182 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[June 1, 1887. 



THE WILD WINDS. 



By " Stella Occidens." 



RIMM quaintly remarks in the chapter on 

 elements in his " Teutonic Mythology " 

 that it was quite natural to look upon 

 " some female personages as prime movers 

 of the whirlwind." Professor Fiske, how- 

 ever, tells us that in Norse mythology " it 

 is the Devil who is proverbially active in a 

 gale of wind." * 

 The first statement appears to be universally believed in 

 Germany — at least it would seem so from the numerous 

 legends and nursery tales in which " female personages " 

 plriy an important part. In Vogtland, Northern Franconia, 

 Thuringia, and across Lower Saxony, Frau Holda or Hulda, 

 who may be regarded as a wind goddess, holds supreme 

 sway. She drives about in a waggon, and flies through the 

 air at will. She haunts lakes and fountains at noon, and 

 at times she may be seen, a fair white lady, bathing in the 

 sparkling water, and then disappearing under the waves, 

 like the nymph Melusina.f Holda likewise belongs to 

 Wuotan's " furious host," and, like Wuotan, can ride on the 

 winds, clothed in terror, and accompanied by witches. 

 Thus in Ujiper Hesse and the Westerwald, Holle-riding — to 

 ride with Holle — is the same as a witch's ride. 



At other times Holda is represented as an ugly old hag, 

 with pointed chin, big teeth, a long nose, and bristling, 

 thick-matted hair.J When she visits the pasture ground 

 of the herdsmen she is seen dressed in a blue garment and 

 white veil. She loves music and song under this appear- 

 ance, and her lay has a doleful melody called Huldreslad. 

 In the forests you see Holda, as an old woman, clothed in 

 grey, marching at the head of her flock, milk-pail in hand. 

 It is supposed that she carries off people's unbaptised 

 children, and, according to a widespread belief, these little 

 heathens, fell victinjs to Wuotan, or Holda, have thenceforth 

 joined the " wiitende Heer," or " furious host." It was also 

 believed that Holda led an army of mice, for these were 

 regai'ded as sacred animals, and were supposed to represent 

 the souls of the little children. § 



Holda also appeai-s as queen of the mountain sprites, who 

 are known as fluldrefolk. In Iceland they are called Hul- 

 dumenn.ll Holda resembles Freya, sister of one of the most 

 celebrated gods of mythology, and wife of Odin or Wuotan. 

 Like Holda, Freya loved music, spring, and flowers ; she was 

 queen of the elves and water-naiads, and could fly through 

 the air at will in a waggon drawn by two cats.^ She also, 

 like Hulda, is mistress of the Valkyries in general, and 

 adopts the babes that die unchristened into their host. 

 Freya's dwelling is named Folkvangar, which means the 

 plains on which the (dead 1) folk troop together. The cat 



* [Our fair contributor, by combining tliese remarks, seems to 

 suggest an inference not wholly complimentary to her sex. — Ed.] 



f When Melusina leaves the castle of Lusignan, after her 

 mermaid character is detected, she becomes a banshee. It is a 

 common superstition among sailors that the appearance of a 

 mermaid with her comb and looking-glass betokens shipwreck with 

 the loss of all on board. The well-known story of Undine some- 

 what resembles that of the fairy Melusina. — J. Fiske, " Myth and 

 Mythmakers," p. 96. 



J Grimm's " Teutonic Mythology," chap. xx. p. 2Cfl : " When 

 a man's hair sticks up in tangled disorder the peasants say, " He's 

 had a jaunt with Holle." The description of Holda as an old hag 

 recalls our nursery tale of the old witch " who went upon a broomstick 

 ever so high, to sweep the cobwebs out of the sky " — generally 

 represented as a hag with pointed nose and chin, and long teeth. 



§ Fiske, " Myths and Mythmakers," p. 33. This recalls the story 

 of the Piper of Hamlin and the fearful fate of Bishop Hatto. 



II Grimm, "Teutonic Mythology," p. 271. 



i Bullfinch, " Age of Fable," p. 412. 



was sacred to her, as the wolf was to Wuotan and Holda, 

 and that is why this creature is supposed to be the favourite 

 of old h.ags and witches. In some ]iarts of Germany they 

 say, if a bride goes to a wedding in fine weather, " she has 

 fed the cat well " — meaning that she has not oflended the 

 goddess of love.* 



In Upper Germany, in Swabia, Alsace, Switzerland, and 

 Austria, Perchtha, a being similar to Holda, or the same 

 under another name, Ls recognised. Sometimes she is 

 represented as bright and glorious, and at other times her 

 name is used to frighten naughty children. In olden days 

 she bad her dwelling-place between Berche and Wilhelms- 

 dorf, in the valley of the Saale. Possibly from this arises 

 the fact that she is sometimes called Berchta. She is queen 

 of the " Heimchen," or little unbaptised children, whom she 

 steals away from their homes. At her command she 

 makes them woi-k, and she has a great waggon in which she 

 keeps them. Naturally the people in Saale were very 

 indignant with her for going ofi" with their little children, 

 and on this account she had to leave that part of the country. 

 She bade a ferryman await her at midnight on the 

 banks of the river Saale. When he arrived there he 

 saw, according to the legend, " a tall, stately dame sur- 

 rounded by weeping children, and demanding to be fenied 

 over." She stepped into the craft, and, when she arrived at 

 the other side, she made the feriyman return for the 

 children, who were loudly weeping and lamenting. He did 

 so much against his will. 



Another time it is related that a spinning-girl, who was 

 walking home from Neidenberg late one night, met Perchtha 

 marching up the hill followed by a troop of Heimchen folk, 

 who were pushing a heavy plough and waggon in front of 

 them, whilst the rest helped to carry tools. They were all 

 loudly complaining because they were so tired, and had no 

 home in which they could rest. The spinning-girl, who was 

 in good spirits, having completed a hard day's work, and 

 knowing that a comfortable home awaited her, laughed 

 aloud at their misery. Perchtha angrily approached her, 

 and blew upon her, making her blind at a breath. The 

 unfortunate girl could scarcely find her way home, and, 

 being unable to see her work, she soon became poor and 

 wretched, and had to beg for a living. A year later, as she 

 was passing over this same mountain on the eve of Twelfth 

 Night, she heard some one approaching her, and begged for 

 an alms. It was Perchtha, who said, " This time last year 

 I blew out a pair of lights, this year I blow them in again." 

 She then blew in the girl's eyes, whose sight was restored.f 



In the Middle Ages, Perchtha was represented as a white 

 lady in snow-white garments, and she appears at night in 

 princely houses and rocks the baby's cradle whilst the nurse 

 sleeps. At other times Perchtha, like Holda, is represented 

 as an old hag, and is called " Dame Precht mit der eisernen 

 Nase," or " w'ith the iron nose." J 



But Perchtha and Holda were sometimes replaced at the 

 witches' nightly expeditions by Herodias, regarded erroneously 

 as the daughter of Herod, who on account of her thought- 

 lessness, rather than malignity, had caused the beheading of 

 John the Baptist. It is said that when the head was 

 brought to her on a charger, she would have covered it with 

 tears and kisses, but it drew back, and began to blow 

 roughly at her. The hapless maid was whirled into empty 

 space, and there she hung henceforth for ever. Only from 

 midnight till first cockcrow she sits on oaks and hazel-trees ; 

 the rest of her time she floats through the air.§ 



In the " Sachsenspiegel " there are woodcuts and plates 



* Grimm, p. 304. 



t Grimm, " Teutonic Mythology," p. 277. 



j Ibid., p. 280. § Ibid., p. 285. 



