The Maiden’s Leap

This is a story from Leipzig found in Geschichte der Cölestiner des Oybins by Christian Adolf Pescheck. The Brüder Grimm have collected it from Peschek’s work.

In Lusatia, not far from the Bohemian border, a steep rock protrudes on the terrain. It is called Oybin.  Locals say that they saw a maiden jump from it. They have a story to tell about an incident occurred here long ago. There stood a mountain monastery, now ruined. A pretty girl came to visit the monastery. One Brother was supposed to show her around and give her an idea about the passages and wonders of that rocky area.  Her beauty awakened sinful lust in him and he stretched out his arms towards her with an intension to grab her. Astonished and scared, the girl fled and ran along the meandering path, pursued by the monk who knew the twisted mountain corridors well. Suddenly she realized that she stood before a deep chasm in the mountain.  To save her chastity, the courageous girl jumped into the abyss. Her fearless effort to retain her modesty awakened the Angels of the Lord. As she was falling, they grasped her carefully and gently carried her down. She set foot on the farm ground below without any harm.

Well, there are two more versions of the incident. Some others claim that an indecent hunter spotted a beautiful peasant girl walking on the Oybin. He rushed towards her with a vile intension. Like a hunted deer, she began running without watching the rocky mountain path.  All on a sudden, she fell through the rocky passages. But what a wonder! The gorge opened before her eyes as if a soft luxurious carpet of green grass rolled out for her. To save herself from the evil hunter, she daringly jumped down from the edge of the gorge but landed on the lush ground unharmed.

Still there are others who report another story. Long ago, village children used to play in the pasture around the Oybin. One girl among them was very strong and swift.  She made a bet with her playmates that she would jump over the chasm. While taking a leap, however, her foot slipped, her smooth slipper came out of her feet and she tumbled into the rift. She could have been smashed by the fall, but was miraculously protected by her crinoline that worked like a parachute and brought her down gently. And she won the bet. Which story you liked the most?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oybin_(hill)#/media/File:Berg_oybin_2006.JPG

*A story of a dramatic Maiden’s leap is found in many countries, including UK and Aurstralia and became an inspiration for may painter’s artwork.  We have similar story from Südwestpfalz Jungfernsprung. The local author August Becker recorded the story here. Once a young village girl went into the Forest of Dahn to pick berries. The terrible Hans Trapp of Bertwartstein castle noticed the beautiful girl from a little distance. Suddenly he burst out of a thicket with an intension to abuse the virgin girl. The spirited girl gathered up her skirts and tried to flee. But the pursuing wicked one was speedier. He had almost reached her while in panic, the girl did not even notice where she was stepping on. At the edge of the gorge, she stepped on the sky and began falling down into the abyss. Fortunately her skirts ballooned out and helped her float down gently so that she did not crash in the ground. As she survived the jump unhurt a spring began flowing from the spot where her feet touched the ground.

However the ruins of Oybin Castle and Monastery on the top of the Zittau Mountains of Upper Lusatia, which is the location of our story, still fascinates the tourist. History says that old fortification was expanded into a fortified structure in the early 14th century, and Emperor Charles IV later built an imperial house and a monastery and decorated it with precious artwork for the Order of the Celestines. The Reformation in16th-century sealed the end of monastic tradition and since then Oybin was not restored. An ancient pilgrimage location on a steep high rock where Germany, Poland and Czech Republic meet obviously inspired legendary stories and the Maiden’s Leap is one.

The Essential-Shirt

The essential shirt has to be prepared following way. On Christmas night, two virgin girls who are not yet seven years old, have to spin, weave and sew a linen shirt. Its design would be unique. On its chest there would be two heads. The one on the right should have long beard and a helmet, and the one on the left with a crown as the devil wears it. Both will be attached with a cross. The shirt has to be long enough to cover a man from his neck to half his body.

Whoever wears such a shirt in battlefield is safe from pierces, blows, shots and other twist of fates. That is reason emperors and princes put it on. Women about to give birth also wear it so that childbirth becomes quicker and easier.

On the other hand, women cannot prevent death of their dear husbands if they fail to gift such a garment. Hence they look for these kinds of shirts which are no longer easily available.

A medieval tale telling the power of virginity that works against enemies in battlefield. This indicates the medieval era threat to life for European men, many of whom were engaged in Crusades. Also the triumph of virgin power makes us remember the unicorn stories. Women’s virginity and chastity have been associated to magical powers both in Indian Hindu and European Christian mythical stories – did one influence the other?

The Drowned Child

The story was first published in German National Newspaper 1796

They have lot many a tale to tell about water; also about the lakes, rivers and seas to which an innocent child has to be sacrificed each year. But the water-bodies did not turn any of those children into a corpse; instead threw them to the shore instantly, or a little late. True the bodies came out late at times, but even the last bone emerged floating after reaching the innermost depth of the sea.

We have a story of a mother who had drowned her child in a lake. She kept on praying to the god and all the saints to return her at least the bones intact for the child’s funeral; and she waited in good faith in pure heart.

The next storm brought the skull back to the shore and the following one, the body. After all the body parts reached the shore, the mother collected all the hands and feet and everything in a piece of cloth, tied them up and carried the bundle to the church. What a wonder! With her each stride, the bundle became heavier.  

Finally as she reached the foot of the Alter, her child inside the pack began crying. She laid the bundle on the steps of the Alter; the child – safe and sound, showed up removing the cloth surprising everyone. Only one little finger of his tiny fingers was missing.

The mother went back to the shore later and searched carefully for the tiny finger-bone. Needless to say she found it there. The bone was preserved in the church among other relics.

The sailors and fishermen of Cüstin in the Neumark (Brandenburg) also spoke of an unknown force controlling the river Oder which claimed one innocent life every year as a sacrifice. Death came to the people for whom it was destined; rest came out of the turmoil alive. The city Halloren in Salle was especially afraid of Johannestag, the birthday of Saint John the Baptist. Sacrifice of an innocent life was predictable on this day.

Luckenwalde in Brandenburg. Die Stadtkirche St. Johannis am Markt . Credit:Wikimedia commons

What is the story of Saint John the Baptist? He was born of elderly parents; hence is associated to growth, health and fertility. If we consider the season of his birth, it is around the day of summer solstice which is regarded significant by local farmers for their livestock and crops. Local belief adopted a small, star-shaped yellow flower that blooms during this period as St. John’s word. Following an ancient Pagan tradition, large bonfires are lighted in the villages on the previous night to ward off the evil spirits who are responsible for carrying contagious diseases. These bonfires are usually arranged at the highest peak of the hill in the village. Farmers spread the ash in their fields with a belief that it would enhance the fertility of the soil. We don’t have a record of human sacrifice during this occasion here but similar kind of sacrifice was prevalent in many ancient cultures.

The story of drowning child in the water-bodies makes me remember Mahabharata story where incarnated river-goddess Ganga drowns her seven new-born babies in the river to release them from the curse of living a mortal life. We also know of the medieval era tradition of drowning new-born babies in Gangasagar. Difficult to determine if people in medieval era learnt superstitious beliefs from each other or many of the communities followed similar practices independently.