Here are five creatures that Austrian myth and legend suggest you could meet on your next hike.
Salige
What: Helpful spirits in human female form
Where: Tyrol and Carinthia
Let’s begin with a fairly benign being.
According to Tyrolean and Carinthian legend (as well as in neighbouring Italy), the Salige are helpful spirits who appear as maidens in white.
Making their home along the banks of the River Drau, the Salige are said to help communities experiencing hard times or direct lost travellers home.
#FolkloreThursday: The #Saligen Women, also called Salk Women, Sala Women, Wild or White Women are figures of the world of legends, mainly from the Alpine region.
— 1.Neu-Kelte ???? @NeuKelte@hear-me.social (@NeuKelte) March 23, 2023
The Salige Women are described as shy but helpful and wise. pic.twitter.com/syyYRyvBrj
Artistic depictions of these helpful spirits—particularly since the beginning of the 19th century—have depicted them as naked or near-naked in diaphanous flowing gowns.
Some depictions have also showcased their supposed ability to transform into other creatures, particularly white doves.
The Salige tradition is very old, perhaps dating back to the Bronze Age or earlier when reverence for mountain spirits constituted the religious tradition of tribal groups throughout the area.
Sennentuntschi
What: Animated straw dolls hellbent on revenge
Where: Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Carinthia
The next creature on the list is a slightly more malicious entity.
Myths across southern Austria's mountain regions tell of lonely shepherds who created a straw doll for, shall we say, ‘entertainment’ during their long summer sojourns.
Inevitably, as these legends go, the straw doll comes to life as a Sennentuntschi, an entity that punishes the shepherds for their sins. This often happens in a quite spectacularly gruesome fashion, such as taking their skin.
Sennentuntschi #hexerei pic.twitter.com/ju4aI33r3r
— mina mond (@minamond_art) January 29, 2023
In fact, a recent horror film set in neighbouring Switzerland told a variation of the legend to box office success.
The idea of a doll seeking revenge for supposed sexual sins has deep roots in mediaeval Catholic morality, with a healthy dose of earlier pagan tradition, in which idols figured prominently.
Lindwurm
What: A really big dragon
Where: Carinthia - Klagenfurt, specifically
The legend of the Lindwurm is big business in the Carinthian capital. In the centre of town, you’ll find the Lindwurmbrunnen, which supposedly marks the site where a mighty dragon was brought down.
While there are many variations to the story, most tell that sometime in the far, far distant past, the dragon terrorised the shores of the Wörthersee, stealing cattle and terrorising the townsfolk.
Eventually, a bull on a chain was used to bait the monster, and a vicious battle ensued, ending in the dragon's death. Depending on who you believe, St George was even involved in the fracas.
The head of the 16th century lindworm statue at Lindwurm Fountain in Klagenfurt is modeled on the skull of a woolly rhinoceros found in a nearby quarry in 1335. It has been cited as the earliest reconstruction of an extinct animal. pic.twitter.com/ByhPo9Ytgp
— Vikingverse (@vikingverse) July 9, 2020
While this is a common legend across much of central Europe, the discovery of a woolly rhinoceros skull in a nearby quarry in the 14th century captured the local imagination.
The people of Klagenfurt interpreted this as the dragon’s skull and pointed to it as proof, attracting attention - and visitors - to the city.
By the 16th century, when the fountain was built, the lindworm was an essential part of the city’s identity, even featuring on its coat of arms.
While Klagenfurt is reportedly completely dragon-free these days, we’ll nevertheless suggest that you keep an eye out for hiking around the Wörthersee.
Habergeiß
What: Three-legged billygoat with feathers
Where: Austria-wide, particularly around Salzburg
If you’re hiking through farmland, particularly near fields of wheat or corn, keep an eye out for Habergeiß, demonic entities who lurk within the stalks, seeking children to kidnap.
The first you’ll know of their presence is a strange, high-pitched bleating that is distinctly unnerving, it is said. Other legends suggest that the calls are somehow inviting and cause children to venture into the crop, never to be seen again.
Early in December, the Habergeiß begins to haunt Austrian Winter, a goat-thing on 2, 3 or 4 legs, running with the Kramperl or Frau Perchta, sometimes as a sole witch. The Habergeiß tries to invade homes, too, and only a white cross on the door can keep it at bay#GothicAdvent pic.twitter.com/bK5OVLWpCF
— #ofdarkandmacabre (@ofdarknmacabre) December 20, 2021
While there’s much online debate about whether the Habergeiß is a callback to the pagan worship of nature spirits, many agree that tales of the creatures were a great way to keep children away from crops where they could damage them or injure themselves.
The Habergeiß is also a feature of Christmas traditions, most prominently around the Salzburg region, where it accompanies figures such as the last creature on our list.
Krampus
What: A shaggy, horned devil
Where: Austria-wide
No discussion of Austria’s mythical creatures is complete without including the Krampus, a horned demonic being who counters the benevolent St Nicholas.
The Krampus carries a whip or a stick, which it uses to beat or tease naughty children, and a sack for carrying them off to parts unknown.
Krampus appears around Christmas time, accompanying St Nicholas on his visits to children, and in some cases participating in parades throughout Austria to usher in the season.
Most scholars that the Krampus first began to appear as a figure to frighten children in the 17th century, when plays were used to instruct and encourage good behaviour.
Today is the eve of St Nicholas' Day, and across Austria, Germany and other parts of Mitteleuropa the Krampus walks abroad pic.twitter.com/Iw7iBQm1H1
— Mary Harrington (@moveincircles) December 5, 2023
However, there are definitely links to an older pagan tradition of mountain spirits and fertility gods, which existed in alpine country for thousands of years.
That said, if you’re approached by a smelly, hairy, towering figure on the streets in the colder months, odds are that you’ve met Krampus, so it’s a good idea to be polite and wish them well.
Do you know any mythical Austrian creatures that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments!
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