Said to haunt the area around The Hubertus Chapel in the vast Ebersberg Forest in Bavaria, Germany, the Lady in White is seeking revenge for those refusing her a ride. But is she truly the only thing haunting this old and mystic forest?
Between the trees stretching for miles and miles in Bavaria, Germany, an alleged apparition in the Ebersberg forest. The story says that if the white lady appears to lonely travelers in the forest, something bad is going to happen. Usually a fatal accident if you don’t stop for this vanishing hitchhiker. .
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The Hubertus Chapel in Ebersberg Forest is situated on a very sharp bend where there have been many traffic accidents in the past before they mended the bend on the road. Skeptics will say this is probably the background to this urban legend. However, others will defend the legend, claiming something strange was going on in the forest, long before the Lady in White appeared.
Ebersberg: in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Ebersberger Forst is one of Germany’s largest continuous areas of woodlands. Ebersberg’s history is closely tied with the nearby Benedictine monastery founded in 934 and since then, a lot of legends and mysteries have remained unsolved within the darkness between the trees.
The Lady in White of Ebersberg Forest
The bend around the chapel has been defused, and the road widened since the legend emerged. The whole B2R in the forest is still a place for common accidents and still people blame them on the Lady in White’s wrath. .
The Hubertus Chapel:in the center of the Ebersberg Forest is a wayside chapel on State Road 2080 between Ebersberg and Schwaberwegen, at the junction with Scheibenweg. The chapel is dedicated to Saint Hubertus, the patron saint of hunters and marksmen. The oldest document of its existence is a map from 1783. The current building was erected in 1859. This is the place where the urban legend of the Lady in White is set. // Image: J. Patrick Fischer
According to the legend, the chapel is haunted by a woman who died in a car accident at this spot in the 1940s. Some say that she died in the forest after her car broke down. She tried to hitchhike out, but only one guy passed and left her, which is why she froze to death and now seeks revenge.
Some say that it was a hit and run. She died there in the roadside ditch close to the chapel, abandoned by her murderer, and has found no peace since. In another version, the woman’s two children also died in the accident.
The story of the woman in white goes that she will be hitchhiking on the side of the road, but she will only appear if you are a male driving alone on this road at around midnight. If you take her with you, she will sit in the back seat for a while and then vanish.
If you don’t take her with you, she will appear on the passenger seat and grab onto your steering wheel to cause an accident.
The Truth Behind the Urban Legend
But did such a death actually occur along these roads? It is most often said that the accident happened in the 1940s, but the documentation of it comes from the 1970s.
There is no record of an accident like the one described in the origin story of the White Lady. Up until the 1980s, there were frequent accidents on the state highway near the chapel. In 1985, a car struck the chapel. After that, the road alignment was slightly altered and the curve was straightened, which reduced the number of accidents on the road.
Still, the legend lives on and people have claimed to have encountered the ghostly lady. Once, it is said that even the police tried to arrest the ghost at the chapel. What is also reported on is several people being arrested for dressing up and impersonating the ghost around the chapel.
The legend of the White Lady at the Hubertus Chapel is also the basis of the Ebersberg horror film series, which consists of two seasons of four episodes each.
The Irrlichter Lights of Ebersberg Forest
But what about the other things said to lurk within the Ebersberg forest? There are the so called “irrlichter” of the ebersberg forest that have spun a lot of legends.
Irrlichter: This is the German name for will-o’-the-wisp or the Ignis fatuus, the ghostly light sometimes seen at night over bogs and swamps. In folklore and superstition , will-o’-the-wisps are predominantly considered to have an ominous or malevolent nature, but it seems that the lights of the Ebersberg forest have kinder intentions.
The story goes that some guy got lost in the woods and couldn’t find out. After wandering for a while he saw a light shine for a second in the distance. It kept appearing and he decided to follow it, despite most stories like this, leading people out in bogs, or to darker parts of the forest where they never emerge from. After following it, he found himself on the side of a road with the dark trees behind him. These lights can still be seen today, guiding lost people out of the woods.
The Ghostly Boar of the Forest:Another strange legend is about the Satanic Boar haunting the forest. Count Sieghart von Sempt hunted a huge boar here in the 9th century. When he finally got it within range of his lance, it suddenly vanished as if by magic. A hermit told the count: “The boar is Satan. Build a church and a castle to protect it, and the spell will be broken. After gifting it to the monks, the first provost received the skull of Saint Sebastian, the plague saint, from Pope Stephen VIII during a journey to Rome, and it was placed in the church. The ritual of the flourishing pilgrimage consisted of pilgrims drinking consecrated wine from the skull. This bizarre ritual continued until 1923.
For ages, even before the legend of the Lady in White emerged, it was a test of courage for the local children to go into the forest at night and look for the will-o’-the-wisps. Was it the honey fungus mushroom that gave off a glow of fluorescently light at night, or is it actually something else inside of the Ebersberg Forest?
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
Once, a plague ridden Lindworm was said to crawl out from the darkness, and attack the people of Munich. After defeating the dragon, and ridding themselves of the plague, a ceremonial dance has been danced through the city for over 500 years.
When the Black Plague hit Munich in 1349, almost half the population of the city fell victim to it. Some historians claim that the Black Death struck Munich up to 25 times between the mid-14th and late 17th centuries – a period of approximately 350 years. During these years, many legends and tales about what caused it spread.
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Right by the church at the north site of Marienplatz, the New Town Hall still bears the images of the legend of the dragon. This dragon was once said to have brought the plague to Munich with its poisonous breath.
The New Town Hall:Neues Rathaus is a town hall that forms the northern part of Marienplatz in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It hosts the city government including the city council, offices of the mayors and a small portion of the administration. In 1874 the municipality left the Old Town Hall for its new place.
The Wurmeck Corner of New Town Hall
At the western corner of the New Town Hall, a large dragon climbs the neo-Gothic tower called the Wurmeck Tower, first completed in 1906. The three stone reliefs above the fearsome dragon tell the legend. According to this legend, a lindworm crawled out of the earth in the city center, possibly even at this corner of the former marketplace, and spread the plague.
The Lindworm:The Lindworm is a snake- or dragon-like mythical creature in German folklore. The lindworm is usually bipedal, but four or more legs are also possible. It resembles a dragon and is sometimes referred to as a subspecies. It has no wings or only short ones and is mentioned primarily in old Germanic sagas.
