is clear why the White Stag has approached thee : he sees in thee his deliverer." The good Weidemann was speechless with astonish- ment, but doubted not the truth of Fischersche's words. " But the blood," he said meditatively — " the blood that I must give him both to eat and drink ; the blood that shall neither be of man nor beast — whence shall it come } " " That is thy affair," said Fischersche, dryly. " That belongs to thy department ; for if the blood must not belong to the animal, perhaps it might be found in the vegetable kingdom. Reflect upon it thyself" And Weidemann leaned his head on his hand in deep thought. Suddenly his face grew bright, he sprang up and almost fell on the neck of old Fischersche. " I have it ! I have it ! " he exclaimed joyfully. •" That is the Hypericon, or St. John's Wort. It drops ' Weidejiianit, or Waidemann, signifies sportsman — hunter^ ranger. 58 LEGENDS AND TALES OF blood on St. John's Eve and St. John's Day, and to- morrow will be St. John's Day, and the flower grows abundantly by my garden fence." Accordingly the next morning he cut a bunch of the St. John's Wort, in which at this time all wonder- power lies, and carried it to the White Stag on the Hagedorn. The stag sprang impetuously forward to meet him, and hardly had he eaten the plants, when the stag took the form of a stately youth, in knightly gold-embroidered doublet, streaming plume in his barret, and baldrick worked in gold and antlers. With beaming countenance and sparkling eyes he embraced the astonished Weidemann, and cried : " Have thanks, thou honest man; thou hast released me, and shalt not go unrewarded. My father, when I return home, will bestow a rich reward on the deliverer of his son. But tell me. I see there only ruins, where once a strong castle raised its towers. Who has destroyed it, and where is the radiant daughter of the Treseburg ? " " Ah, Herr ! " replied the herb-gatherer sadly, " so long as I can remember, and my parents and grand- parents, no castle has stood there, and neither knight nor maiden has dwelt in its broken walls. Dost thou, then, not know that long Centuries have passed since thy enchantment began ? " " Centuries } " cried the young noble in horror. " Yes, centuries ! " exclaimed a scorn-laughing voice, and the Waldfrau stood before them ; " that is thy punishment for thy criminal deed. Now go and THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 59 seek thy lordly family and thy beloved ; thou wilt find them mouldering in the vault of the dead. " Thou mayest find rest, now thy enchantment is broken. But thy punishment is not yet at an end. Every seven years, on this day, thou shalt take the form of my slain White Stag for a single day, and appear on this spot." With these words the Waldfrau vanished. The youth shuddered, and said, deeply sighing : " Is it so } Is my age so far in the past ? Then truly I have nothing more to find in life. Neither can I find treasures at home to reward thee, honest man. Thou must be contented with my baldrick, all that I can give thee, with God's blessing." And giving him the baldrick, he walked away and was seen no more. And sometimes still, on St. John's Day, the White Stag is seen on the Hagedorn, gazing with fixed eyes into the peaceful vale. FROM the windings of the Bode, a huge green- stone rock rises steep and rugged, partially overgrown with the Planta genista, or wild broom, and creeping plants, nearly its entire base being washed by the waves of the clear mountain stream. On its summit, half hidden by moss and wild thorns. 6o LEGENDS AND TALES OF are grey ruins of a castle, of which no trace of its history is left to us save its name — the Treseburg. At the foot of this massive rock, on the opposite bank of the Bode, stood, nearly two hundred years ago, a small cottage, in which dwelt a poor but good fisherman, who earned but a scanty subsistence from the fruits of his toil. At that time thousands of strangers did not, as now, visit the sublime rocky valley, to enjoy its wild and savage grandeur, and its trout and merlins, and the poor man, though naturally of a contented mind, often murmured at his poverty. Also the romantic situation of his cottage satisfied him no longer, and when he looked across the Bode to the mighty rock, and the ruins on its top, all sorts of foolish and ambitious thoughts crowded his mind. These reflections were all the more bitter since there was a tradition in the village that he himself was a descendant of the ancient Ritter who once ruled in the Treseburg. And in fancy he pictured the old Schloss in its former state, throned on the proud rock, with giant round tower, and arched entrance gates, and Gothic windows, the battlements covered with soldiers in steel harness, with sword and lance. Thus he frequently sat hours at a time by his nets, lost in dreams, ever glancing again across to the wild ruins, and wishing the long-vaniShed centuries back again. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 6i Once — it was a St. John's day — he saw a Grau- mannchen ' on the other side of the stream, who evidently wished to cross, but did not venture to wade through, since the waters had risen in the late thunder- storm, and there was at that time no bridge. Graumannchen seemed in great embarrassment ; this awakened the pity of the fislierman, and he called across that he would come and carry him over the water. He waded over and did as he had said. Graumannchen was much pleased at this kindness, thanked the fisherman in the warmest terms, and said, " Thou art a good, obliging man, and since thou hast fulfiled my wish, I could wish that thou also hadst a wish or two that I might grant." " Ah ! " said the fisherman, " every one has wishes. I have just one, but it cannot be realized." "Only one V said Graumannchen. "I would grant thee willingly two or three. But what might be thy wish ? " " My greatest wish," replied the fisherman, " is to be set back five hundred years, in order that, instead of that heap of ruins across there, the Treseburg might raise its proud battlements and tower." "Well," said Graumannchen, "that can easily happen," and bade him close his eyes for a minute. He did so, and on opening them again gazed around him in wonder, for there opposite on the dark rock ■ Little grey man. 62 LEGENDS AND TALES OF stood the Treseburg, that he had so often seen in ruins. Really and truly there it stood, with white walls, colossal round tower at the entrance, battlements shimmering in the sunlight, and squires glittering in steel, with sword and lance. The fisherman almost devoured the singular picture with his eyes, and in his admiration could not turn away his gaze, till Graumannchen put an end to his puzzlement with the question, " Thy wish is granted ; art thou satisfied ? " The fisherman hesitated, for it seemed to him at the moment as if he might add another wish. At the same time the immediate fulfilment of his wish ap- peared to have its shady sides, for the soldiers who stood on the walls of the castle grew noisy, and called down to him with abusive and threatening words, and commanded him at once to bring up all the fish and other articles of provision which he had, or his last hour was come. Some even, as if in joke, bent their cross-bows toward him, and one pointed iron bolt lodged in the trunk of a rotten tree close by him. Finally the fisherman replied, " Yes, the fulfilment of my wish is delightful, and the Treseburg is a right stately Schloss ; but I should like, as my ancestors once ruled there, to be transplanted into the position of my ancestor who lived there five hundred years ago, in exactly the same circumstances." " Very well," said Graumannchen ; " also this wish THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 63 can be granted," and bade him again to shut his eyes. When he opened them he found himself in a spacious hall, its stone walls adorned with armour and arms, and on a massive oak table lay also arms, partly broken, partly covered with fresh blood. From without, a wild deafening noise penetrated to the hall, mingled with loud shouting, sometimes a piercing cry of pain, and the clashing of arms. He lay himself, in steel armour, on a bench, but one arm was free from armour, and he felt a burning pain in it, and to his terror he observed a gaping wound, as from the blow of a sword, stretching from the shoulder to the elbow, and the warm blood trickled down. Just then a door opened, and an old squire entered and said, " I left you a moment to prepare an ointment for your wound, in order that you may yourself appear on the walls and defend the Schloss. The danger is great, Herr ! Listen ! They are storming again already, and our men are so weak from hunger and thirst, they can scarcely stand. '• I have obeyed your command, gestrenger Herr — your Lordship — and in case of the worst have buried the treasures in the small vault, three times seven paces from the tower westward, and three times seven paces from the entrance gates to the south. But hark ! The gates are burst in ! We are lost ! " And the old man hastened away. The transformed 64 LEGENDS AND TALES OF fisherman grew dizzy, and felt extremely uncom- fortable. But he had little time for reflection, for the tumult grew louder and came nearer. The door of the hall was broken in with heavy blows, and with loud shouts a troop of men, dripping with blood, rushed in and threw themselves in rage upon him, crying : " We have thee at last, thou foul knave ! thou who hast robbed and murdered so many. At last the hour of retribu- tion has come." And