Ten Mythical German Beasts Guaranteed to Give You Nightmares

Pretty much every country and culture around the world has a set of creepy mythical beasts as part of their ancient folklore. All over the globe, our ancestors have passed down oral traditions and tall tales about strange things that go “bump” in the night. Just as much as anywhere else on earth, Germany has its fair share of these tales. And honestly… they’re downright creepy.

In this list, we’ll take a look at ten terrifying mythical beasts that are said to have existed (or maybe still exist!) around Germany. Centuries ago, people passed down stories of these beasts waiting in the shadows and hunting unsuspecting people. Now, we’re here to pass these terrifying tales on to you. All we can say is, well, maybe don’t read this list right before you go to bed. Spooky!

Related: Top Ten Ghosts and Cryptids Based on Witches

10 The Bahkauv

The Bahkauv is a mythical monster that supposedly resides in the forests and open lands around Aachen, Germany. It is most typically depicted as a deformed calf with long, sharp fangs. Through the centuries, this terrifying mythical beast is said to primarily concentrate its attention on drunk men walking through the cities, forests, woods, and paths.

According to legend, the Bahkauv most often lurks in bodies of water—think streams, fountains, and even sewers. The city of Aachen has many thermal springs found all around it, so it makes sense that the Bahkauv would find a home there. And when the sun goes down, and men get to drinking in bars and pubs around Aachen, that’s when the Bahkauv comes out. As the myth goes, the beast harasses drunk men and night by latching onto their shoulders. It forces the inebriated man to carry around the beast for a while before finally attacking and killing the unsuspecting (and intoxicated) victim.

There are all kinds of secondary cultural touchstones around the Bahkauv, too. One legend claims that Pippin the Younger actually managed to kill a sleeping Bahkauv after coming upon it near a spring one day. And the city of Aachen lives in such perpetual awe—and fear—of the mythical beast that they have erected statues honoring it. Twice!

The first statue of a Bahkauv was erected in town back in 1902. During World War II, it was melted down for its metal to be used to make military equipment. Then, in 1967, the town finally got around to making a second statue. That one still survives in the center of the city to this very day.^[1]

9 The Aufhocker

The Aufhocker (sometimes also known as the “huckup”) is a German shapeshifter whose name translates roughly to “leap upon.” It is said to ambush people by jumping on their backs and weighing them down until they die of exhaustion. And while the Aufhocker is most often said to target thieves and common criminals, it has been known to attack lone travelers and even old women.

Because it’s a shapeshifter, there are different theories about the Aufhocker’s appearance. Some legends describe it as a goblin-like creature. Other myths claim it is a beautiful woman. Some stories even hold that it’s a creepy corpse. But regardless of what it looks like, it’s said to lurk in the shadows near bridges, paths, and deep in the shady woods. Then, when it jumps onto someone’s back, it’s nearly impossible to shake off. It’ll carry you down until you can’t bear the burden of its weight, and you collapse under the pressure before you can get back home.

As you might expect, the Aufhocker also has a metaphorical interpretation. Modern folklorists argue that the Aufhocker represents the emotional burdens and psychological traumas that weigh us down. The fact that it’s said to attack old women is no accident, either; in that way, the Aufhocker represents the fear that many people have about aging and death.

Some even say the Aufhocker’s mythical creation came about as a response to sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, and night terrors. Centuries ago, with no medical explanation readily available for those issues, German peasants turned to mythology to explain them away. And thus came out the Aufhocker!^[2]

8 The Morbach Monster

There once was a man named Thomas Schwytzer who was said to be a member of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army. But during the French military’s hasty retreat from Russia in 1812, Schwytzer supposedly deserted the army and fled to Germany for a new life. Along the way, he teamed up with a few Russian deserters, too. Needing food, money, and shelter, the group turned to banditry.

Soon, they came upon a farmhouse in the German village of Morbach. There, Schwytzer and the Russians were said to have brutally murdered the farmer and his sons. The farmer’s wife witnessed the killings, too. Appalled, she supposedly put a curse on Thomas—that he would become a wolf under the next full moon. Thomas evidently wasn’t moved by the curse, as he is said to have crushed her skull and killed her, too.