In the central panel, the lindworm, or dragon ascends while a citizen falls to the ground, struck by the animal’s poisonous breath, while women and children flee to the sides. On the left, mercenaries and citizens prepare for battle against the dragon, loading a cannon.
The Basilisk:One of the four putti on the Marian column erected in 1638 in Munich’s Marienplatz also commemorates the fight against the plague. The basilisk, a mythical creature, symbolizes the deadly disease. a plague epidemic occurred in Munich around 1635, killing approximately one-third of the population – roughly 7,000 of Munich’s 22,000 inhabitants. // Image
After the Lindworm landed in the market square, courageous Munich residents shot him down with a cannon. Even after the dragon was defeated, no citizen dared venture onto the streets again except one.
Plague Sites Around in Munich: The cross at Franz-Prüller-Straße 12 is probably a so-called plague cross. These were used during plague epidemics to mark houses where all the inhabitants had succumbed to the disease. The cross in the Au district are often said to date back to the plague epidemic that lasted from 1517 to 1519. // Image
Another version of the Lindworm Legend of Munich goes like this:
In the year 1463, a plague-riding lindworm flew in from the Schwabing Gate and settled at the corner of the marketplace. Great terror ensued, and no one knew what to do until the mighty Duke Christoph came galloping down from Grünwald Castle and slew the dreadful creature. This and more of folklore could be found in a 1921 book called: “The Adventures of Duke Christoph.”
The Lively Coopers and their Plague Dance
The coopers are also depicted on the tower. Because the coopers lived and worked in the outer districts of the city due to the unpleasant smell of pitching the barrels, and because they inhaled the essential oils released when pouring the pitch into the barrels, they were better protected than many others.
The coopers were left without work when no one dared to go outside after the plague subsided. One of them, whom tradition calls “Master Martin,” said to himself, “Someone has to make a start,” and resolved “to revive the old coopers’ guild dance and lure people out of their houses.
They were the first to dance through the streets after the Black Death had ravaged the city, to lure people back outside. This dance was called The Schäffler dance and still to this day, the dance performs is about fighting fear and overcoming the plague.
The Schäffler Dance:This is a guild dance of the coopers (barrel makers), who dance prescribed figures to music. It originated in Munich and The Munich Schäffler dance was first documented in 1702. From 1830 onwards, the custom spread beyond Munich through traveling journeyman coopers and is now common in many places in Old Bavaria and Bavarian Swabia. It only performs every 7 years, and the next one would be in 2033. Besides an alleged recurrence of the plague every seven years, the lucky number “7”, and an order from Duke William IV, a schedule of guilds for their customs is also among the possible reasons for the cycle.
There is a legend that claims the dance was first performed in Munich in 1517 during a plague epidemic. It is doubted that there was even a plague epidemic in Munich in 1517, as the death registers for that year do not show any unusually high death rates.
The Dancers:Originally, only unmarried journeyman coopers with impeccable character were allowed to participate in the Schäffler dance; master coopers and their sons were not permitted. Besides the dancers, there are lead dancers, barrel bangers, jesters, and hoop swingers. Apart from the jesters, who wear colorful costumes , everyone is dressed in the cooper’s costume with black shoes, white knee socks, black breeches, a leather apron, a red jacket, and a green cap with a white feather plume.
The legend is attributed to the house name Wurmeck, which refers to the medieval burgher house at Marienplatz 3, located on the same site, that was demolished to make way for the town hall. A list of corner house names from 1725 mentions that a lindworm was attached to the corner house; a relief of Saint George slaying the dragon is documented from a later period.
Or just maybe, it all started with a murderous dragon coming to town, trying to spread the plague in Munich.
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
Fantastical legends foretelling the Black Plague exist throughout Europe that would leave whole cities without any living. In Munich, Germany, a legend talks about a mysterious black hooded figure at the cemetery of St. Peter’s church being the omen of death.
When the Black Plague hit Munich in 1349, almost half the population of the city fell victim to it. Some historians claim that the Black Death struck Munich up to 25 times between the mid-14th and late 17th centuries – a period of approximately 350 years. During these years, many legends and tales about what caused it spread.
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One of these legends goes, one evening in 1349, a maid was on her way to her employer’s house on Kaufinger Street, one of the oldest streets in Munich. Today it’s one of the most important high end shopping streets in Munich, but back then, there was no street lighting or paved roads yet, only a narrow path of red bricks for pedestrians along the frontages of the houses. As it was already getting dark, she took a shortcut through the cemetery at Old Peter’s Church.”
St. Peter’s Church:St. Peter’s Church , also known as Peterskirche , is the oldest parish church in Munich . The earliest structure likely dates back to the 12th century, while the Gothic building was consecrated in 1294. Its 91-meter-high tower, popularly called “Old Peter ,” is one of the city’s landmarks. In the 15th century (1487), St. Peter’s also had its own cemetery (“gotzacker”). During the Second World War, the church was so badly damaged that only the stump of the tower and remnants of the choir remained.
As she ran through the graves, she suddenly noticed, in the glow of a small light, a black, ragged figure sitting on a grave. Seized by sudden terror, she ran on, but when she turned around, she saw the figure floating toward her. She hurried on, hearing bony fingers tapping in rhythm. Finally, she reached the merchants’ house, slammed the door shut, and locked it behind her. But there, sitting on the step before her, the black man grinned at her with a pale face: “I am the Black Death.”
Black Death in Munich:Munich experienced six waves of the plague epidemic from 1349 to 1634. In 1349, the mob spread the false story that the Jews had poisoned the wells and thus caused the plague. “the Jews were burned, slaughtered, dismembered, and otherwise butchered and killed as a result of wicked slander.” Munich merchants maintained good relations with Italian trading cities, especially Venice, as early as the 14th century, making it quite possible that the plague pathogen entered the city via this route.
Soon after, a Munich man was found dead. His body was bruised and misshapen. Following a vague premonition, he was taken to the doctor and he declared the plague had come to the city. A week later, all the inhabitants of the house the maid had run into had died of the plague, which spread from there throughout the entire city.
The Old Peter Spire:The spire, for example, is slightly twisted. “The story goes that the devil once stormed into the church. The brave watchman beat him with a wooden cross until he was able to drive him away – the building itself probably suffered some damage in the process.” “The devil’s kick is said to have bent the cross.” In reality, under Ludwig II, the cross was turned to prevent the strong westerly winds from bending it further.