the leader cried : " Fasten a rope to the arch of the gates, give him an hour to say his prayers, but in the deepest' dungeon, and then hang him for a punishment and a warning." And strong arms seized him and threw him in the dungeon on damp straw. There he lay, and could not for some time collect his thoughts ; but when he came to his full senses a deep sorrow seized him to see what he had brought upon himself through his foolish wish. Now he must die as a criminal, separated from wife and children, who would never know what had become of him. " Ah ! " cried he in anguish. " Graumannchen ! Graumannchen ! why hast thou done this 1 If thou hast granted me, fool that I was, two wishes, so grant me the third — the only one I have — to return home," and hot tears rolled down his face. But when he had dried his eyes, and opened them again, he drew a long breath, for he lay on the banks THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 65 of the Bode beside his nets, which had filled with fish ; and of Schloss and Ritter was nothing to be seen — only the ruins as ever. Graumannchen stood by him, pressed his hand, and said with friendly smile : " Willst thou be henceforth contented, or hast thou still another wish ? " " Nein ! Nein I " cried the fisherman decidedly, " I have not a wish but to remain what I am my life long." Graumannchen took his departure with a smile, and the fisherman's dreams of castle and knight with him. For many years he related only to his wife what had happened, but as he grew old he told the history to his sons, that they might learn therefrom the same lesson as himself They laughed to themselves, and held the whole story for a dream, save one brother, who found some- thing very remarkable in it, and when he had a leisure hour he climbed the rock where the Treseburg had stood, observed the direction of the walls and the moat, and removed the moss, underbrush, and thorns. At last he seemed to have found what he sought. One clear moonlight night he mounted with hook and shovel to the ruins ; there, where once the tower had stood, he measured three times seven paces to the west from the tower, and the same distance from the gate southward. Then he began to dig and soon came to a vault. 6 66 LEGENDS AND TALES OF The following day the villagers who had gone to gather sticks found a vault broken in, and a half- rotten chest open, but empty, and on the ground around lay scattered gold and silver coins with an unknown stamp. ON the borders of the wood stand the ruins of the ancient Kloster Michaelstein, which we pass, and go up the valley, the brook acting as our guide. It conducts us first past a number of ponds, which forrnerly supplied the self-denying monks with carp for their fasts, and now swarm with speckled trout. Low willows adorn the banks, and bathe their locks in the waves, out of which a thick wood of slender reeds springs forth. Now the vale narrows, magnificent walls of rock rise, and picturesque waterfalls toss themselves down the stream. Suddenly the forest grows thin ; the vale divides itself in two arms, and in the dale to the right, we see, close by the red-roofed forage-house for game, grey rocks and ruins. We ascend this dale, and stand by the ruins of the old church Michaelstein, the mother of the later Kloster. Beneath the ruins extends a wide cave, which gave rise to the building of the church. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 67 This cave served centuries ago as the dwelling-place of a hermit named Volkmar, and still bears his name. Others of like mind joined themselves to Volkmar, and thus arose the brotherhood, and the forest church. One can now scarcely trace the site of the walls ; fruit-trees run wild, and lilacs mark the spot where once the Kloster garden lay, and besides, no trace of a human habitation where once good and holy men dwelt in the mountain solitude. This spot — this hermitage — was once a renowned shrine, and thousands flocked here to seek consola- tion, for in the cave was a grave where were said to rest the bones of the Virgin Mary. Let us enter the cave, which has two openings, one to the south-east, the other to the south-west ; it is of considerable height and breadth, resembling a sub- terranean chapel, formed of cross-arches, and provided with niches. Near the west entrance is the far-famed tomb of Mary. The small forest church could boast the protection of the great of the earth. Papal bulls gave indulgences for forty days to all who prayed at, and brought gifts ' to, the shrine. The Empress Matilda, the wife of Henry the Fowler, endowed it with lands, and Kaiser Otto loaded it with favours, so that an enlargement became necessary, and hence an hour's distance down the valley the larger and more magnificent Kloster was built. 68 LEGENDS AND TALES OF From the charter granted by Kaiser Otto, we learn that this cave was not first occupied by Volkmar ; but that a hermitess, Liutburga, dwelt in it long before. Romance has brought them together. Volkmar was a stately knight, and Liutburga the fairest of the maidens of the Harz, and they loved each other. In her heart lived only his image, and their souls were knit together. But the Kaiser challenged his knights to combat against the Wenden, who still clung to heathenism, and refused to recognize Christianity, or the authority of the Kaiser. Every true knight marched to the conflict, and Volkmar girded on his sword, and the scarf that Liutburga had woven for him, and bade farewell to his beloved. She stood on the battlements of her castle, and saw him ride away, and when she could see him no longer her sighs and tears burst forth. Before the image of the Virgin she knelt daily, and prayed for his return ; but her petitions seemed un- heeded, for troops of combatants returned from battle, but nowhere could she see the plumed helmet of Volkmar, and all were silent and sad at her question- ing. An inexpressible sorrow seized her, she clad herself in mourning garments, grew paler than the flower that droops before the mighty frost, and refused to be com- forted. She could no longer dwell among men, who THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 69 understood not her grief, and sought the solitude of the forest. One day in her solitary ramble she discovered this rocky cave, and here she resolved to retire, and spend the remainder of her days in contemplation and devotion. But her sorrow gnawed at her heart, and she sank to the earth like a drooping flower. The death-angel came, and kissed away her tears. But Volkmar was not fallen in battle, but had been only severely wounded and taken prisoner by the Wenden, and led away into their deep forests, and it was long before they gave him back his freedom. He fled on the wings of love to the castle of Liutburga, and hearing of her retirement he pene- trated the mountains to seek out the spot. At last he discovered the cave, and his heart was ready to burst with bliss. He called loudly her name, but no voice answered, only the echo of the mountains. He climbed the mountain, and reached the entrance to the cave. There lay Liutburga in the moss. " She sleeps ! " he thought. Yes, she slept. The cheeks were ashy pale, the eye broken, cold and still the lips ; she awoke no more at his call. The birds of the wood had sung her death-song, and the trees had showered their leaves and blossoms over the still form. 70 LEGENDS AND TALES OF Volkmar returned no more to the world, which had nothing to offer his broken heart. Where Liutburga had dwelt in her grief was now his home ; the crucifix before which she had knelt was his sanctuary, and henceforth he turned all his thoughts to God, and to the consolation of the sorrowing. That is the Liutburga of romance. The Liutburga of history ' is indeed a highly interesting and noble personality, if less poetic. Countess Gisela, of the Harzgau, whose seat was Blankenburg Schloss, after the death of her husband. Earl Unwan, built Kloster Wenthusen, and other convents and churches. Once on a journey she was overtaken by the dark- ness, and took refuge in a Kloster. Among the nuns who welcomed her, one, Liut- burga, won her affections, and on leaving, Gisela took her home with her. After Gisela's death, Liutburga, with the consent of Bishop Thiatgrin, of Halberstadt, retired to this cave somewhere between 827 and 840, in which Bernhard, son of Gisela, built her a cell and a chapel. She was renowned for sanctity and good works, and endowed with a superior mind. A priest of the cathedral of Halberstadt wrote her biography more than a thousand years ago. We return to the later Kloster Michaelstein, which is not so rich in poetic legends. ' See History of Blankenburg. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 71 Not even a ghostly monk haunts the ruins, nor wanders by moonlight in the venerable cloisters. But on the mountains that surround the dale the two monks, Hans and Henning, still hold guard. Once the Abbot, fearing the attack of an enemy, sent the unfortunate brothers out to watch, with the command not to return till the enemy approached. No enemy came, and the Abbot forgot to recall the monks. They watched conscientiously till they became stone pillars, and stand still there. The face of one, Hans, is of admirable beauty. There is a legend that once, when the enemy stormed the gates, St. Michael suddenly appeared over the entrance in a flame, with countenance of wrath and drawn sword, at sight of whom every man fled. THE Konigsburg stood on the right bank of the Bode, on a mountain not far from Bodfeld. Originally it belonged to the Saxon Kaisers. The Sausenburg was on the left bank of the Bode, about an hour's walk from Elbingerode. Of the latter nothing is now left save the hewings in the stone masses which formed its foundations. From the battlements of its tower the hunting castles Bodfeld and Konigsburg could be seen. 72 LEGENDS AND TALES OF In this romantic neighbourhood, in the thick fir forest, stand the crumbling tower and scraps of broken walls of the Konigsburg, overshadowed by the green veil of the wood, moss, ivy, and wild-flowers, and the mystic fascination of a time more than a thousand years ago. Desolate stand the ruins of the once imperial hunt- ing seat, the moat so thickly overgrown with the buck- thorn that no human foot would willingly attempt to tread it. A light sighing stirs in the foliage like a ghostly breath from the primeval days. Dost thou remember the time when we listened to the rustling and moaning of the fir-trees, like echoes of the voices of olden times ? In our dreams we saw the ancient Konigsburg in splendour, heard the forest ring with the noise of the hunt, saw the troop of huntsmen ride back to the castle, among them many a knight, earl, and prince, and foremost rode the Kaiser with his blushing daughter Reinhilde. How radiant was the royal maiden, her green veil floating on the breeze, her clear eyes gazing fearlessly around her, her sweet face smiling like a bright morning in spring. The Kaiser bends to her and whispers in her ear. Why do her blushing cheeks turn pale } What has caused the smile to vanish so suddenly from her face, and the tears to rush to her eyes 1 She turns in fear and looks upon her following train. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 73 "Why does a noble knightly countenance there also turn pale ? The Kaiser glances in surprise at his shrinking daughter. " Dear little Reinhilde, have I grieved thee ? Hast thou understood me ? Two princes beg the honour of thy hand." Reinhilde raises her eyes with firmness to his and replies : " Dear father, forgive, but I do not seek for crowns. Thou thyself hast not hidden from me how heavy is the crown. Thou hast often told me that only love makes happy ; and I have found a love deep and pure, and could shout for joy ; a heart, a knightly heart is mine. Oh ! do not tear this true and noble heart from mine." The Kaiser frowns and the anger-vein swells on his brow as he replies : " Dost thou dare to speak thus. to me, thou shameless girl .'' Who is the low knave, the insolent coxcomb, who has dared to raise his eyes to the Kaiser's daughter t My rage shall crush him ; ruin on his head who has robbed me of the joy of my old age — the heart of my daughter." All stand aghast at the Kaiser's wrath, all save one noble knight, who steps fearlessly forth from the circle, with head proudly raised, a youth of manly beauty, the blond locks falling- on his shoulders, the blue eyes blazing in just indignation, approaches the Kaiser, and cries, " Herr Kaiser, it was not a ' knave.' At the breach on the bloody field thou hast said, ' Brave 74 LEGENDS AND TALES OF Werner, thou art my bravest hero ! ' And thou hast chosen me as companion for thy kingly son. Oft hast thou said to me, ' For Werner's faithfulness where shall I find a worthy reward ?' Herr Kaiser, now thou hast the reward ; take back the word of scorn ; listen to the voice of love ; make two hearts happy." Gently Reinhilde clasps the father's hands ; but the anger-vein swells higher on the imperial brow. " Throw the traitor in the deepest dungeon in chains ! " he cries -, " and thou, whom I disown as daughter, get out of my sight ; let me never see thee again ! " The Kaiser sets spurs to his steed and rides to the Schloss, the attendants bring the unhappy knight to the dungeon, Reinhilde faints and sinks from her steed in the grass, and soon no sound is heard save the sighing in the firs. With heavy head resting on his arm, the Kaiser sits alone in the great hall of the Kbnigsburg. Suddenly he starts wildly to his feet ; was that a moan that fell upon his ear ? No, 'tis only the rattle of the hoarse weathercock. Hark ! surely that is a cry of anguish. He listens in agony. " No, no," the watcher cries from the tower. He hears the moaning of the tempest, and rain and hail- stones beat against the windows. In heartrending tones the Kaiser cries, " Reinhilde ! It was too hard and cruel ; a loving word had been better." THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 75 Quickly he calls his old servant. " Alter, i bring- me my little daughter." The servant trembles in terror, and tears burst forth. " What ails thee, Alter ? " cries the Kaiser. " Herr Kaiser, thou knowest thy little daughter is not here ! Thou hast disowned her." The Kaiser stares at him in horror, " Reinhilde not here ? Since when } " " Herr Kaiser, since yesterday. She has not re- turned to the Schloss ; her steed came back without its rider. We sent out messengers, but none have found her." The Kaiser turns pale. " And thou hast not told me till now ! Reinhilde, Reinhilde not here ? Merciful God ! Reinhilde, my child ! Lost in the forest in storm and tempest ! Up ; ring the alarm ! To horse ! to horse ! Let loose the hounds in the forest ; let the horns resound that my child may know the father calls. Bring me my steed, I will myself ride forth into the storm." And a thousand torches light up the forest, and the echo of a thousand voices rings far and wide. And the Kaiser's voice combats with the storm as he cries, " Reinhilde ! Reinhilde ! my little daughter ! " At length despair seizes the father's heart, he throws himself to the earth in wild agony, beats his brow and tears his hair, while a troop of attendants stand weep ing around him. ' Old man. 76 LEGENDS AND TALES OF With a sudden light in his face, he springs to his feet and exclaims, " Back to the Schloss ! There is one who will find Reinhilde, but that one pines in the dungeon. He has loved her like me. I know his love is true ; the God of love will be with him ; Jie will find my little daughter." And the Kaiser commands, ■" Let Werner be set free ! And when he finds Rein- hilde, she herself shall be his reward ; let her be his wife, and he my son ! " In the dark mountain cave, on the hard, cold ground, kneels the silver-haired hermit Volkmar, and without before the entrance, by the image of the Virgin, Rein- hilde, pale and trembling, is kneeling, in prayer. She vows to become the bride of heaven if the Kaiser does not relent. The good old man, when she came yesterday telling him all her sorrow, received her lovingly, and gave her a secure refuge in his peaceful retreat. " Stay here, my daughter," he said ; " hope and trust in God." Hark ! The horns are heard, and Volkmar rises hastily from his knees and cries, " Quick, in the cave, Reinhilde, that no one see thee ; the way leads close by the Virgin's shrine." The searchers come, and cry, " God greet thee Volkmar! Hast thou not seen the Kaiser's daughter?" And Volkmar replies, " I have only seen a bride of heaven, who is resting in the cave." They ride on, and Volkmar asks the trembling THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 77 Reinhilde, " Hast thou heard ? They are seeking- thee." " My father has disowned me. I stand alone. Only in the Kloster can I find a home." And now a single man approaches, stops by the entrance, throws himself on his knees before the shrine of the Virgin, and as Reinhilde hears the voice she trembles and turns pale, for the Kaiser it is who prays. She exclaims in anguish, " It is my father, but I do not answer, for he has disowned me his child. I stand in the world alone. Only in the Kloster can I find a home." The Kaiser rides forth with his train, and a knight comes on foot and alone, kneels before the shrine and prays, and at the sound of his voice Reinhilde's eye grows bright. His prayer ended his voice rings mightily through the forest as he cries in love and longing, " Reinhilde ! Reinhilde ! " And a silvery voice answers, "Who calls Reinhilde V The Kaiser, who is yet near, turns in joyful surprise in the direction of the voice. " Merciful Heaven ! " he cries, " hast thou heard our earnest petitions .? " See ! From the dark cave issues a light form, and a cry of joy resounds through the whole forest. And in a blissful embrace kneel before the Kaiser Werner and Reinhilde. 78 LEGENDS AND TALES OF ABOUT a Stundei from Treseburg, up the Bode, lies the picturesque foundry village Attenbrack, the spot where in the old days Schloss Schoneburg looked down from its high, steep mountain seat into the vale below. On three sides the mountain rises steep from the Bode, being scarcely approachable save from the south side; and in wild confusion lie scattered over the mountain sides shapeless heaps of fallen stones, the sole ruins of the once stately castle ; of walls and vaulted chambers no trace remains. From the south side the height is connected by a narrow tongue of land with the vast forests that cover the high table-lands of the Harz. Seldom is the spot trodden by the foot of man, except by some benighted traveller, some inquisitive student of history, and the passionate lover of wood and mountain solitude. More frequently resounds the tread of the hunter in this lonely spot, and of the herdsman, who pastures his cows in the beech forest. Once a herdsman stood, on St. John's Day, on the narrow path leading to the then not entirely fallen ' Stunde, speaking of distance in Germany, signifies the dis- tance a man can walk in an hour. It is about a German mile, which is equal to four and seven-tenths of an English mile. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 79 walls, and dreamed of the days of the past, of the Burg and its knights, dames, and maidens, and the treasures that were said to lie concealed under the ruins. The forest rustled mysteriously, mingled with the dreamy tinkling of the cow-bells. Suddenly it seemed to him he heard a tumbling noise and loud, merry laughter. This was wonderful, but what he saw was still more astounding. For, stealing forward and looking over the broken walls, he saw twelve knights in antique costume, who amused themselves with the game of skittles. The herdsman was not sure whether he was awake or dreaming. He rubbed his eyes, and looked be- wildered around him, but it could be no illusion, for there stood the oaks and beeches, every tree of which he knew, there grazed his herd to the music of their jingling bells, the dogs cowering watchfully near, and from the valley could be heard the rattle of the foundry. He saw it all clearly, for it was mid-day, and there within the mouldering walls the twelve knights played on, and he heard the rolling and bouncing of the balls. But he had not much time for observation, for the knights caught sight of him, and beckoned him to approach. He did so with trembling. They treated him gruiYly and severely, and com- 8o LEGENDS AND TALES OF manded him to set up the fallen pins, and he was obliged to yield. Perhaps an hour had passed in this employment, when lo ! no ball more rolled, and looking up to see the cause of the delay, the knights had vanished ! It was not a dream, for all the pins lay there before him ; but knowing that his neighbours in Attenbrack would hold him for a dreamer without proof, he decided to take the pins home with him. But they were so large and heavy, he could not carry them all, so he took only the king. All listened incredulously to his tale of the knights and old dress, and feared he was not quite right in his head. Then he drew forth from his pocket the pin, as proof; but it was so heavy he could not hold it, and it fell to the ground with a clear ring ; when, lifting it up, it was found to be pure gold. No one doubted longer, but all hastened to the ruins to get the other eight pins ; but they were all only of wood — of light Taxus wood. IN the midst of the bright landscape opposite Schloss Ballenstedt rise the two huge boulders called the Gegensteine, which mark the eastern ter- mination of the Devil's Wall. The taste and passion for the wonderful and mys- THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 8i terious are too strong in the human mind to permit of these majestic rocks being without their Sage. In the time long ago, when all this district was cpvered with dense forests, swamps, and morasses, where now ripen the golden corn, fruits, and every blessing that crowns the husbandman's toil, and wild beasts preyed on the around-lying mountains, evil spirits practised their devices in the Gegen- steine. In the distance one could see during the night, especially at midnight, now fiery balls, now flames of fire rising in the air, and could hear death cries, or the most delightful tones, which the evil spirits em- ployed to decoy unwary mortals to destruction. Many who ridiculed the idea of danger, paying no heed to friendly warnings, forced their way through thorns and thickets to behold the mystery, and re- turned no more. They were carried by demons through the air, and one heard their moanings of despair without the power to save them. Only he who was consecrated to God could approach the Gegensteine unharmed. One morning a farmer rode before sunrise from Ballenstedt to Quedlinburg, to offer prayers and obtain absolution in the convent church, only just founded by the Kaiserin Matilda — for in Ballenstedt there was neither church nor pater. Lost in devotional thoughts, hence without fear, he 7 82 LEGENDS AND TALES OF rode quietly along ; an irresistible languor seized him and he fell asleep. The nag, feeling no longer the hand guiding the reins, turned aside to seek for himself a fresh break- fast, stood still, and began to graze. The farmer awoke. He rubbed his eyes in amaze- ment, for he found himself in an unknown spot, in a dark thicket, without road or path ; all around him towered mighty rocks that almost shut him in. He heard the roaring of water outside, beneath him a raging din, and before him yawned an awful chasm. The farmer had never heard of such a wild and savage scene so near his place of residence, and fancied he had been transplanted through enchantment to some distant land. Anxiously he gazed around him, convinced himself he was not dreaming, for the .sun was shining upon the savage rocks, and his nag grazed unconcerned. The thought occurred to him he might be in the domains of wicked spirits, and a cold shudder ran over him ; but he lacked the courage to turn back, fearing some monster might follow him. He was indeed in a painful position, for it was out of the question that he should remain where he was. Meanwhile the terrible din and roar had ceased, all grew peaceful, the birds sang joyfully in the sunlight, and all notion of danger vanished from his mind. He gained confidence as he looked around him to mark the place, resolving the next day to bring his THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 83 wife and children to see it, and convince them that all the tales about the terrors of the Gegensteine were untrue. " But what may there be in the cave yonder ? " he thought. He would like to know, and now arose a struggle between curiosity and fear. " I will venture it ! " he cried, dismounted, tied his horse to a tree, and went with light steps, as if afraid some one might hear him, over the fallen rocks, and stretched his neck to look into the cave. " Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ! " he cried, clapping his hands together above his head ; " what do my eyes see .' " And what did they 1 In the middle of the pit, or cavern, a large brewer's copper, full of gold pieces, every one as large as the palm of the hand. Upon it rested a silver tray with a border of fiery carbuncles, and letters and figures in the centre formed of garnets. Beside the copper lay a new driving-whip, and on the other side lay a savage black bull-dog. The farmer stood with crossed arms for at least ten minutes, gazing at the immense treasures, thinking what was to be done to secure them without falling into the power of the savage guard — the dog. At last he exclaimed, " I will attempt it. I will not take much, but I must have the whip ! " * Encouraged, he walked into the cave, his eye always 84 LEGENDS AND TALES OF fixed on the dog, till at last he reached the copper ; the dog did not move ; he plunged both hands into the gold coins, filled his pockets, and with two leaps reached his horse, where he sank down overcome with terror and joy. Recovered, he emptied his pockets, counted the glittering coins, and dreamed thereby of a happy future. His horse neighed and pawed the ground im- patiently. " Patience, old nag ! " he cried ; " I must have that beautiful whip." And again he descended emboldened into the cave, seized the whip, and turned to go, when his eye fell again upon the tempting gold ; he could not resist the allurement, and plunged both hands twice into the copper. At the second handful the dog rose and ground his teeth in rage ; but Jacob had lost all fear, and cried, " Growl away ; but one must have all good things three times, and I shall take another handful." But as he did so the eyes of the dog shot fire, an awful groaning and noise, a raging storm, thunder, lightning, with cracking of the rocks, broke forth in fury. The earth trembled, the rocks fell upon each other, trees were rent into splinters, torrents burst from the rocks, and the heavens enveloped themselves in night and flames. The unlucky farmer never knew how he got out of the cave ; only, as he came to himself, he remembered THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 85 having seen the Gott-sei-bei-uns i in the midst of a terrible confusion and fire-rain in giant form, sur- rounded by a thousand imps, rise out of the pit, holding in one claw the copper with the gold, in the other the tray. Was he or had he been dreaming ? No, for had he not the whip in his hand ? But the tremendous weight in his pockets weighed him down. Rejoiced to think of his treasure, he dived into his pockets for the gold — and what did he find .'' For every piece of gold a pebble, as large again, and not one piece of gold ! He stared at the stones, crying and trembling with pain and distress. Still weeping, he mounted his horse, reached home, sank exhausted, laid himself down in his bed, from which he never rose ; and in a fortnight he lay in his grave. Since then the foul fiend has guarded his treasures in the Gegensteine, and in only one way can the en- chantment be broken and the treasure won. When a maiden, born on the ocean, pure as the dawn, comes here alone at the midnight hour of Halloween, kneels, and with raised hand calls her own name aloud three times, and then entreats the Most High to break the enchantment, and annihilate the I Gott-sei-bei-uns — " God be with us." A name given to the devil ; since when he appeared in disguise to deceive people, he is said to have used this hypocritical expression. 