But later, the next full moon came around. And soon enough, Thomas turned wolf-like. He began to pillage and plunder the farms around Morbach with increasingly barbaric intensity. His behavior was so violent and his actions so murderous that the rest of his gang became increasingly frightened by his tactics. Eventually, they split away from him and went their own way. That left Thomas to go into full wolf mode. Every night, under the cover of darkness, he would attack and kill humans and livestock alike—just like a wolf might do.

For years, Thomas raided the farms around Morbach. Then, one day, he attacked a farmer’s daughter named Elizabeth Beierle. Fed up with Schwytzer harming and killing innocent victims and mad that the well-liked Beierle had become one of his targets, the villagers tracked Thomas all the way to his forest hideout.

Schwytzer fled, but eventually, he was cornered and killed in a little village called Wittlich, about 40 miles (64 km) away from Morbach. Terrified that he might come back as a werewolf, the villagers then decided to bury him under a shrine of the Virgin Mary. Then, they lit candles around the shrine and took turns making sure the candles remained lit forever after. That, they believed, would keep the werewolf at bay.

For centuries after, and even up until the modern age, there is still a shrine on the supposed side of Schwytzer’s burial. After all, there’s always a risk that the werewolf could return during a full moon—to kill and pillage once more. Ultimately, it’s not completely known just how much of Schwytzer’s story is real and how much of it has been exaggerated and made up through the years.

However, to this day, Morbach remains on high alert and keen on preventing the terrible return of the worst monster the town has ever known.^[3]

7 The Glühschwanz

The Glühschwanz (sometimes known as the “glowtail” in English) is one of the most bizarre mythical creatures from all of German folklore. It is most often described as a glowing ghost that looks like a dragon. As the legend goes, the Glühschwanz would fly over a village at night. Along the way, it lit up the village’s rooftops with its glowing, luminous tail. It would then pick certain chimneys in the village—chimneys of the homes where it supposedly knew that witches resided—and swoop down into the house.

There, it would drop in gifts like grain, treats, and even money. Oh, but it would only do that if these local witches would first leave out sweet milk as a treat for the Glühschwanz. If there was no sweet milk, the Glühschwanz would set the chimney on fire and fly away. (Imagine if Santa Claus took that tactic!) Over time, the Glühschwanz also came to represent the ethical side of society. For example, if a farmer was known to underpay their workers, or if a laborer had stolen from their master, the Glühschwanz would expose those misdeeds by flying straight over the miscreant’s house and illuminating it with its tail for the whole village to see.

It was like a scarlet letter of sorts—on steroids! Occasionally, it would also drop something foul down the offending party’s chimney, like raw meat or anything else that would leave a terrible stench for weeks on end. Think of the Glühschwanz as something of a local conscience in German villages, then. If you acted poorly to your neighbors, the glowtail would show up and call you out on it. Consider it cancel culture for the medieval era… or something.

That’s not to say that the Glühschwanz was only bad or mean, though. The flip side also happened: if you were a hard-working, honest person, the Glühschwanz was known to randomly drop coins down your chimney. You’d wake up in the morning, find that you had a little bit of unexpected extra money on hand, and be motivated to do more good deeds throughout the day to continue those good vibes. Sounds like a pretty cool dragon if you ask us!^[4]

6 The Klagmuhme

The Klagmuhme is definitely one of the creepiest mythical figures to come out of Germany. Think of her as the German equivalent of the Irish banshee. To that end, she’s best known for her haunting cries and shrieks. Whenever you hear her wailing, you know that death is imminent—either for you or somebody very close by. As such, her cries have been known to strike terrible fear into all who hear them. She is considered to be a harbinger of bad news in an absolute best-case scenario and the bringer of tragedy and heartbreak more often than that.

Most often, the Klagmuhme is said to appear as a howling black dog. Sometimes, people have reported seeing her as a whining white goose; others claim that she appears as a dove, a gray cat, a whimpering sheep (sometimes one with three legs, no less), and even as a fiery toad. Other parts of Germany have passed myths down through the centuries that see her as a calf with fiery red eyes. Still, others claim that she is a gigantic sheep who will wail and whine and warn of impending death and doom—only to lash out violently against any human that dares to confront her out in the woods at night.