In 1349 alone, almost 5,000 Munich residents, half the city’s population, died of the Black Death, often within just a few days. It is estimated that one in ten inhabitants of what is now Germany died during this pandemic.
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
From the despair of a mother dying in childbirth, a blood thirsty spirit rises in her place. With her alluring appearance and ability to transform into flying entities, she is one of the feared vampires from Malay folklore.
From the Malay Archipelago is a creature both feared and cautionary known as the Langsuyar or the Langsuir. This spirit is a type of vampire that emerges under very specific and tragic conditions.
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The Langsuyar is not just another night ghost, but the spirit of a woman who died in childbirth. Transformed, a spirit driven by hunger, regret and in some cases, vengeance. The legend has survived for generations across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, haunting the night and the edges of village life.
A Death That Cannot Be Rested
At the core of the legend is the belief that a woman who dies in childbirth, or shortly after giving birth, may rise again as a langsuyar. Often after she suffered from a laboring sickness called meroyan. Forty days after burial, her spirit rises as a Langsuyar if proper rituals are not performed.
Some stories also suggest that betrayal by her husband contributes to her transformation after he’s been cheating.
In one version, the Langsuir was a beautiful woman who lost her child. When she heard about the stillbirth, she died of shock and became a demon. Upon hearing the news of other stillbirths, the woman claps her hands and flies off to a tree where she perches. The stillborn child becomes the Pontianak.
The Pontianak: The Pontianak is the spirit of the stillborn child and the Langsuyar is the mourning mother. In some versions and stories, the two exist as spectral counterparts in this tragic ghost tale of a mother and her child separated by death. // Image: Malaysian model of a langsuyar.
In most tales, the langsuyar looks like a normal woman and is sometimes described as beautiful by day with hair down to her ankles, often appearing in a green robe. At night, especially near the moonlit hours, her true form emerges.
Her hair becomes unkempt and her fingernails grow sharp like claws. Her eyes gleam red with hunger. In some versions of the legend she has wings like a bat or a bird. Her name is believed to originate from helang, the Malay word for eagle, but it’s often an owl she is compared to.
Her voice becomes a shriek that carries across forests and fields. Travelers and villagers alike speak of hearing her call at night. Some versions of the tale say she calls out names familiar to her victims, drawing them closer into darkness.
A Predator in the Night
The langsuyar is associated with dark forests and rural areas where she hides. It is also connected with certain trees and the parasitic fern “sakat,” growing in dark green clusters and is said to be a common resting place for her kind. Woodcutters do exorcisms to protect themselves from Langsuyars and other spirits when they harvest wood from the poisonous Rengas trees in Malaysia.
Asplenium nidus (Sakat Fern)
In many stories, the preys upon men and children who travel alone at night as well. She approaches quietly, her feet barely touching the ground, until she is near enough. Then she feeds. In some tellings she bites at the neck, drawing blood and life, but most often her feeding is through her small hole at the back of her neck covered by her long hair.
Signs and Omens of the Langsuyar
Langhui, Langhuā! Your beak is stumpy, Your feathers are cloth of silk, Your eyes are “crab’s eye” beans, Your heart is a young areca-nut, Your blood thread in water, Your veins the thread for binding on cock’s-spurs, Your bones twigs of the giant bamboo, Your tail a fan from China. Descend, O Venom, ascend Neutraliser, Neutralise the Venom in the bones, Neutralise it in the veins, Neutralise it in the joints, Neutralise it within the house, Neutralise it within the jungle. Descend, O Venom, ascend Neutraliser, And lock up this Langsuir. Descend, O Venom, ascend Neutraliser.
Chant of the Sakai people and a charm against the Langsuir from Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula. While repeating the charm, the sufferer would be rubbed with the leaves or root of the “kělmoyang,” possibly Chamacladon, Homalomena, or Alpina conchigera.
Traditional practices to protect against the Langsuyar vary by community, but most have to do with the burial practices. After death, family members could place glass beads in her mouth, chicken eggs under her armpits, and steel needles in her palms to prevent the corpse from rising as a Languyar. The leaves of the gandasuli were also considered to be a powerful charm against Langsuyars.
There are stories where the Langsuyars were defeated though. It was believed that if her nails and hair were cut and stuffed into the neck cavity, the Langsuyar would lose her powers and revert to a normal woman. In some stories, she becomes a wife and a mother again, almost like a second chance at life.
This can go on for years. But folklore warns that if she ever experiences joy again where dancing is particularly mentioned, her supernatural form will return and she will go back to the forest where she came from.
A Legacy of Fear and Folklore
The earliest written mention of the Langsuyar appears in the English anthropologist Walter William Skeat’s Malay Magic (1891), which recorded tales of local spirits and beliefs in Selangor on the west coast of Malaysia. Of course, the legend existed long before that, although it’s uncertain exactly how old it is. Female and bloodsucking entities that can transform to a winged being, have existed for ages in various forms and stories throughout southeast Asia.
In modern Southeast Asia, belief in the literal existence of the langsuyar has faded among many, although it still happens that a sighting of the Langsuyar causes panic.
In 2013, villagers in the Pasir Puteh district in Kelantan, in the northeastern part of Malaysia, bordering Thailand reported sightings of a langsuyar that was terrorizing the town. This state is one of the poorer and conservative muslim parts of the country, and perhaps one of the more superstitious as well?
The residents in several villages described seeing a long-haired Langsuyar flying and shrieking in the night. The fear spread and reached the news and local authorities urged the villages to remain calm and pray together to repel the spirit. It didn’t die down until a local shaman entered the scene though. He claimed to have captured four of the creatures and put them away. A local religious officer acknowledged the existence of the spirit, but cautioned against talk of magic as it may be sacrilegious.
The Langsuyar embodies ancient fears about death, motherhood, and the consequences of an interrupted life. Her wail echoes among trees, across fields, and in the quiet imagination of anyone who hears a woman’s cry in the night.
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
After being drowned in the river by Radlsteg in Munich, it is said that the ghosts of the discarded cats are still roaming and following passerby’s.
