Untitled - Centrostudirpinia.it

510 WIGHTS AND ELVES.
of king Vollmar ; but over his chamber-door it was found written,
that from that time the house would be as unlucky as it had been
prosperous till then, and the scattered estates would never come
together again till there were three Hardenbergs
of Hardenstein
living at once. Both spit and gridiron were long preserved, till
in 1651 they disappeared during the Lorrain war, but the pot is
still there, let into the kitchen wall. 1 The home-sprite s parting
prophecy sounds particularly ancient, and the grim savagery of
his wrath is heathen all over. Sam. Meiger says of the wolter-
kens : Se vinden sik gemeinichlich in den hiiseren, dar ein god
vorrad (store) van alien din gen is. Dar scholen se sik bedenst-
haftigen (obsequious) anstellen, waschen in der koken up, boten
viir (beet the fire), schiiren de vate, schrapen de perde im stalle,
voderen dat quik, dat it vet und glat heriu. geit, theen (draw)
water und dragent dem vehe (cattle) vor. Men kan se des
nachtes horen de ledderen edder treppen (or stairs) up und dal
stigen, lachen, wen se den megeden efte knechte de decken
aftheen (pull off), se richten to, houwen in, jegen (against) dat
2
geste kamen scholen, smiten de ware in dem huse umrne, de den
morgen gemeinliken darna verkoft wert. The goblin then is an
obliging hardworking sprite, who takes a pleasure in waiting on
the men and maids at their housework, and secretly dispatching
some of it himself. He curries the horses, combs out their
manes, 3
lays fodder before the cattle, 4 draws water from the well
and brings it them, and cleans out the stable. For the maids he
makes up fire, rinses out the dishes, cleaves and carries wood,
sweeps and scrubs. His presence brings prosperity to the house,
his departure removes it. He is like the helpful earth-mannikins
who lend a hand in field labour (p. 451 n.). At the same time he
oversees the management of the house, that everything be done
orderly ; lazy and careless workers get into trouble with him (as
with Holla and Berhta, pp. 269. 273), he pulls the coverlets off
1 Von Steinen s Westph. gesch. pp. 777-9.
2 When the cat trims her whiskers, they say it is a sign of guests.
^ Like the white lady (Berhta), whose nightly visits are indicated the next
morning by the wax that hasdropt from her taper on the manes (Deut. sag. no.
In 122).
Wales the people believe that goats have their beards combed out everv Fridav
night by the elves (Croker 3, 204).
4 Hence the name futtermdnnchen, (confounded at times with Petermdnnchen) :
but often he has one favourite horse that he pays special attention to, taking hay
out of the others cribs to bring to him. Faye p 44