86 LEGENDS AND TALES OF monster in the rocks, they shall sink at her prayer, the treasures of gold and gems shall rise to the surface, become the maiden's possession, and the hobgoblin shall vanish for ever. THE Lady von Falkenstein was once summoned by the Berggeist ' to attend the Queen of the Gnomes in her extremity. He conducted her through long dark subterranean passages to her fairy Majesty ; and, after the birth of a son, the Queen presented her with three golden balls and three crystal goblets, with the warning to preserve them well, for the fate of the Asseburgs was closely connected with them. The three golden balls have been unhappily lost, and only two goblets remain. Two sons of the family, when visiting their widowed mother at Wallhausen, besought her to permit them to drink out of these mysterious goblets, which she imprudently allowed ; and as they struck their glasses together with a mervy prosit, one was shattered. Deep melancholy seized the youths, and during their drive home the wild horses plunged with the carriage into a deep abyss, where the youths were found broken in pieces. Since then the two remaining ghostly gifts have ' Berggeist — spirit of the mountains. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 87 been sacredly preserved — one, of green-yellow glass, in Hinneburg ; the other, of mountain crystal, in Falken- stein. BELOW Schoss Falkenstein, in the valley where the gentle Selke winds through her flower-strewn paths, the shepherd of the Graf von Falkenstein grazed his sheep on the dew-gathering meadows. It was the morning of St. John's Day, and every Harzer knows that St. John's Eve and St. John's Day are rich in miracles in these mountains, and unfold many a mysterious flower. Not only at this time is the St. John's wort gathered, which is said to bear a red dewdrop at midnight — hence called St. John's blood — and to be a sure remedy against every disease ; but also the Spring-wurzel, or caper-spurge, which bursts open gates, and even opens the earth and the rocks ; the magic wand — Wiin- schelruthe — -Aaron's rod — which points out the spot where buried treasures or the precious metals lie hidden ; and the Wiinderblume — marvel of Peru — which opens the eyes of him who is so fortunate as to find this wonder-flower, so that he sees sunken or en- chanted castles, and discovers untold riches in gold, diamonds, and rubies. Tidian found a tiny blue flower, attracted to it by its perfume and its beauty, which must have been one 88 LEGENDS AND TALES OF of these miracle-working plants, for no sooner had he stuck it in his hatband than a never-before-seen cave in the side of the mountain opened its splendours to his dazzled eyes. He entered it, his mind full of tales of buried trea- sures, filled his pockets with the glittering sand and stones, with the intention of offering them for sale to a jeweller in Aschersleben. They proved to be more valuable than he had hoped, and the jeweller begged him to sell to no one but himself. The fame of this gold speedily spread, and it hap- pened the Graf von Falkenstein himself visited the goldsmith, when by chance this gold was spoken of " Yes," said the jeweller, " it is indisputable that Tidian's gold is as good again as any other." " Tidian's gold ! " cried the Earl, surprised. " Why do you give it that name ? " " The man from whom I buy it is Tidian." Instantly it occurred to the Earl that his shepherd Tidian had lately grown rich, and he might be the seller. His avarice awoke ; he hastened home, and demanded to know the cause of Tidian's wealth. True of heart, the shepherd told him everything, showed him the concealed way to the cave, and in company they carried away much of the costly trea- sure ; till at last avarice awaked the fear in the mind of the Earl that Tidian might at some future time reveal the secret to some one else. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 89 This thought left him no peace. At length, to make himself secure of the entire wealth of the cave, he put out Tidian's eyes and shut him up in the castle dungeon. Then the Earl hurried alone to the cave ; he did not know that the flower which Tidian wore in his hat caused the cave to remain open. The unhappy shepherd tore the flower in pieces, stamped upon and cursed it and the cave, and wished it to close and never again to open until, among the descendants of the Earl, a lame, a dumb, and a blind Falkenstein had ruled. Immediately the cave shut with a thundering noise, and the greedy Earl wanders there yet, for the en- chantment is not yet broken. IN the valley of the Selke, that fair Undina of the Harz, near Alexisbad, rises the majestic rock Magdesprung ; and opposite, on the other bank of the river, the Magdetrappe, both of which are so famed in fable. In the latter rock one sees the impressions of giant feet, and Romance attempts to account for them. She is at least as competent to do so as anybody else. ' Magdesprung — maiden's leap. 2 Magdetrappe — maiden's footprint. 90 LEGENDS AND TALES OF A giant virgin of the grey primeval times saw from the Magdesprung her lover on a mountain on the opposite bank. Her ardent love draws her to him, but she cannot climb the steep rocks, nor swim the Selke, then a torrent. So she dares — for what will not love dare ? — to leap over the wide space that divides the two rocks, leaving the impress of her feet in the rock, since called the Magdetrappe. Another Sage has a totally different motive. A maiden of the Huns, a disciple of Diana, roaming fearlessly through the vale, hears from the Magde- sprung a cry of distress. She recognizes the voice that cries for aid, and her eagle eye perceives her friend being dragged away by two mountain robbers. Her blood boils, and in the anguish of her soul the brave Hun maiden leaps the abyss, falls like an avenging angel upon the villainous mountaineers, with two blows of her spear pierces them both to the heart, and conducts her friend and favourite — for she is said to have been a Hun Queen — home to her parents. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 91 THE Ritter Knaught had a lovely little daughter, whose chief pleasure was to gather wild-flowers ; for this purpose she went often with her nurse into the forest. But one day her nurse lost sight of her, and not being able to find her, hastened in great terror tO' the castle to give the alarm. The Ritter summons all his retainers with the horn, and they storm through .the forest whole nights and days, but of the lost child no trace. At last one day, as the father gazes from the battle- ments of the castle, he sees people approaching bearing the Maien,2 hears their shouts of joy, and in their midst beholds his lost Rosamund, decked as Queen of the May ! A coaler had met the child wandering through the wood, took her at first for an angel, and in his hut the retainers had found her. The happy father bestowed gifts lavishly, and in- stituted an annual Volksfest, and called his castle Questenberg. To this day a popular festival is held here, but whether connected with this tradition is uncertain. ' Questen — wreaths or garlands of flowers. ' Maien — green branches of the birch used to deck the May- pole, and in Thuringia and other parts of Germany the churches at Pentecost. 92 LEGENDS AND TALES OF The youths of Agnesdorf have the right, by an ancient statute, of digging up a young oak on the Questenberg ; ' the tree must be ca^n-ied, and after it is planted is decorated with wreaths of flowers. They then go in procession to the parsonage, con- duct the pastor to the church, when Divine service is held ; after which all return in procession to the newly-planted oak, and after all have partaken of re- freshments they dance around it, and the youths shoot at the target. ON this mountain that overlooks the Golden Plain, amid the beech and oak woods that clothe it, stand the ruins of a square tower built of red sand- stone, broken walls, and arches of the ancient gate- way, gables, and the remains of the chapel of the fortress, where the first Electors and Emperors of Germany held their court. Tradition and romance linger with an irresistible fascination around these lonely ruins. Tradition tells us that Barbarossa never died, but remains enchanted in the heart of the Kyffhauser. He sits in an ivory chair by a marble table, his head resting upon his arm, and his long red beard has overgrown the whole table like moss. He wears the ' The custom of digging up the young oak is now limited to ■once every fifteen years. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 93 imperial mantle, and the knightly forms of his old courtiers, like spectres, come forth from their rocky chambers and place upon his aged uncovered head the oldest crown of Germany glittering with diamonds. His innocent daughter is his only attendant, or, accor- ing to other legends, a dwarf. The Kaiser's eyes are closed, but at times he seems to awake from his enchanted slumber, and new life seems to animate the stiffened limbs. But he cannot awake, nor rise from his seat, nor leave the enchanted chamber until Germany's enemies are fallen and she is free. He seemed about to throw off the enchanted fetters in the days of Maximilian, again in Luther's time. At the time of the Rhine Treaty, and when the first Napoleon won the brilliant victories of Ulm, Auster- litz, and Jena, the eyes of the old Redbeard sparkled with anger and grief, and at his cry of rage, lightnings flashed through the dark chambers of the Kyffhauser, thunders rolled through its rocky caverns, and Bar- barossa slumbered again till the great victory of the Allies in the " Battle of the Nations "• awaked him, and at the death of Napoleon on St. Helena he broke the enchantment, and Napoleon sits in his place. There are many versions of this legend. One holy day, a miner rambling to the Kyffhauser, to rest under the trees and indulge in devotional re- flections, saw, as he reached the ruined tower, a monk ' Vdlkerschlachi—haXtlt of Leipzig. 