The Radlsteg in Munich was a footbridge leading over the Katzenbach with a turnstile and a city gate. The name of the bridge derives from the fact that crossing the stream was blocked for all types of vehicles by a turnstile – colloquially known as a “Radl” (Bavarian for “little wheel”). The name of the river Katzenbach means Cat stream and is possibly named after a cruel custom.
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The Einschüttbach was one of the two branches of the Katzenbach, which flowed behind the high bridge through Hochbrückenstraße. In 1731, bathhouses operated there, but the bridge was first mentioned in the 1500s. Alternatively, the name may derive from several mill wheels (“Radln”) that were built along the stream.
The Radlsteg around 1880. Fresco by Hans Wißmeyer (1993) on the house wall in the Radlsteg in Munich.
The Legend of the Drowned Cats
According to the legend, the river is named after all the cats that ended their lives there. It was said that all the unwanted kittens, especially black ones, were drowned in it. Some say they are still roaming the nearby streets and alleyways.
former Radlbad (today a residential and commercial building) with a picture showing the formerly unbuilt Pfisterbach. // Source: Wikimedia
In 1872, the Einschütt was covered and paved, the Katzenbach was also deepened and vaulted, the high bridge was demolished, and the street was leveled.
Even today, it is said that girls and young women are often accompanied by kittens when they walk through the alley. Curiously, it is said that the kittens vanish without a trace as soon as you try to pet them. They are said to only accompany ladies, following them towards the town center. Precisely in the direction the stream still flows underground.
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
Before their deaths, members of the royal Wittelsbach family claimed to have seen the mystical Lady in Black appearing to them. Although the woman behind the black clothing is a mystery, her message has been clear: in the soon future, you will die.
A black-clad and veiled ghost is said to glide through the walls of the Munich Residenz, the former city palace of the Wittelsbach dynasty between Odeonsplatz and the English Garden. Like a curse, she haunts the Bavarian noble family and whenever she is seen, a family member dies shortly afterward. This curse has remained unbroken for centuries.
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From 1508 to 1918, Munich Residenz was the residence of the Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria from the House of Wittelsbach. The complex was destroyed in World War II and subsequently rebuilt and this is her haunting ground.
The House of Wittelsbach:One of the oldest German noble families. It is named after its ancestral seat in the 12th century, Wittelsbach Castle. Most of the numerous Wittelsbach lines are now extinct. The family members living today belong to the Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld line.
It’s unsure how long the legend of the Lady in Black has existed. Electress Maria Anna (* 1728; † 1797), wife of Elector Max III Joseph, wrote: “In our family it is said that she haunts the residence as the ‘Black Lady’ and announces deaths in the House of Wittelsbach.”
The Antiquarium in the Residenz in Munich, Germany, where the ghost of a lady in black is said to haunt.
Sigthing in 1864
On Shrove Tuesday 1864, at a costume ball celebrating the centenary of the Residenztheater in the Munich Residenz, an unknown woman in a black gown and mourning veil was seen floating through a door at the edge of the party. Shortly afterward, King Maximilian II pricked himself with a tie pin, contracting blood poisoning from which he died soon after.
Maximilian II of Bavaria:(1811-1864 in Munich) of the House of Wittelsbach was King of Bavaria from 1848 to 1864. He was married to Marie Friederike of Prussia , with whom he had two sons, the later Bavarian kings Ludwig II and Otto I. Despite setbacks such as the Palatinate Revolt, Maximilian’s reign saw a cautious liberalization, and ministerial responsibility was introduced. The king is particularly remembered as a patron of the arts, sciences, and folk culture; the Maximilian style is also named after him.
The king suffered from headaches throughout his life; a bout of typhoid fever in 1835 had severely weakened him. As late as the autumn of 1863, he traveled again to Italy and southern France [ 17 ] to seek relief before the crisis in Schleswig-Holstein called him back. Maximilian died in March 1864 after a severe illness lasting only three days. Physicians explained it as a rapidly spreading erysipelas infection of the chest
Sighting in 1886
Ludwig I is therefore considered the last sovereign monarch to rule Bavaria. During the revolutions of 1848, he faced increasing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes, following his affair with the dancer Lola Montez. He abdicated his throne to his son that year.
Ludwig lived as a private citizen for 20 years after his abdication and continued to support the arts with his own funds. His relationship with his successor was not without tension, especially since Ludwig did not completely abandon his building program.
In 1868, his father, King Ludwig I, also encountered a ghostly woman dressed in black and grey in the royal private apartments.
Ludwig I died on February 29, 1868, at the age of 81 in Nice, in a villa he had rented for the winter. He had been struggling with physical ailments, though he hadn’t altered his daily routine. His feet and lower legs were swollen, causing him difficulty breathing and restless nights. Two leg operations brought him some relief, but his condition was becoming increasingly serious. His two surviving sons, Luitpold and Adalbert, were summoned by telegram to Nice, where he received the Last Rites and died shortly afterward.
Sigtings in 1886
The mysterious death of King Ludwig II in 1886 in Lake Starnberg is also linked to the Black Lady’s appearance. On the night of June 12th to 13th, 1886, the day on which King Ludwig II died under unexplained circumstances in Lake Starnberg, the Black Woman allegedly appeared to some chambermaids.
Ludwig II Otto Friedrich Wilhelm of Bavaria: (1845-1886) Ludwig II left his mark on Bavarian history as a passionate builder of castles, most notably Neuschwanstein , Herrenchiemsee, and Linderhof ; he is also known as the Fairy Tale King. After his deposition on 9 June 1886, his uncle Luitpold took over the government of the Kingdom of Bavaria as Prince Regent, since Ludwig’s younger brother Otto was incapacitated due to mental illness .
The unexpected death of his father left Ludwig, who was just beginning his university studies, completely unprepared for his new role. Ludwig spent all his own private royal revenues (although not state funds as is commonly thought) on building projects, borrowed extensively, and defied all attempts by his ministers to restrain him. This extravagance was used against him to declare him insane, a determination that is now questioned. Ludwig was taken into custody and effectively deposed on 12 June 1886; he and his doctor were found dead the following day. His death was ruled to be a suicide, a conclusion that is also now questioned.
