, 1889-01-09
a IN
Legends, Traditions and Proverbs About
the Hopping Creature.

the Hopping Creature.
The old Persians made the toad the
symbol and pet of Ahriman, the foeof
light, and declared that his Charleston,
or attendant demons, took that form
when they prosecuted Ormuzd, says
TheSt. James Gazette. Among the Ty-
rolese it is a type of envy, whence the
problem, "Envious as a toad" In
the Middle Ages, among artists and in
many church legends, it appears as
greed or avarice; there is even TO this
day, in some mysterious place on the
right bank of the Rhine, between Lau-
fenberg and Binzgan, n pile of Goals on
which sits n toad. That is to say,
Goals they seem TO the world; but the
pile is all pure gold, and the toad is n
devil who guards it, and he who
knows how car pronounce a spell
which shall ban the grim guardian.
And there is n story told by Monzel
C"Christliche Symbolik," volume one,
page 5O0) that long ago there lived in
Cologne a wicked miser, who, when
old, repented and wished TO leave his
money TO the poor. But when he
opened his great iron chest he found
that every coin in it had turned to n
horrible toad with sharp teeth. This
story being told to his confessor, the
priest saw in it the divine retribution,
and told him that God would have
none of his money-nay, that 1t would
90 hard with him to save his soul.
And he, being willing TO do anything
to be free from sin, was locked up in
the chest, with the toads, and lol the
next day when it was opened, tho
erantrrFng had nafan lfr, $50 D-l.. L..
clean picked bones remained.
But in the Tyrol it is believed that
the toads are themselves poor sinners,
undergoing penace as Heetschen or
Hoppinen-as they are locally called
for deeds done in human form.
Therefore they are regarded with pity
and sympathy by all good Christians.
And it is well known thatin the Church
of ST. Michael, in Schwatz, on the even
ing before the great festivals, but when
no one is present, the immense toad
comes crawling before the altar, where
1t kneels and prays, weeping bitterly.
The general belief is that toads are, for
the most part, people who made vows
TO go on pilgrimages and died with the
vows nfulfilled. So the poor creatures
go hopping astray, bewildered and per
picked, striving to find their way to
shrines which have perchance long
since ceased TO exist.
Once there was q toad who took
seven years TO go from LETTERS to Weis-
scnstein; and when the creature
reached the church it suddenly
changed to n resplendent white dove,
which, flying up TO heaven, vanished
before the eyes of q large
there assembled, who bore witness to
tho miracle. And one day, as q wag-
oner was going from Innsbruck to
Seefeld, as he paused by the wayside a
toad came hopping up and seemed de-
sirous of getting into the wagon, which
he, being a benevolent man, helped it
to do, and gave it a place on the seat
beside him.
There it sat like any other respect
able passenger until they came to the
side path which led to the church of
Seefeld, when, wonderful to relate,
the toad suddenly turned to a maiden
OF angelic beauty clad In white, who,
thanking tho WAGNER for his kindness
to her when she was but u poor rep
tile, told him she had once been a
young lady who had vowed q pill
grimage to the church of Seefeld.
But, as needless maidens often do, she
had put it off from time to time till
she died. But now, by his help, her
soul was saved. And, saying this,
she, too, winged her way ito the joy
Gus realms where the pure jewellers
are"
In common with the frog the toad
is an emblem of productiveness and
raks among creatures which are types
of erotic passion. l have in my posses
sion a necklace of rudely made silver
toads of Arab workmanship, intended
to be worn by women who wish to be-
come mothers. Therefore the crea-
ture, in tho old world as we'll as in
the new, appears rs being earnestly
seeking the companionship of men.