Its most common form is that of an old woman, though. As a creepy old lady, the Klagmuhme most often wears a black dress and a three-cornered hat. She has glowing eyes, and of course, her skin is deathly pale. And the whole story centers on her wailing. When she wails, she is said to be calling the sick and indigent to her so that they may die. To ward off her whining and thus keep loved ones alive, legend holds that you must throw a sick person’s clothing outside to test the Klagmuhme’s intentions. If she takes the clothing, the person’s death is a sure thing; if she leaves the clothing alone, the sick person may yet recover.

Thankfully, the Klagmuhme doesn’t typically harm people. (Well, unless you come up to her when she’s in the form of a gigantic sheep and you try to get in her way.) But the psychological and emotional damage that she does is second to none. Her wails are said to strike fear in the hearts of people all across the village. Even locals who have nothing to do with the sick and dying person are said to be deeply and horribly affected by the Klagmuhme’s presence. Once you hear one of her “u-u-u!” wailing cries, it’s said that you will never, ever get it out of your mind…^[5]

5 The Buschgroßmutter

The so-called Buschgroßmutter is found in the folklore of the German regions of Bohemia, Saxony, and Thuringia. She is a forest spirit who is said to only come out and show herself to humans once every hundred years. She is an old woman with a wrinkled face and very ugly, staring eyes. She also has long, messy white hair that is full of lice. And while her clothes are tattered and torn, she carries with her a long stick—and her feet are covered in moss.

Sometimes, the Buschgroßmutter is nice to the people she meets in the forest. She’ll ask people kindly to comb her hair or help her with various things. The people who get on her good side are said to receive gifts like spools of yarn that supposedly turn to gold. But she also has a very dark side, too. If you mock the Buschgroßmutter or make fun of her for being as ugly as she is, she’ll retaliate. To do so, she’ll put spells on local people. Legend holds that she’s done everything from causing life-threatening illnesses to stealing milk from cows and destroying crops in fields.

The Buschgroßmutter is mostly a solitary figure, but sometimes, she’s said to go around with a group of forest spirits called the Moosfräulein. Folklorists regard them as her daughters. And on holy nights, the entire group is said to travel the countryside in a cart. During those times, when the whole group is on the move, it’s best to avoid her altogether, as that is when she’s most foul and will most often make locals feel her wrath.

Throughout history, the Buschgroßmutter has come to be seen as an ancient goddess who is stuck on earth and trapped in the forest. Some historians and old folklorists from centuries ago consider her to be the queen of the forest spirits—almost like an elf queen come to life. Other less charitable views hold that she’s a forest demon. Either way, German mothers down through the ages have used the story of the Buschgroßmutter to scare their children and warn them not to wander through the woods. Germany’s forests are dark and unpredictable, kids, and if you stay away from them, you won’t ever come across the Buschgroßmutter…^[6]

4 Petermännchen

Perhaps one of the friendliest and strangest spirits on this list, Petermännchen is a (mostly) nice mythical creature who is said to live in Germany’s Schwerin Palace. He is most often described as a very small creature, standing only a few feet in height. And because he’s so tiny, he can easily roam the castle’s various vaults and tunnels with ease. As he roams around the bowels of the castle, he carries with him a set of keys, a lantern, and sometimes even a sword. And there’s a reason he roams around the place, too: his job is to keep the place safe from thieves, intruders, vandals, and other miscreants.

Even though Petermännchen is said to be mostly nice, he’ll cause trouble for anybody who intrudes upon Schwerin Palace. That includes playing pranks on would-be robbers that can range from casual fun to violent retribution. He’s got a good side to him, too: he’s been known to wake up soldiers who fall asleep during night watch, thereby keeping them from getting punished by their higher-ups.