94 LEGENDS AND TALES OF with a long grey beard, who addressed him, saying, " Come ! I have long expected thee ; thou shalt see the enchanted Kaiser. Graumannel has brought me the Springwiirzel,^ and I must have a mortal to accom- pany me ; no evil shall befall thee." The monk leads him to a green spot surrounded with walls, forms with the staff which he carries a circle around him and his companion, takes from his pocket a gold-coloured velvet book, and begins to murmur and read, no word of which the miner under- stands. Suddenly there is a terrible clap of thunder. The mountain cracks, the circle on which they stand be- comes loose, and sinks slowly into the mountain ; the miner, in terror, clings to the cowl of the monk. At last they reach firm ground. Now they go through a long dark passage to great brass gates. The monk touches them with the Spring- wursel, and immediately they open. They enter an aisle, lighted by a brilliant lamp, and again stand before a door. The monk cries, " Hephata ! " and the door opens. They enter a large, brilliantly lighted, magnificent chapel ; the walls are of marble ; the altar is of beaten gold, and its eternal lamp bathes all in a wondrous light. The miner cannot gaze enough at the marvellous sight, crosses and recrosses himself; the monk kneels ' See Tidian's Cave. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 95 at the golden altar and says an Ave Maria. Then he rises, commands his companion to remain standing in the middle of the chapel, and approaches the door op- posite the one by which they had entered. At his mighty word this door opens also. The imperial chamber, or throne-room, is brilliantly lighted ; on the glittering golden throne, in imperial robes, sits Barbarossa, sad and silent. The monk approaches the enchanted sovereign and bows reverently. The Kaiser returns the greeting graciously, and the monk lifts with great solemnity some object from the ground, again bows low before the monarch, and re- tires slowly to the door, seizes the hand of the aston- ished miner, who has gazed as in a dream at the splendour of the enchanted chamber, leads him to the green circle, which begins at once to rise, and soon reaches the summit of the mountain. The miner draws a long breath, receives two small metal rods from the monk, who exclaims, " Gelobt set Jesus Christ!" and before the bewildered man can respond, " In Eivigkeit ! " the mysterious monk has vanished. 96 LEGENDS AND TALES OF ONE Sunday morning early, a poor linen weaver was walking to Osterode. Aurora showed her gaily laughing and blushing face above the green mountains, a balsamic freshness floated over the valleys and streams, the peaks of the woody heights swam in the blue ether, and the dew- bathed mountain flowers sparkled in the sun's golden splendour. The songs of the birds rang out of the thickets, and soft chimes rose from the villages sum- moning to worship and praise — a mild, blissful peace hovered over the entire scene. It was long before the wanderer noticed these sur- rounding beauties of the morning, for a heavy sorrow lay at his heart. A beloved wife lay at home ill, six hungry children waited with her anxiously for his re- turn, and he must return with empty hands. His rich cousin, from whom he had hoped for assist- ance, had repulsed him with cruel words, and now his future lay dark and hopeless before him. But as the sun rose higher, as all Nature bloomed and sent forth her frankincense of praise, and the streams murmured of peace, he grew more composed. " How glorious ! how wonderful ! " he thought, as he stood still and gazed around him; "and what a mystery it is that only man is so often shut out from ' Burgfrditlein — castle fairy. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 97 the universal enjoyment of creation. Why should he be crushed to the earth, and provide in sorrow and pain for his bodily sustenance, while the birds sing and the flowers bloom free from care ? Doth He not clothe the lilies, and give the rose and violet their per- fume and exquisite hues ? Can the Eternal Father care less for an immortal soul ? No, no, never ! " He began again to move forward, singing that noblest hymn in the German language, which has been so perfectly translated by John Wesley, begin- ning— " Befiehl Dti Deine Wcger ' When he came to the lines — " Auf ! aiif! Gib Deinem Schmerze Und Sorgen gute Nacht. Lass fahren, was das Herze Betriibt tind traicrig macht ! " — he quickened his pace with a firmer treiad and lighter heart. Perhaps he would have sung on to the end of the hymn, had not a voice, clear as a silver bell, greeted him with " Guten Morgen ! " The singer looked in the direction of the voice, and stood like one transfixed at the sight of the vision before him. On the banks of the brook which flowed past his ■ " Commit thou all thy ways." 98 LEGENDS AND TALES OF path sat a lovely maiden clad in white, and bathed her marble-white feet in the crystal water. Before he could recover from his astonishment, the figure rose and approached him, saying in a voice of the most delicious melody — " Thou sangst just now a beautiful song, that was made for the troubled. May help be as near every one who sings it as to thee ; for know, thou art come at a most happy hour. It is only permitted me once a year to be at this spot ; and whoever meets me here and deserves it as thou, him I make happy — if wealth can make him happy. Listen, then : when the bells ring midnight, leave thy cottage, and climb the moun- tain in silence to the ruins of Burg Osterode. Between the sunken walls thou wilt find a flower; pluck it, and instantly all the treasures of the heart of the mountain will be revealed to thine eye, from which thou mayst Jake as much as thou wilt. Go now thy way, and carry comfort and hope to thy wife. My time is expired." The slender form, the pale, loving face, transparent as moonlight, the long golden hair, were in a twinkling vanished. Wonderfully cheered, the weaver hastened home and related his vision to his suffering wife and little children, and they waited with impatience for the appointed hour. At last the leaden-footed hours had passed — it was midnight. The weaver kissed his wife and hastened forth. It THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 99 was a glorious night. The full moon shone, the quail sang her nightly song. The picturesque ruin con- trasted wonderfully in its dark grey masses with the cloudless blue of the heavens and the silver moonlight. A peculiar light shone out of an arched chamber ; he followed it, and there sat the pale maiden, adorned with a wreath of white roses in her hair. She raised her jasper-blue eyes, looked kindly on him, and beckoned him to approach and gather the shining flower. The weaver obeyed and tremblingly plucked the lily. Hardly had he the flower in his hand when a fear- ful, rumbling sound arose in the heart of the mountain, the ground close to his feet sank crashing into the depths, and a huge cauldron rose in flame, filled to the brim with glittering gold pieces. The maiden bade him take what he would, for he was so overcome with astonishment and terror that he could not move. At her friendly voice he recovered from his fear, filled pockets and hat with the coins, bowed low and reverently, left the magic chamber, and hurried back to his cottage — and the sun rose on two happy people. Every anniversary of the day they went to the ruins to thank the fairy, who, however, ever afterward remained invisible. loo LEGENDS AND TALES OF AT midnight, when the moonlight rests on the rustling oaks, or the winter snow glitters and winds howl, there rises a white form from the ruins of this robber Schloss, a wreath of flowers around the head, and in the girdle a bunch of keys. Centuries ago a convent stood near, and a monk be- longing to it, longing to possess some of the treasures of the underworld, was once bold enough, as the bells rang midnight, to climb to the spot where the fairy dwelt. He used the formula employed to open the gates of the spirit-world, and instantly, white as a swan, rose the virgin beautiful to behold. " What dost thou desire } " she asked. The monk approached her too boldly, begging for the jewels of the depths, and she gave him such a blow with her keys that he fled .in terror, and never dared to visit the place again. Soon after, as a shepherd was feeding his sheep on a meadow near, a blooming, quiet maiden came and gathered flowers, which she bound in a garland ; ap- proaching him, and looking kindly at him, she let a flower fall. He picked it up and put it in his hat- band. The maiden departed smiling, but beckoned him to follow her. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. lor Soon they reached the summit of the Giintersburg. They entered a subterranean passage, a door opened, and the youth beheld the wonders of the fairy-world. Gold and precious stones glittered in the soft star- light that illuminated the vaulted chambers. " Take what thou wilt," said the fairy ; " but choose wisely." He filled his pockets with gold and costly jewels, but in his rapid movements the flower fell from his hat. He looked around seeking the door and rushed out, hearing only the words, " Forget not the most beautiful treasure," and never stopped till he had reached the meadow and his sheep. He emptied his pockets of the precious treasures, when lo ! they were worthless stones. THE summit of the Ramberg, or Victor's Hohe, is strewed with gigantic ruins of the primeval rocks, and is called the Brocken of the Unterharz. Two huge granite boulders, lying as if they had been placed there by hands, are the remains of the Teufelsmtihle. At the base of the mountain, in the ages long ago, a miller possessed a windmill. But the mill, an inheritance from his great-great- grandfather, was in a tumble-down condition, and when the wind blew from the north or west the sweeps stood I02 LEGENDS AND TALES OF motionless, for mountain and forest intercepted the " breath of God." Often the miller had sat on the summit of the mountain, and thought how nice it would be if the mill only stood there in the free, full breeze, with a strong- tower, built from the materials that lay scattered around in superfluous abundance. Once, as he thus sat and mused in the twilight, the bats and owls just beginning their nocturnal rounds, a huge, swarthy labourer suddenly appeared before him, greeted him with a Gott-sei-bei-uns ! and told him he would build him a mill, so soon as the miller signed a promise with blood to be his in thirty years. Want, avarice, and vanity won the day with their unholy counsel, and the bond was signed. Suddenly scores of little black figures issued forth from the darkness of the night, and began to work among the rocks ; trees were cut down with a stroke, chisel and hammer rang on the granite, and the work went forward with a rapidity of enchantment. The fear of the miller rose to despair, and as he saw the roof and the huge sweeps set up and finished, and the last millstone rolled to its place, he seized it with the power of a deadly terror, threw it from the rollers with such force, that it rolled down the mountain. Then the black wings of the arch-fiend unfolded and spread themselves, he soared high in the air, let fall the millstone on the miller, who was buried beneath it and the ruins of the mill, broken to atoms. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 103 ®Jje (Dtriain x>f tlje glamnteiaberfl Inline, xxtax THE rich treasures of the Rammelsberg were discovered in 970, according to tradition, by accident. Otto the Great hunted in the forest. His squire Ramm dismounted, tied his horse to a tree, and went after some game that had been shot. The impatient animal pawed and stamped, and his rider returning, found a glittering piece of silver ore laid bare. Another story is, that the discovery was made by a servant girl in the mill at the base of the mountain. She rose one morning before daybreak, and went out to gather wood, when she saw a fire burning on the mountain. She hurried to the spot, and found several men with white beards sitting around it. Approaching them, she asked permission to take some of the burning coals to kindle her fire. They gave no answer, but sat motionless and gazed upon the ground. At last she took some coals, saying to herself, " No answer means yes," carried them home and laid them on the hearth, but they would not burn. This she repeated several times, but the coals, once thrown on the hearth refused to burn. At last it became broad day, and a great heap of gold lay on the hearth, and on the spot where she had 104 LEGENDS AND TALES OF seen the fire, lay only pebbles. Search was made, and the wealth of the mountain discovered. ■ A similar tradition, with slight variations, is told of the Burgmiilile, or castle mill, near Aschersleben, on the Wolfsberg. The tradition is quite as probable that Askanas, grandson of Noah, died on the Wolfsberg in 1964 after the Creation, having left the East a few centuries previously to escape idolatry. MANY and mighty tribes, as the Wenden, Katten, and Sassen, once dwelt in the Harz. Bloody battles have been fought for the possession of this district, whose dense forests and impassable valleys afforded not only defence, but the pleasures of the chase. We find proofs of their existence here in huge mounds filled with human skulls and bones, and in the names of some of her villages, as, for example, Dorf Kattenstedt. These primeval mountaineers were most disturbed by a wild and powerful monastic tribe of giant size and strength, who frequently broke into the mountains, plundered their huts, murdered children, women, and old men, and led away the strong men into slavery. Sometimes they only came in small numbers, but the terror of their name went before them, and caused THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 105 the inhabitants, despite their peculiar bravery, without opposition, to flee into the ravines and caves, while the enemy took possession of all they could lay hands on. One called these giant people the Huns. No other race possessed such immense size and terrible strength. They were held to be unconquerable, and mighty magicians. Nevertheless, it happened that once when a body of these giants broke into these mountains, the bravest of the inhabitants united in defence against them ; clad in steel, with shield and spear, they marched to meet the advancing foe. The Huns, surprised at opposition, and the sight of the huge weapons of the mountaineers, hesitated to begin the attack. Then the king of the Huns came forward and cried in scorn, " Do you fear these dwarf figures ? Tarry here ; I alone will fight their whole army, which extends itself beyond our view. As the storm-wind breaks in pieces the trees of the mountains, so shall these fall before my strong arm." He seized his lance and battle-axe, hurled his javelin into the thickest ranks of the enemy, his arrow to that point where their leader stood, and stormed after them down the hill like a rock suddenly broken from the mountain's side, crushing and destroying all on his way, defending himself against the cloud of arrows that met his advance with his huge shield. His followers remained on the summit of the hill, io6 LEGENDS AND TALES OF and followed with flashing eyes their hero king, that they might be ready to hasten to his aid if in danger. The crashing of his sword, as it rent helmet of oak and coat of mail resounded above the wild cry of the combatants and the clashing of shields. Unceasing was his way through the ranks, and dying and maimed marked his path. At last he reached the spot where the commander stood sur- rounded by his braves, and here his progress was arrested. Stubborn is the conflict, surrounded and shut in, his position seems terrible, and the onlooking Huns cry out, " Shall we hasten to his aid ? " And others answer, " No, no, he would be enraged if we deprived him of the glory of being the sole conqueror. But see ! see ! the enemy grows weak ; now he totters, our king wields more quickly more mightily his arm ! They sink ! They fly ! Victory ! Victory ! Great is the glory of our tribe, and of our mighty champion." They raise the song of triumph and march to meet the royal conqueror, who leans upon his spear, and looks upon his advancing army without going forward to receive it. He gives them a sign ; they raise his helmet and loosen the coat of mail ; and the hero sinks lifeless on his bloody shield. Strong and deep is the sorrow of his people, and loud are the lamentations of woe. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 107 At length one of the elders of the tribe exclaims, " Why do we lament the fallen ? Is not death the destiny of all, and is there a more glorious death than that of the conqueror in the hour of victory ? Let us make a grave for our king on the field of his victory, a grave that shall not only receive his ashes, but pro- claim his victory to the most distant centuries." And they did so. They made a funeral pile, and laid the victor, borne upon his shield, upon it, and the Huns formed a circle around the burning wood and sang the death-song, led by the bards. " The people shall see their king no more. And the halls of his palace must remain for ever desolate. Never again shall the people hear his voice, but in their hearts he shall dwell for ever." The flames grow less, the death-song ceases. In silence they gather the ashes in the sacred urn, lay the shield on the ground, the urn upon it, and his armour above it. Many lay upon the sacred heap what is held most dear, hunting spear or battle-axe. And now the whole tribe sets hand to the work. " We will build," they said, " a grave which neither man can destroy nor storms and tempests wash away." And they heaped rock on rock, and levelled whole hills to the plain to pile up the giant grave to a giant king, and called it the Hero's Grave. And that is the Sargberg, or Coffin mountain. io8 LEGENDS AND TALES OF THE Blankenburg family ghost is called the White Lady. A portrait bearing this name hangs in the castle, said to be a likeness of a Countess of Orlamiinde. The legend is as follows : The Earl Otto von Orlamiinde died in 1340 — several dates are given — and left a young and beauti- ful widow, Agnes by nlme, a duchess by birth, and the mother of two little children, a son of three, and a daughter of two years. The widow lived alone in the Plassenburg, and thought often it were better to marry again. One day a remark of the Earl, Albert the Hand- some von Nurnberg was repeated to her : " I would willingly espouse the fair Countess Agnes, but for the four eyes." The Countess fancied he meant her two children. Seeing they stood in the way of her marriage, she re- solved to free herself of them, and engaged a man named Hager, with promises of rich gifts, to murder them. The murderer is said to have confessed his crime on the rack. According to another tale, the Countess murdered them herself by sticking pins in their skulls. Her guilty spirit cannot rest, but wanders in Orla- THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. 