Sightings Between 1958-1960s
Between 1958 and the early 1960s, Detlef Willand, a woodcarver and restorer, worked on the reconstruction of the Munich Residenz and stayed there with several other craftsmen during the construction period. He, too, had seen the Black Woman walking through the Residenz at night and swears up and down that she vanished like a ghost when he went looking for her as he documented in his book: “The Black Woman in the Munich Residenz.“
Other restorers confirmed similar encounters, and a guard at the Residenz reported that at 12:30 a.m., during his rounds on the Stone Staircase, he had seen a woman dressed in black and spoken to her. The woman, in a strange black gown, did not respond and disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.
Sighting in 1969
Even long after the Bavarian kings had stepped down from their thrones, the Lady in Black has been said to have made her appearances before imminent death in the family. In 1969, it is said she appeared to Prince Adalbert of Bavaria in a dream; shortly afterward, his son died in a plane crash.
Konstantin Prinz von Bayern died on 30 July 1969 in a plane crash near Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg. The private plane crashed into Mount Raichberg when they encountered deteriorating weather that included low visibility and clouds enveloping the terrain.
Sighting in 2014
The Residenz ghost was sighted again on April 23, 2014. This time, however, it didn’t appear to the king, ladies-in-waiting, or craftsmen, but crossed paths with Margot Ilgner, a new museum employee assigned to supervise the three northernmost of the six stone rooms. Ms. Ilgner reported that, about seven to eight meters away from her, when no visitors were present, a figure in a black, floor-length robe looked to be floating in the Room of the World. In her eyes though, the figure looked to be the size of an 11 year old girl. Her immediate search for the strange visitor proved fruitless. Other employees have also told a variant of a ghost roaming the castle accompanied by a pudel.
The Woman in White Wearing Black
Although the ghost of the woman is said to be clad in black, her presence and pattern of haunting is much reticent of the legend of the Woman in White, or the Weiße Frau from European mythology, said to haunt different noble families. These legends and ghosts are especially common around German noble families.
The oldest accounts of the apparition date back to the 15th century, while belief in the spirit reached its peak in the 17th century. Although similarities exist to other female spirits in European folklore, the White Lady is a phenomenon that originated in and was typical of the aristocratic culture of the Early Modern period.
Most often, her presence acts like an omen of death. Sometimes it is said to have been a woman who cursed the family, but not always.
The Whining Woman: In Germany they also have a type of haunting known as Winselmutter, or the Whining Mother. is a legendary figure that appears in various regions of Germany, for example in the Ore Mountains, in Vogtland and in East Thuringia. She is usually described as an elderly woman who finds no peace. In the stories, she appears as a white figure or a walking light. The creature dwells in eerie places or in the homes of the seriously ill and makes plaintive sounds. An encounter with a wailing mother is always considered a bad omen of death.
The Woman Behind the Ghost
But who is the woman behind the ghost? There has been speculation that it might be Electress Maria Anna (1728–1797), the wife of Elector Max III Joseph. She was said to have loved her husband deeply and passionately, though it is said that he was more inclined toward the company of men. This is the woman often put forth, but as she already is credited with writing of a ghostly woman haunting the family, could it be someone from even earlier?
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony (Maria Anna Sophia Sabina Angela Franciska Xaveria; 29 August 1728 – 17 February 1797)
Alternatively, it could be Electress Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (1636–1676). Henriette Adelaide, a French woman was cultured and made significant contributions to the arts. But her whole life changed when the Wittelsbach seat burned down in 1674. It remains uncertain who caused the fire through carelessness—whether it was the Electress herself or one of her ladies-in-waiting. Henriette Adelaide reportedly managed to save her children while clad only in her nightgown. She never recovered from the aftermath of the fire and died in 1676.
Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (6 November 1636 – 13 June 1676)
Or what about another Maria Anna of Bavaria? Maria Anna of Austria 1610- 1665 was an Archduchess of Austria and by marriage Electress of Bavaria. Maria Anna, who had a particular fondness for hunting, was raised strictly Catholic by Jesuits and was considered a great beauty, and was credited with qualities such as intelligence, orderly conduct, and temperance. Maria Anna, at the age of 25, married her much older uncle, Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria (1573–1651), who was 62. Maximilian’s marriage to Maria Anna was not only linked to the hope of the birth of an heir apparent, but also a political demonstration of his alliance with the imperial house against France. Despite the significant age difference, the marriage was very happy, and Maximilian lovingly cared for his wife. Her whole life she engaged in politics and the state of affairs.
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (German: Maria Anna von Habsburg, Erzherzogin von Österreich, also known as Maria Anna von Bayern or Maria-Anna, Kurfürstin von Bayern; 13 January 1610 – 25 September 1665)
She died in Munich aged 55 and was buried at St. Michael’s Church, while her heart was deposited in the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting.
The nature of the lady in black and her purpose for showing herself, is a little bit unclear. Is it a family curse, much like the lady plaguing the Hoenzollern family? Or is she perhaps more like a death omen, guarding over her family, like an Angel of Death?
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
From within the old city gate, Sendlinger Tor in Munich, it is said that the voice of the ghost is haunting its remains. If you listen carefully, it is said the laments of the man walled up inside of the gate lingers.
As part of the old city wall around Munich, The Sendlinger Tor (translated: Sendling Gate) is a city gate at the southern extremity of the historic old town area of Munich. It served as a fortification for defence and is one of Munich’s three remaining gothic town gates. Separating the old city from the Isar suburb, it lies at the southern end of Sendlinger Strasse.
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In addition to being a remnant of a medieval city, it is also said to be still housing a medieval ghost of a man that could perhaps still be inside the city walls.
Sendlinger Tor:It is first mentioned in 1319, but likely existed earlier. The gate and defensive structure, originally consisting only of the central tower characteristic of Munich’s city gates, was expanded around 1420 with the addition of two flanking towers, necessitated by the completion of the outer city wall. In 1318, the Sendlinger Gate was also first documented as the starting point for the route to Italy .
The Walled up Thief of Munich
In medieval times, absolute quiet reigned in Munich. No citizen was allowed to be outside after nightfall. This must have been in the early 1300s or onwards, when the second city wall which Sendlinger Tor was one of the four town gates was built.
At that time, a wealthy patrician lived in the city. A money-grubbing man, he tirelessly plotted how he could increase his wealth even further.
Access to the Sendlinger Tor via a footbridge, perhaps around 1775?