In the end, all kinds of people have supposedly seen Petermännchen over the centuries. Some people claim that he’s an old man with long, flowing hair and an unruly beard. Others have claimed that he has a more dashing look, complete with a military uniform, riding boots with spurs on them, and even a feathered hat. In some legends, he shaved the beard but kept a perfectly manicured mustache. But regardless of how he may look and how mysterious he may be, one thing remains consistent through the ages: Petermännchen has become a beloved figure in Schwerin.^[7]

3 The Doppelgänger

We’ve all heard the word “doppelgänger” before. In modern American English, the phrase is most often used to talk about a lookalike—as in people joking around about who their celebrity doppelgänger might be. But in German folklore, the doppelgänger actually has a much more sordid and sketchy history. In ancient mythology, the doppelgänger was seen as the ghostly twin of a living person. Whenever it came around, it was seen as a bad sign that a terrible thing was about to befall the actual person. Consider the fact that “doppelgänger” literally means “double walker” in German, and things are certainly starting to get very creepy.

Interestingly, the historical view in German culture was that the doppelgänger would be used to give a sign directly to the person in question that something bad was about to happen to them. There wasn’t any way for the poor person to avoid fate once the doppelgänger got on the scene, though.

The mere presence of this double spirit walking around in the mortal realm was enough to signal that it would soon be over for its human identical twin. So, if you’re walking around outside somewhere and you come across a person who looks suspiciously like you… it might just be too late to run.^[8]

2 The Mara

In old myths told all across Germany, and specifically in the regions of Pomerania and Rügen, the “Mara” is a mean-spirited creature who is said to visit you in your sleep. Most often, the creature causes terrible nightmares at best—and completely incapacitating sleep paralysis at worst. According to lore, the creature comes in during the night and sits on a sleeping person’s chest. Then, it becomes nearly impossible for that person to breathe. The sleeping victim becomes drenched in sweat, and from there, they are unable to speak. They become trapped in a nightmare-like state from which they can’t escape. That is until they are called by their baptismal name.

In most old legends, the Mara is described as a female entity. She is said to enter a person’s house through an unfinished hole in the wall or the roof—or sometimes through an open window or a chimney. And once she’s inside, she simply has to do her job. She can’t be forced out of the house before she sits on a sleeping victim’s chest and begins the process of terrorizing them beyond all belief.

Thankfully, there are a few preventative measures to be taken when it comes to avoiding the wrath of the Mara in the first place. For one, locals in Germany swear by offering the creature little morsels of buttered bread and cold water. Other people suggest it’s best to boil water in a newly bought jar and provide that to the Mara as some kind of strange peace offering.

In certain regions of Germany, people claim that putting an upside-down pair of slippers near the bed is enough to keep the Mara away for good. Honestly, it can’t hurt to try; it’s better to wake up with an upside-down pair of slippers on your feet than be unable to breathe through the worst night’s sleep of your life.^[9]

1 The Bergmönch

The Bergmönch is a mountain monk-like spirit who is also sometimes known as Meister Hämmerling. As the legend goes, he is a giant spirit with white hair and fiery eyes that are said to be the size of dinner plates. He is most typically reported as wearing a black, hooded cloak in a manner similar to a monk—hence his name.

However, sometimes, he can also dress as though he’s a miner working deep underground. Oh, and as if that all weren’t enough, German folklore tales contend that he can transform into a horse with a long neck and glowing eyes. And when he really wants to, he can even make himself invisible and move about without being detected by humans.

The miner angle on the Bergmönch is significant. See, he is said to live deep in the pit mines of the high mountains. There, he tends to help mortal miners with their tasks. On Fridays, in particular, he’ll fill his bucket with ore and move it from one location to another. Miners have to be careful not to scold him because if they do, he will chastise and even punish them. His breath is said to be poisonous—so poisonous that he can kill twelve people at once simply by exhaling. And he’s so big and so strong that he can toss a miner violently enough to shatter all of their limbs.

But if the miners can keep the Bergmönch on their good side, he tends to help them out. When he finds a miner who he likes, the Bergmönch will offer him endless lamp oil that keeps their lamps burning for years while they work. He’s even said to readily assist his favorite miners by quickly uncovering hidden veins of gold and silver.

And because he’s so big and strong, this mysterious mountain monk can mine an entire week’s worth of human work in just an hour. Because of all that, German miners swear by the existence of the Bergmönch. And they work extremely hard at keeping him happy and feeling fulfilled so that he won’t harm them.^[10]

fact checked by
Darci Heikkinen