Frozen

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In the superstition of the late Middle Ages and early modern times , but especially during the Thirty Years' War, supposedly invulnerable people were referred to as frozen (frozen) or festivals .

The “devilish” magic of mooring (“frozen”) allegedly made one invulnerable (“frozen”) to ordinary weapons (firearms with ordinary bullets or cutting and stabbing weapons ) . This spell could only be canceled by counter spell. A frozen person could therefore only be killed with a silver or glass ball, a wooden club or other specially “consecrated” weapons. According to other ideas, invulnerability ended after a certain period of time or simply (or only then) when the devil so pleased.

Wallenstein , who was considered "Frozen", was killed with a lance that was supposedly immersed in consecrated water

The Gfrörern ("Frozen Makers ") were mainly members of the traveling people and black artists . As frozen were u. a. the mercenary leaders and generals Wallenstein , Johann T'Serclaes von Tilly , Peter Ernst II von Mansfeld , Hans Philipp Fuchs von Bimbach , Johann von Sporck , Peter Melander von Holzappel , Gottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim , Heinrich von Holk , but also Gustav II. Adolf of Sweden , Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau, called Der alten Dessauer , Friedrich II. Of Prussia as well as the entire House of Hohenzollern , the entire House of Savoy , the rebellious Upper Austrian farmers under Ahas Willenger or even Pope Alexander VII.

“Yes, that it is firm, there is no doubt; for in the bloody affair with Lützen he rode you up and down with cool blood under the lightning bolts of fire. His hat was riddled with bullets, the bales went through his boot and roll, you could see the clear marks; could not scratch his skin only because the hellish ointment would protect him. "

- Schiller : Wallenstein's camp

“He's firm against shot and blow! He's frozen, tainted with the devil's art. His body is impenetrable, I tell you ... In Ingolstadt there was also someone like that, his skin was as firm as steel; you have to knock it down with a rifle butt ... the sword and pike dip in consecrated water and speak a powerful blessing about it, that's proven, helps against any spell. "

- Schiller : Wallenstein's death

See also

literature

  • Ulrike Müller-Kaspar (Ed.): Handbook of Superstition , Volume 1, Page 199f. tosa, Vienna 1999
  • Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer , Hanns Baechtold-Staeubli: Concise dictionary of German superstition . Volume 2 (C to Frautragen), pages 1353-1366 . deGruyter, Berlin 1974.
  • Margarethe Ruff: Magic Practices as a Help in Life - Magic in Everyday Life from the Middle Ages to Today , pages 231–235. Campus, Frankfurt am Main 2003