A band of robbers, eager to enter the city, discovered that this morally unstable man was a member of the city council. They bought him for an exorbitant amount of gold coins: he was to steal the key to the Sendlinger Gate and hand it over to the robbers, so that they could enter the city and rob the citizens.
So he stole the key to the Sendlinger Gate to join forces with a wicked fellow. The thief could enter the city at night and rob the citizens. He would then share the loot with the patrician. But the rich man was seen meeting with the bandit and reported to the magistrates. As punishment for his depravity, he was walled up alive in the Sendlinger Gate, the so-called Faust Tower.
The Faust Tower:The Faust Tower between Sendlinger Tor and Heyturm was unique ; it stood on the inside of the wall as a small round tower with a stone conical roof, resting on a column. The date of construction of the small tower is unknown. It can already be seen on Jakob Sandtner’s model of Munich, but it is not mentioned by name until the 19th century.
The name Fausttürmchen (Little Fist Tower) derives from the finial that adorned the top of the conical roof. After severe weathering, its shape resembled a raised, clenched fist in the 19th century. It had a stone on top that looked like a fist.
However, there is also a legend that the fist was intentionally placed there as a warning after the treacherous townsman was walled up alive. This stone glowed brightly between midnight and 1 a.m. whenever the executioner had put an innocent person to death.
Even today, one can hear the patrician’s wailing and lamenting at night from the south tower of the Sendlinger Gate.” It is said that even today, if you press your ear against the stone wall at the Sendlinger Tor, you can still hear the traitor’s lamentations.
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
Known as the last witch of Munich, Theresia Kaiser was condemned to death in 1701. Still, her legend and what happened to her accuser bears a haunted mystery of what really happened to this young teenager at trial.
The last woman accused of witchcraft and sorcery in Munich was Maria Theresia Kaiser, the daughter of a sergeant, born in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, and only 17 years old. She was executed and burned in 1701. There is a case report about another one in 1721, but this has not been proven. Therefore, Theresia Kaise was known as the last woman accused, tried and executed for witchcraft in Munich.
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Where Falkenturmstrasse meets Maximilianstrasse, the Falkenturm (Falcon Tower) once stood. Also known as the “Witches’ Tower,” it served as a prison from the 16th century until its demolition in 1863. This is where she was imprisoned and is also rumoured to haunt.
Falkenturm, wall tower of the outer city wall of Munich from 1840.
Theresia Kaiser is Imprisoned
Where today there are plenty of luxury clothing stores, the shadows of the Falcon Tower once loomed, opposite the National Theatre. There is still the street Falkenturmstraße named after it. A lot of prisoners came and left in this tower, and witches were supposedly imprisoned and tortured here as well. .
One of the last victims of the witch hunt in Munich was Theresia Kaiser, a 17 year old girl. Her being accused of being a witch are said to have come after a high ranking court official is said to have denounced her when she was working as a maid of the Electorate. She was apparently rejecting his advances and he called her a devilish woman.
The Witch Tower:Witch tower or Witches’ Tower (German: Hexenturm) is a common name or description in English and other European languages for a tower that was part of a medieval town wall or castle, often used as a prison or dungeon. The name is derived from the period of witch trials. Many of these towers were used to incarcerate those suspected or found guilty of witchcraft.
There were actually two towers by the second city wall they stood on. The falcon tower between Alter Hof and Neuveste, in which falconry equipment was temporarily stored and which later served as a prison. The witch tower was a neighboring tower of the Falcon Tower, which was also used as a prison.
According to her testimony she gave after torture, she was initiated into the secrets of magic by her cousin, Elisabeth, when she was just eleven, and taken by her to the witches’ sabbath on St. Thomas’ Night, a catholic feast day July 3rd.
The Devil’s Ball
At this infernal ball, according to her account, entire cavalry units of soldiers and many lords and ladies appeared. A handsome cavalier with a large powdered wig approached her and asked her if she would renounce God. Several times she answered: no, But her cousin persisted, so that finally, after repeated questioning, she agreed.
The cavalier produced a large book and ordered her to write her name and age in it with her own blood. With a knife offered to her, she cut her left hand and signed it with her blood. Then there was dancing and people were naked. This gentleman then gave her a thaler, a gold silver coin, and then several more; but when she later wanted to examine them again, she found nothing but leather scraps in her hand.
The devil had also tempted her to steal and taught her how to open locks with a knife or scissors. Supposedly, she stole thirteen times. The devil had also taught her to poison the Elector’s court chamberlain, Neufinger, and his wife, with whom she served in Munich. But because their children took pity on her, she did not do it, for which the devil tormented and beat her.
In prison itself, the devil often urged her to murder herself so as not to fall into the hands of the executioner. The devil didn’t tolerate consecrated items on her, and in particular she had to take off her scapular, a Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. She was also said to have to remove her Monica belts, something coming from the tale of St. Monica, and it is said she would protect anyone wearing it.
According to her testimony, she also had committed fornication with the devil several times. She was tried and condemned to death. Apparently required treatment by a competent doctor while in prison before she was executed.
Her execution happened by the sword in Munich on September 17, 1701, and then her body was burned.
The Legend of the Ghost of Theresia Kaiser
Even stranger than the testimony she had to give after torture, are the legends of what happened after. On the night before her execution, the devil, in the form of a bat, is said to have flown to her in her dungeon according to her guards. The next morning, she was found unconscious and naked on the floor, without her shirt. Her accuser was found hanged, or in some versions strangled in his house that same day. For reasons unknown, he was wearing the prisoner’s shirt.
The Falcon Tower: At the rear of what is now Maximilianstrasse 8 and its extension, the Witch Tower at the rear of what is now Maximilianstrasse 6, served as a prison from 1500 to 1826. Photo : Theresa Auer, Faculty of Tourism – Munich University of Applied Sciences – Digital Marketing & Management// Source
Today, a bus station at Hackerbrücke stands, where so many accused of witchcraft were once tied to a vertical tree trunk before being burned alive. At the spot where the Witches’ Tower once stood, Theresia can supposedly still be seen today: a translucent female figure, barefoot, with long hair. She covers her face with her hands and stands motionless. Then she vanishes back into nothingness.
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
The whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
In the thick and dark jungle in the mountainous regions in Thailand, it is said something ghostly lingers. The Kong Koi ghost is said to be thirsty for travelers’ blood. But what exactly lurks behind the trees?
