Tatzelwurm (mythical animal)
The millipede or Tatzlwurm is an alpine mythical beast , also known as Dazzelwurm , Praatzelwurm , Spring worm , stone cat , tunnels worm , Beißwurm or Bergstutzen , in the area of the French Alps as Arassas . It is considered a small relative of the dragon and lindworm and is said to occur mainly in the Alpine region and in the Alpine foothills.
The name is composed of paw , which can mean leg, paw or claw depending on the context, and worm , which suggests that the tatzelworm is a "half-dragon" with a snake-like abdomen and two front legs studded with paws.
description
According to largely similar reports and myths, the creatures are between 50 and 200 centimeters long and have a reptilian body and a head that is reminiscent of a big cat. They live in tunnels and caves that they dig into the rocks themselves. Although generally described as relatively shy, tatzelworms are also considered dangerous and aggressive and are said to have attacked people and animals.
Local legends
It is said that when a tatzelworm crawls through sand, the sand turns into glass, which suggests that the mythical creature is said to generate strong heat. Allegedly, tatzelworms do not reproduce in a biological way, but arise similar to a basilisk : A rooster lays a black egg in a lake, where it is hatched by the heat of the sun. A tatzelworm hatches from the egg, which may grow into a lindworm.
In the Salzburgerland , the Tatzelwurm also bears the name "Bergstutz". The latter is said to have poison fangs, which bite you on the spot. Reports of these dragon-like mythical creatures exist even in the 20th century. The Austrian Councilor von Drasenovich says that he himself had an encounter with a Tatzelwurm. A tatzelworm about 50 centimeters long is said to have attacked him, and he was only able to fend off it with a hunting knife. The wounded Tatzelwurm is said to have disappeared into a crevice.
The Swiss legend is famous about a Tatzelwurm that was up to mischief on Mount Pilatus . He attacked farms, burned the stables and killed the cattle. Nobody dared fight this dangerous creature. Finally, the convicted murderer Heinrich von Winkelried (not identical to Arnold Winkelried ) agreed to kill the Tatzelwurm, as a reward he should get his freedom back. Winkelried took his sword and sharpened the branches of a thin tree trunk. Then he approached the cave where the beast lived. The Tatzelwurm had already spotted the man and attacked him immediately. Winkelried thrust the thorn trunk into the creature's gaping mouth. The Tatzelwurm writhed in pain and was therefore careless. Winkelried took the opportunity and rammed his sword into the body of the monster, it closed its eyes and fell dead to the ground. As the hero raised his bloodied sword to victory, a drop of the poisonous blood ran down his hand. Without being able to utter a word, the heroic fighter collapsed dead.
The Tatzelwurm legend is very popular in South Tyrol and in the Bernese Oberland , for example in Eppan in the Überetsch region . In the Bolzano district of Gries , three international Tatzelwurm folk marches took place between 1972 and 1974 .
For a long time, a place for a Tatzelwurm was reserved in the “ Haus der Natur Salzburg ” museum . However, none was found.
The man-eating monster is said to live in the Gumpe ( swirl pot ) of the Tatzelwurm waterfall near Oberaudorf in Upper Bavaria , and the poet Joseph Victor von Scheffel dedicated a poem to this legendary dragon.
Modern sightings
Even in modern times, the Tatzelwurm was spotted again and again. So far there have been around 80 eyewitness accounts . In 1950 various people saw him in the Jura , in 1948 and 1968 in the French Alps , in the early 1980s in South Tyrol and in 1984 near Aosta .
In 1935, a Tatzelwurm is said to have been photographed in the Aare Gorge in the eastern Bernese Oberland, as a multi-page report in the “ Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung ” claimed. The newspaper also offered a reward for a captured copy. The Tatzelwurm is still the mascot of the Aare Gorge today .
In the summer of 1963, a tatzelworm was seen several times near Udine in northern Italy . He was described as a four-meter-long snake with a head the size of a child's head and a body the size of a telegraph pole. Before the Tatzelwurm appeared, a high whistle should have sounded.