109 miinde and Blankenburg. Her appearance always betokens death in the family. Frau Berta is also called the White Lady. She haunts the imperial royal palaces, and also Darmstadt and Carlsruhe. As family ghost she harms no one, greets every one she meets, never speaks, and always wears a white veil and carries a bunch of keys in her girdle. IT was a stormy, dismal winter night, when a teamster drove with a heavy load of wine along the almost impassable road near the little mountain church of Elend, at the foot of the Brocken. The disc of the moon blinked only seldom through the dark clouds, which, restless, and ever succeeded by new ones, chased each other across the heavens. A sharp north wind shook the bare branches of the trees that grew thick on both sides of the way, blew the snow in the ravines, and heaped it to huge snow-drifts, which threatened the traveller unacquainted with the locality with danger. The wind grew every moment more sharp and cut- ting, the snow deeper, and the difficulty greater for the tired horses to draw their weary load. Often the teamster stood and listened, and gazed into the darkness in search of some shelter, and called for help, and heard the echoes of his own voice ring deep no LEGENDS AND TALES OF in the snowy wood, but all remained desolate, dumb, and awful. No bark of a dog that so rejoices the nightly wanderer, no lowing or neighing of friendly stall. The silence of death reigned ; only now and then the dark wings of some nocturnal bird of prey fluttered over his head, and a ghostly rustling was heard among the dry underbrush ; the stars seemed like silent, cold eyes looking down on the weary man and horses, the clouds scudded silently past, and the snow, too, was silent as a spirit. The lonely traveller grew more terrified, and urging on his horses, the waggon suddenly sank in a deep place, and no efforts of the tired animals could move it from the spot. Loud cried the deserted man for help. No one heard. In despair he wrung his hands and besought the Virgin to aid him in his distress. Suddenly he heard a rustling in the thicket, and a female form, like the silver moon when she appears above the peaks of the mountains, glided out of the darkness into view, slender as the fir-tree of the Harz, rosy as the early dawn, fresh as meadow-dew, beautiful as eternal youth. A lustre like a sunset in spring, or an Alpine glow on the eternal snow, floated around the heavenly form, and breathed on the rigid snow masses a soft glimmer like a fairy light. Terrified, the teamster gazed at the radiant Virgin, who with an enchanting, heavenly smile approached THE HARZ MOUNTAINS. iii the sunken waggon, and with a single touch drew waggon and horses out of the deep place. Surprised by the mysterious vision, and cheered by the unexpected aid, the teamster endeavoured to thank his helper and deliverer, and expreseed his regret that he had neither cup nor goblet in which to offer her a draught of wine. At these words the strange apparition touched a shrub that stretched forth its dried, thorny branches, when instantly leaves and buds burst forth, and soon the whole shrub was loaded with most beautiful roses, that breathed forth a wondrous and unwonted perfume. The Virgin Mary, for it was she herself, broke off clusters of the roses and formed a drinking-cup, and as the teamster would return it filled with wine, the vision had vanished. Meanwhile the horses had gone on with the waggon, which they now drew with perfect ease, but stood still before the chapel of Elend, and could not be brought from the spot. The teamster entered with reverence the oratorium, to thank the Almighty for his deliverance, when lo ! he recognized in the figure of the Virgin his deliverer, and placed the rose drinking-cup as a costly relic before her shrine. With amazing rapidity the fame of the miracle of the Church of Roses spread over Germany, and it became one of the most frequented and sacred shrines. 112 LEGENDS AND TALES OF The original of the rose-cup was sent to Rome ; but first an exact copy of it was made in clay and pre- served in Elend. The most wonderful miracles continued to be per- formed ; the devotees swarmed to the mountain church, so that it was enlarged, and seven doors were cut in its walls. princess* ^l«e. THE beautiful Princess Use, daughter of King Using of Schloss Ilsenburg, having ridden to the chase with her royal father, and her lover the Ritter Ralf, lost her vvay on the wild mountains, and came at nightfall to the gates of the fairy world, over which the Fairy Queen of the mountains rules. The Queen met her with kindness, and invited her to enter her gorgeous crystal palace. Hesitating and with fear she followed the powerful sovereign ; gnomes and cobolds attended everywhere with homage. Beautiful Use tarried a whole year in the richly adorned subterranean world, witnessed the mysterious government, policy, and life of the. fairies, the creations and destructions by the king of the giants, the hostile relations of the Fairy Queen to the Giant King, the unhappy loves of her children Rumar and Romar, and what she could not understand the amiable Queen explained to her, and introduced her fully to the fairy world. THE HARZ MO UNTA INS. 1 1 3 But all the splendour and glory of this fairy realm could not still Use's longing for her beloved Ralf, and the light of the upper world. She demanded her return, which her fairy Majesty granted, but threatened her with destruction, should she ever reveal to mortal what she had seen. Princess Use returned to the friendly light of day and rejoiced in the fidelity of her lover. But he threatened her with the loss of his love if she did not tell him where she had been so long a time, and what she had seen. The two lovers seated themselves on the soft moss. Use laid her lovely head upon Ralf's breast, and gazed up into his face with her wonderful and faithful eyes ; Ralf laid his hand upon her shoulder, and beautiful Use began her tale. With caresses she betrayed the secrets entrusted to her, and described the magnificence of the Fairy Queen. The new moon rose and the stars appeared one after another in the dark-blue heavens ; fair Use chatted on, related the legends of the Harz — of the giants and dwarfs. Ralf listened at first in silent astonishment, and hung enraptured on the tales from her beautiful lips, then he began to dream and fancy, and at last fell asleep. In the grey of the morning, as he awoke, he heard still the murmuring tones of the Princess, and as he 9 114 LEGENDS AND TALES OF turned to salute the princely maiden, he saw, instead of Use, a crystal-clear bubbling spring illuminated with the dawn. The water sprang gaily out of the soft moss, and murmured ever in a thousand leaps and tiny water- falls over the moss-grown rocks adown the vale. Deepest despair seized Ralf s spirit ; he knew now what he had done, and what had become of Use through her betrayed secret, a clear pure stream doomed for ever to ripple and murmur through the mountains. Ralf built a cottage near the spring, and when the new moon rose Use awaited him by the mossy bank, leaned her head caressingly on his breast, and he heard her sweet prattle till the blushing dawn spread her radiance over the silver ripplets, and then the fairy virgin vanished in the blue air. PRINCESS ILSE, says another legend, in order to escape the general deluge, fled with her lover to the Brocken. But before they had reached that witch- haunted mountain, and just when standing on the rocky wall connecting the Ilsenstein with the Wester- berg, the rock on which they stood was rent asunder in order to separate the lovers, whereupon they both leaped together into the floods. THE HARZ MO UNTAINS. 1 1 5 THIS lordly cliff and the Westerberg were once connected, it is said, by a granite wall, which was rent asunder by flood and storm from the Brocken ; and according to one legend, Princess Use issues from the rock at dawn, when the weather is mild, robed in white satin, her long golden hair floating around her like a veil, a diadem of mountain crystal adorning her regal brow, lays aside her costly array, bathes in the crystal stream, and combs her golden hair. Whoever is so happy as to meet her at the right moment, she calls with friendly voice, takes him by the hand and leads him before the Ilsenstein, which at her command opens, when she conducts him to her palace in the heart of the mighty rock. There the most unheard-of splendour rivets his as- tonished gaze ; the floors, walls, and ceilings glitter with gold, silver, and precious stones ; the lofty arches are supported by columns of mountain crystal ; while carbuncles illuminate the vast chambers with a soft light. In the most magnificent of these chambers will the happy mortal find the most delightful entertainment; and when a youth, pure, and free from all guilt, bathes in the Use at the same time as the Princess, she will be free from the enchantment. Whoever approaches her with impure heart, she ii6 LEGENDS AND TALES OF sprinkles with water, and instantly he turns into a fir tree. " Es steheii der Tannen gar viele In ihres Bades Ndh, Es hat sie alle verzaubert Die ketesche Wasserfee ! " " And many a fir tree's deepest shade Falls o'er the crystal stream ; Enchanted by the pure mermaid, Their fate to moan they seem." 31 ^veatn xtnTdev $trince»» glee's