Deep within the forests and mountains in southeast Asia, there is a ghost lingering, hungry for travelers’ blood.. Known as Kong Koi, this being occupies a place in folklore that blends terror with mystery. Called the “one-legged demon,” it is bound to night, shadow, and the unexplained dangers of the wild.
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The Phi Kong Koi (ผีกองกอย), is found in folklore in many parts of Thailand, stretching as far into Laos and Malaysia as well, being a part of many folklore’s, although the descriptions and ghost stories of this entity varies greatly. What is really haunting the thick forests in these parts?
The One-Legged Ghost
This particular ghost is not the easiest to describe as there are many variants. Most people never see the ghost at all, but claim to have heard it echoing in the night. The name Koi Koi, is given after the sound the ghosts make. It is described as a one-legged ghost, screaming Koi, koi, koi from its fly-like or beak mouth.
Sometimes the ghost is described as an old woman hopping on one leg, screaming about how hungry she is. Some also describe it looking like a monkey or langur in the dark. In most cases, it is described as something ugly that can’t climb the trees and is after people passing through their domain in the jungle.
The Langur Ghost: The spirit of a deceased langur is said to inhabit the body of a living one. This transformation turns the animal into a fearsome, blood-sucking being. Also, among some groups that if one drinks the blood of a langur, the body will become invulnerable and immortal.
It is also vampiric in its nature and bordering as a vampire like creature and corporal spirit. The Kong Koi ghost is said to suck blood from travelers sleeping in the jungle. It is therefore advised that those going through the jungle should keep their feet covered, or crossed when sleeping.
The Karen or Kayin group in southern and southeastern Myanmar have a different belief of the Kong Koi as well out for blood. According to them, the Phi Kong Koi is seen as a small, agile creature with small, sharp teeth and fangs used to suck the blood of its prey for nourishment.
The Fish Stealer
In some Lao folktales, Phi Kong Koi is depicted stealing food like fish from traps out of hunger, rather than solely preying on humans. In some retellings, the Kong Koi ghost even marries a human and have children with them. Sometimes it’s voluntarily, sometimes through kidnapping.
According to the Tai Dam people in Nong Sung district, Mukdahan province northeast in Thailand, they have their own version of the Kong Koi ghost. They believe that Phi Kong Koi is a long-haired, very small woman with backwards feet and red hair. Some say that she has a body shape similar to a monkey, but smaller than a monkey or a gibbon. They speak in opposites and riddles.
They also believe that the Kongkoy ghost is living in caves or hollow trees, and foraging for food by catching fish in streams or rivers. Sometimes she steals fish or people’s belongings. It is also believed that fish or valuables found along forest paths should not be taken, as they belong to Phi Kong Koi, who will come to reclaim them. If taken the ghost may harm you by pulling out their livers, kidneys, intestines and eating them as food while they sleep
The Haunted Forest: The stories of the Kong Koi ghost seem to stretch across entire nations and beyond. One of the places it is said to haunt is the ancient “Dong Phaya Fai” (Forest of the Fire King) in northeastern Thailand. It had a terrifying reputation because of the numerous deaths it has claimed. It is said that anyone who enters rarely escapes alive, due to its rugged terrain. The area is teeming with ferocious animals and malaria, and is further complicated by tales of ghosts and spirits. Before the railway came through in the late 1800s, it could only be traversed by foot. The Phaya Fai forest became the Phaya Yen forest when the railway was successfully built. //Image: Ahoerstemeier
The Buddhist Monk Against the Ghost
One of the more well known sightings of this particular ghost comes from a Buddhist monk in Thailand, part of the Thai Forest Tradition. Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo (หลวงปู่แหวน สุจิณโณ; 16 February 1887 – 2 July 1985) was a former abbot of Wat Doi Mae Pang in the Chiang Mai province.
The Buddhist Monk: Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo spent his life as a Thudong monk until he became disabled. He lived alone, practiced alone in forests, and preferred seclusion. Until a royal Thai air-force pilot spotted him meditating in the sky, Luang Por Waen was a hidden gem in rural Thailand. Though he didn’t like fame, this incident made him the most popular monk of Thailand in that decade. One day, a doctor had a rare chance to ask him about the incident of the air-force pilot. ‘Do you think I’m a bird’ – was the reply of Luang Por. // Source: Wikimedia
One of the stories he did tell of though, was about the Kong Koi ghosts. He said that when he traveled in the jungle in Khammouane in Laos, with fellow monk, Luang Pu Tue Ajala Thamฺmo, they fought with many Phi Kong Koi at night.
He described the Phi Kong Koi as the size of 13–14 years olds, thin with bulging bellies, dark brown skin, dark hair, and a chubby nose. Armed with small crossbows or arrows and shouted “Koi”. The group he was travelling with fought back by meditating, which protected them from the Phi Kong Koi. At dawn, the Phi Kong Koi surrendered and invited both of them to their home.
Do what you will with the fantastical tales about the fabled monk and his adventures as you will. What were the things they fought against in the jungle, really? Some say that it actually could have been what they called the Kha Ra Dae (ข่าระแด) an ethnic group, rumored to be cannibalistic. Although this is not really confirmed at all.
Who were the Ka Ra Dae?: The term Kha in Thai, is in this context used as the word slave and the Laotian name of the tribe. It was often used on a group of people living in the jungle in the Mekong region that Thai people were enslaved. The Kha people do not call themselves as “Kha”, but call themselves as “Bru”, which means “mountain.” This happened until the reign of King Rama V as he started banning slavery. Could these encounters just be with other tribal groups in the jungle, and the stories about ghosts and blood sucking spirits sprouted from there?
Origin of the Koi Koi Ghost
Koi koi is not the only name given to this blood-sucking vampire ghost. As most Thai ghosts, it is named as Phi (ghost) and something else. It has been called the Phi Pong (ผีโป่ง) or Phi Pong Kang (ผีโป่งค่าง; ‘mineral lick ghost’) as well as Phi Teen Diao (ผีตีนเดียว; ‘one-footed ghost’).
The Mineral Spirit: There is an additional explanation: Phi Pong refers to a spirit associated with natural salt licks (din pong), areas where wild animals such as deer, gaur, and elephants gather to obtain essential minerals from the soil. The spirit is thought to guard and oversee these sites, which are vital to the survival of wildlife.