Attempts to explain
When sightings were reported in the 1930s, interested zoologists and cryptozoologists compared these descriptions with the actually existing Gila crustacean ( Heloderma suspectum ) from North America , which can also be up to 50 cm long. Some suspected a relationship between the animals based on further similarities and even classified the tatzelworm as Heloderma europaeum . Other zoologists already at this time contradicted this attempted interpretation: It could be confusion with another reptile species (e.g. also an invasive species ) or even with otters if they are spotted when changing territories far from water in an area where they would otherwise be seen by the locals are unknown. A deliberate misleading could also exist in some cases.
Literary use
The poet Joseph Victor von Scheffel (1826–1886) dedicated a poem to the legendary dragon in the waterfall and the inn where he had probably stopped off.
Figurative meanings
Often elongated structures or vehicles are called Tatzelwurm . The Freimann high bridge , a section of the A9 in the north of Munich, is also known as the Tatzelwurm by Munich residents , as is the wooden bridge near Essing . Cologne's first variety theater opened after the Second World War under a slightly different name, Tazzelwurm .
literature
- Kurt Kusenberg: The Tatzelwurm. In: Something different - fantastic stories. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1983, ISBN 3-498-09223-5 .
- Stefan Wolf (written by Corinna Harder ): TKKG - The Beast from the Alps. cbj avanti, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-570-17034-2 .
- Corinna Harder, Jens Schumacher , Bernhard Speh: Nessie, Yeti and Co. - on the trail of mysterious beings. Patmos, Düsseldorf 2006, ISBN 3-491-42045-8 .
- Max Einmayr: The fiery Tatzelwurm on the pub sign. In: The same: Inntaler legends, legends and stories from the Inntal between Kaisergebirge and Wasserburg. Oberaudorf 1988, p. 119 ( transcript on Sagen.de).
Web links
- Markus Kappler (zoologist): The Tatzelworm: mythical animal or alpine wild animal? ( Memento from December 24, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) In: MarkusKappeler.ch. Own website, 2012 (very extensive collection of theories and sources).
- Max Einmayr: The fiery Tatzelwurm on the pub sign. In: Sagen.at. Wolfgang Morscher, 2013 (source: Max Einmayr 1988).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alfred Gruber: A Tatzelwurm in Eppan. In: The Sciliar . No. 45, 1971, p. 77.
- ↑ Hotelier family Kiesl: The Tatzlwurm legend & saga. In: Tatzlwurm.de. Oberaudorf, [undated], accessed on August 20, 2019.
- ^ A b Joseph Victor von Scheffel : Tatzlwurm poem. (No longer available online.) In: tatzlwurm.de. Hotel Feuriger Tatzlwurm, archived from the original on September 26, 2014 (undated).
- ↑ a b Ulrich Magin: Trolls, Yetis, Tatzelworms. Puzzling phenomena in Central Europe. Beck, Munich 1993, ISBN 3-406-37394-1 , p. 79.
- ↑ Harold T. Wilkins: Flying Saucers on the Attack. Ace Books, New York 1967, p. 36 (English).
- ^ Report in the newspaper Le Matin. Lausanne, May 12, 1985.
- ^ Jean-Jacques Barloy: Enquete sur les animaux mysterieux. Number 34, 1985 (French).
- ^ Hans Rudolf: Enigmatic encounter in the Swiss high mountains. In: Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung . April 1935, No. 16, pp. 551-558, and No. 17, pp. 601-604 ( online transcript on markuskappeler.ch).
- ↑ Overview of press reports 1935/1936: Aare Gorge, Impressions: Tatzelwurm. In: Aareschlucht.ch. Undated, accessed May 22, 2019.
- ↑ Markus Kappler (zoologist): The Tatzelwurm: mythical animal or alpine wild animal? Own website, March 16, 2012, accessed on August 20, 2019 (very extensive collection of theories and sources).