Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-02-08
Nlistellancous.
From Household Word
WILD LEGEND. .t

part oi IL, Sltuateu round anout tne town 0
Zittau, the widest legends belong. The origin
al Inhabitants are an old race of Czechs, and
form the native population of the highlands
but 1T is Servian race that occupies the plains
below. The oherlansiIzer is lumpish fellow
phlcgmatic and t,citurn who, when he does
open his mouth, heaps together yowels, SO us to
form the very eoarsest of German di.lects--
worse even than the Silesan He would call
Fwlnit. waoiout. 1t would not be, Unfair to say
that he is not ouly silent but sulky When ex-
cited in the beerhouse or on any holiday occasion
he breaks out into exceeding wildness and, in
that condition, he is quick at wrath but, slow
at forgiyeness,he treasures up ideas of vengeance
Of strangers he is very distrustful unwilling
to guide them over his native ground, he hides
from them what he knows, tells them none OF
| is thoughts, and rocounts to them none of his
legends. Even at home, when he begins one Of
the stories in which he delights, he blurts it
out piecemeal from the corner by the oven stops
to smoke, or breaks off altogether if offended by
any distasteful kind of interruption. Thus it
happens that the legends current in the Obcrlan-
siz have escaped the notice of collectors
Being ignorant, he is in the highest degree
superstitious. 10 this day the Oberlansitzer
firmly believes in witches, and regards with su-
perstitions reverence the executioner at Zttau
Among the duties of that functionary is includ-
ed the banning of spirits. Whenever anybody
has committed suicide, the execntioner takes
with him an empty sack, and goes to the room
where the body is, in order to be locked up alone
with it about I'm hour During that hour he
holds the sack open dancing about and utter
ing, in raving way, strange incantations.-
Thus he gets, he thinks, the soul into the sack
and ties it up. Then going out, he mounts a
horse that is held ready at the door, and dashes
of in the direction Of some glen or dismal glade
among the woods, which has been regarded Ior
centuries as ghost Jail and there, with more
incarnation, he unties the bag and bans the
spirit to the spot On the pieces of ground te
which the spirits are banned, they may be sup
posed of course to swarm. The Pepper Hollow
in Zittau, and the Scholars Copse, two or three
miles out of the town. are in this way especial
ly remarkable. The executioner has many other
duties and privileges in connection with the
spirit world. So that he is sheldit be, on he
whole, more ghostly man than even the priest,
and his advice is far more generally sought.
If had to educate these benighted Oherlan-
sltzcrs, do not see in what way we could 60 to
work more surely than by appealing to them
with our Who'll: strength through their fancies
Llmlish as they are, they have imbibud in a
y fantastic way, from the more delicate aspects of
nature, dainty maginings. that one would take
to belong only to a state of high refinement
and from these they run along the whole scale
OF emotion to the grimmest and most terrible
idyas. They mingle with all sense of humour
that is one OF the least common attributes of a
mere animated clod. Some years ago, an edu-
Gated Oberlansitzer, Herr Willkomm published
small collection of the legends of his country
men. propose to relate one Of them-not tel.
ling it as IA formal tale, but setting down emo gh
to show what is their nature, and suggest, p,r.
htrs, 100. profitable thought or two to those
W o, in reading it, remember what the nature
is of those poor highlandcls by whom it was in.
vented.
Once upon time there was a maiden named
Swanhilda, who WAS the only child of proud
father, and he was dead. Her mother had dice
at her birth, and she lived, therefore, alone il
her castle. 10 this lady many suitors came, al
of whom sh' scornfully and repeatedly rejected
, Her delight was in manly sports; she was per
| petually laundering through the forest on Q
0 great black Barbary courser spear in hand, II
8 search of game. Nevertheless she was YER,
8 beautiful; and her many sutors, driven to dis
!, traction, ut lstst met together, and agreed t,
summon her to yield to one of them, Or slse sub
= nit to be besieged by them all for they woul'
combine and march against her castle. She Sen
buck their messenger with scorniul words, an,
t went to bed.
9 In the night little ball of light came up ou
8 of her bedroom floor, and jumped about with
slight cracking noise that awakened her an
worried her. Be quiet she cried out at il
W hat FOOLS trick is thisl want to 90 t
Sleep The little ball instantly vanished bu
directly the boards oil the floor were broke
! through, and table rose into the room covere
Q with wine and dainty food. Then Swanhild
y felt alarmed. But the fear gave way to curio
4 ity when she saw sitting round. the table tn
fgares of all her suitors, eating and drinkin
h merrily. One lady was sitting with them VIII
had nothing to eat, and that was the image
: herself Little servants took to each Of tt
= young knights rs many plates Of food as he ha
. received rejections at her hands and, whenev,
" knisl was served in this way, there WAS lai
" down before the image of herself an empt
e Sack 80 that as many sacks (the Oburansitze
n say bask1ts) as she had given she received bac
z Tor her supper. | believe that an old custom
Il asking lady hand by making hera present
u bag (sack) OF basket and taking it us an ~
is ceptanoe OF the implied offer if she kept wh.
ever contained the present, and IL rejection
Ill Sho sent the sack or basket hack, gave rise
'p our vulgar English expression, give the slcl
TX ana to the corresponding German expression
give the basket. Swanhilda saw her imas
O. gradually buried behind piles Of her own ba
rs ke's' while the knights ate or drank, and ii
n good VINE and rich ,iands came up through I'll
III foor at an amazing pace disappearing ag,
40 'a . wa. that was quite supernatural. swand