As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of controversy about exactly where the stories about jungle ghosts come from. Many think that the encounters of the Kong Koi ghost is actually an encounter with other tribal people living in the mountain and jungle regions, and the ghost stories were actually from a fear of the unknown and also a dose of racism between the different groups..
The word koi (กอย) however has most often been used to mean “An ethnic group having black skin, curly hair in the Malay Peninsula, also known as Sakai.” Sakai is in this case referring to the aboriginal peoples of Malaysia. This term in this context most likely refers to the Orang Asli or the Semang groups of people in Malaysia.
Now, the tales about the Kong Koi ghost are told in so many places that it is difficult to narrow it down to one specific group the stories first came from though. The theory that the jungle ghost is actually a jungle tribe that hasn’t been seen for a long time, has been much discussed.
Footprints and Modern Sightings of the Kong Koi Ghost
Although the ghost stories about the Kong Koi ghost started in a time when the jungle and mountains were bigger, thicker and more difficult to go through and more uncertain at what actually was inside there, the stories about sighting the ghost have continued to this day. And much like with Bigfoot, it often starts with some mysterious footprints.
In September 2016, strange footprints were found at a cave in the forest in mountainous Loei province in upper northeastern Thailand. This is also one of the more sparsely populated places in the country. The picture of the footprints taken by tourists visiting the Din Phiang cave on top of Phubobid. After posting them online, they went viral and reached the news.
The picture seemed to show human feet, only smaller with three toes, more like a monkey. They were shown to some elders and a Buddhist monk, who claimed it had to be of the ghost.
Perhaps it was only the footprints of a monkey or a langur, animals long connected with the legend. Perhaps it was only a hoax or a prank played on the tourists? The director of a local cultural agency said Phi Kong Koi are real and that they are ethnic group which has not been seen for a long time though. Could it be that the ghost stories are actually just long lost tribes living secluded in the caves and thick forest.
An alleged sighting of the ghost people could follow on camera in mid-August 2024. This was from one posting on Youtube claiming his home in Surin province, also called Isan ,in the lower part of northeastern Thailand, had been invaded by the Phi Kong Koi. He and his wife had only been living in the house for about three months when they began to hear strange tapping or knocking sounds on the outer wall of their second-floor bedroom almost every night.
When investigating, he found nothing so he installed surveillance cameras, but nothing showed up. He sprinkled powder on the balcony and on the stairs leading up to the rooftop. The next morning, he discovered what appeared to be a large, human-like footprint, but only the right foot. It had six toes and a long, pointed big toe. He was convinced it was the footprint of the Phi Kong Koi. He insisted the event was real and not part of a content stunt. It is worth noting he was a Youtuber.
The videos started to catch attention, even ending up on the news. Associate Professor Veerachai Phutthawong, or Professor Odd, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kasetsart University, had another theory though. If it were a real ghost, the force of walking wouldn’t put so much weight on the ground to leave such clear footprints as in the picture. But if it’s a human footprint, it’s possible that the foot stepping in ash, salt, or flour could appear larger because of the water evaporating.
The mystery remained unsolved and in the quiet hours between sunset and sunrise, when shadows stretch long and paths disappear into darkness, the memory of Kong Koi still lingers in the imagination. Then again, if not a prank and not a ghost. Is it more comforting to have a strange human hopping around your house at night, or is it perhaps even worse?
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Through the city gates in Munich on dark evenings, people have long talked about being chased by a ghost around the Maxtor gate and the surrounding square, only described as a fat and pale man.
At the side of Maximilianplatz, stands the Maxtor, the newest city gate in Munich. According to rumours, there is supposedly a ghost roaming the streets, said to chase unfortunate people to their front door.
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The Maxtor was built in 1804 and 1805 after the older city walls had been demolished. The gate’s original name was “Prannerstor”. It was only in 1806 that it was renamed Max-Joseph-Tor in honor of King Maximilian I Joseph. From 1809 onwards, it was simply called Maxtor.
A few years earlier, a hospital stood on this site, next to a church and cemetery. But these buildings were demolished, and the Maxtor was erected and the ghost stories began.
The Fat Man Haunting Maxtor
Legend has it that a fat ghost haunts this spot. The story tells that he pursues pedestrians at night, right up to their front doors. Some sources trace the ghost back to a happening when a man encountered the ghost in an autumn evening, following him to his door. The local Munich man tried to fight him off with an umbrella, but the man vanished into thin air.
Legend has it that the creature is not only a fat man, but also towers two-meter-tall and has a pale haunting face. It’s impossible to shake it off and when the victim thinks they’ve finally gotten rid, it suddenly reappears from a doorway.
The ghost was sighted particularly frequently in the 19th century and onwards. It is said to appear particularly frequently when one passes through one of the small side gates for pedestrians and heads towards the Grotto Fountain found at Maximiliansplatz 18. It has also been seen around the Nornen Fountain on the opposite side of the square.
Who could this ghost be? There are no names or death attached to this ghostly legend, but people have suspected the haunting could be from the old hospital or cemetery that once stood in this place.
A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
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On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
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A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
After the battles during world war two, Hegra Fortress was a place that became known to withstand the Germans, although they too in the end had to raise the white flag. After the war, people started to believe that one of the fallen soldiers was still there, wandering the deep and damp tunnels.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
The old cabin high on Hardangervidda, Norway is said to be haunted by its very first caretaker. But although Krækkja DNT cabin is said to be his eternal home, it seems like the more people visiting, the more he retreats to the plateau.
Preying on the blood of the young one, the vampiric Guajona from northern Spain is said to stalk the villages and valleys in Cantabria, thirsting for blood.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
A gathering place for the elite class in Norway, Losby Manor house in the countryside outside of Oslo housed kings and queens. It is also said that some of its residents are haunting the place, especially the ghost of The Lady of Losby, who dedicated her life to her home.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
In the Norwegian coastal city, Haugesund, Lothes Mat & Vinhus is one of those restaurants that keeps things traditional. But could it be that some of the former residents of the house are behind the strange things that have been going on for decades?
Stalking the northern valleys in Spain, the vampiric Guaxa witch from Asturian legends stalks the night. Although no one is safe, the starved and thirsty monster is especially after the blood of the children.
Is the ghost of Anne Brandfjell, a famous fortune teller and wise wife from Norway haunting the old Maritime school in Oslo?
