The Legend of the Morbach Monster has terrified the Germans for centuries, but it is now time for the world to know about it. Since the 18th century, a procession home in Wittlich has had a little light flickering with the image of St. Mary. To avoid reawakening the terrifying creature that had frightened Morbach and Wittlich in the Hunsrück in the early 19th century, it must never go out.
How did people find out about the beast? A wolf-like creature was once seen moving stealthily through the dense forest underbrush as the light went out. The legend of the Morbach monster has long been repeated in Germany; it is time that the Americans also heard about this threat. Or simply about the things that lurk in Germany.
What is the Story Behind the Morbach Monster?
In 1988, it was a gloomy autumnal evening. A few men were seen walking about Wittlich in the dim light of the full moon. They were American troops assigned to the Luftwaffe camp in Hahn, and they were traveling from Hahn to their duty station in Morbach in the Rhineland-Palatinate.
The silhouettes of the young lads were wholly submerged in darkness. They visited the shrine honoring Mary, the Mother of God, as they did so frequently. But that evening, something was different. It seemed to have no point. In Mary’s position, the candle that was typically always lit was not burning.
The forest experiences terrifying events after Mary’s candle burns out.
A representation of the Morbach Monster
Unaware of what would transpire on that fateful night, the Americans march toward the armaments facility they are protecting.
Soon, the inevitable started to happen. Along the fence surrounding the ammo dump, alarms went off. What might have caused the sensors to go off? The men sneaked up to the alarm location, where they were astounded by what they had discovered. On its hind legs, a huge creature that appeared to be a werewolf—half wolf, half human—had scaled the 10-foot-tall barrier.
Then the nearly two-meter-tall animal vanished into the shadows. The silence matched the darkness.
The blood in the veins of the guards, ready to follow the invader, suddenly froze. The enormous werewolf-shaped monster approached them in a threatening manner. A loud cry was heard, and the guard dog moaned. The scary encounter ended with a woman’s scream, and the creature vanished.
How the soldiers felt following the meeting is just speculative. The security guards understood one thing: the monster would come to life when Mother Mary’s candle burned out. But what was the approximately two-meter-tall monstrosity? Was this one of the final werewolves that were said to exist in Germany?
Who is the Morbach Monster?
According to legend, this werewolf is Thomas Johannes Baptist Schwytzer, a deserter from the Napoleonic army. He is alleged to have murdered the farming family while robbing a home in the Morbach area in 1812 while en route to France. He was cursed to be a werewolf that prowled the woods on full moons before the woman was killed.
The werewolf was finally put down after spending several years causing trouble in Morbach. According to legend, the werewolf was slain at Wittlich, and the holy house of Mary was erected there to permanently expel him with the light of candles.
The legend of the Morbach Monster is well known in Germany. However, only a few people in the US are aware of it. Given that American soldiers established the mythology, it makes sense. It’s claimed that the last encounter with the werewolf was in the fall of 1988.
The Morbach Monster is said to be a deserter from Napoleon’s army
However, in Germany and Europe, the legend was partially forgotten until a book about it, titled “The Monster of Morbach,” was released in 2008 by cultural anthropologist Matthias Burgard. In addition, a British journal about unusual phenomena called The Fortean Times included a cover article on the Morbach Monster.
Perhaps the paramilitary German “werewolf” soldiers that were planned to ambush the enemy in the woods towards the conclusion of WWII are where the story originates? Or maybe it was created in the troops’ minds because it is a common theme among soldiers serving in foreign countries to perceive the enemy and evil everywhere.
Or perhaps the werewolf still exists.
Other Stories of Werewolves from Germany
According to legends, anyone may become a werewolf by wearing a “wolf strap,” as it were. Anyone who wrapped themselves in such a strap would transform into a wolf. A person who had transformed into a wolf would revert to his human form if his name were called out.
Such straps were very common in the past, but they appear to have been outlawed from Russia today, along with wolves.
The devil had given man a wolf strap as a gift. No matter how much he tried, the owner of such a strap could not remove it. Anyone who donned a wolf strap did so by becoming a brother of the devil and giving their body and soul to him.
Werewolves were far more feared in early times than actual wolves. A real wolf might be shot or enticed into a “wolf pit,” where it would starve to death. A werewolf, however, would never fall into a wolf pit and could not be killed with a rifle shot.
A wolf pelt from Germany. Wolf pelts are central macguffins in German werewolf stories
What good is it to be a werewolf just to run around, the reader may wonder?
There was a legitimate purpose for doing this. One merely needed to put on the wolf strap, rush off as a wolf, look for a fat sheep that was drifting off toward the edge of the woods, creep towards it, catch it, drag it into the woods, and feast on it when the pantries and meat bins were empty.
One could bring the hunt home in the evening without anyone noticing. Or the werewolf would be alert to a peasant carrying large sums of cash as they passed through the woods. He would surprise him, rob him, and flee over the field carrying the loot.
The Werewolf among the Herdsmen
The horses used to be driven to a communal pasture after being unhitched from a cart or a plow, where they would be tended until morning by two herdsmen. For the night, even colts were left outside. Each person took turns keeping an eye on them.
One of the two herdsmen had a wolf strap at one point. Both ranchers finally gave in to fatigue after keeping watch for hours and laying their heads down. However, the first person feigned to be asleep while pretending to be awake after learning that his friend was wearing a wolf strap.
He sped up, wrapping the strap around himself before vanishing as a wolf. The second man stood up and watched as his mate approached a horse, attacked it, and devoured it.
Werewolf stories are abundant in Germany
The wolf guy returned and curled up to sleep following this event. They both awoke in the early morning. The werewolf man was grunting loudly and rolling about on the ground. The other one enquired as to his condition.
He claimed to have a debilitating stomachache.
The first one responded, “If the devil himself had eaten an entire colt at one time, he would have stomach pain.”
The werewolf instructed him not to discuss what had occurred. He remained quiet about it for a while, but eventually, he did tell me about it, and now that both guys are long deceased, I feel free to do the same.
The Werewolf Woman
A woman with the first name Trine resided in a village. Her husband had passed away many years prior. Even though she was living in dire straits, the woman was always able to provide visitors with fresh meat.
When a male relative visited her, she gave him some delicious fresh meat.
“Tell me, Trine, where did you acquire this delicious mutton,” the man remarked to her.
Trine responded, “I’ll demonstrate. Utilize the ladder that is resting against the house’s back to ascend to the roof.”
German werewolf stories have been around for centuries
The man complied with Trine’s instructions. He noticed a herd of sheep off in the distance. A wolf suddenly emerged from the undergrowth, dashed towards the sheep, and was about to flee with one of them.
To save the sheep, the shepherd quickly realized what was happening and fled after the wolf with his dog.
Knowing what kind of wolf it was, the man on the roof said, “Trine, watch out!”
Trine appeared there in her proper form out of nowhere. Trine could hardly pull herself back to her house as the shepherd again started attacking her with increased fervor.
The Alt-Marrin Werewolf
A man by the name of Gust K lived in Alt-Marrin approximately sixty years ago. He also had a wolf strap, which he used to do a lot of harm and suffering. The belt was eventually taken from him and was going to be burned.
The strap was tossed into the burning fire three times while the bake oven was heated, but it leaped back out of the flames each time.
Water won’t harm the strap, either. It always came back.
The Fritzow pastor, however, ultimately set it on fire. The pastor in Alt-Marrin could not complete the Lord’s Prayer after Gust K. passed away, so they brought in the pastor from Fritzow. The latter responded, “Get it out of here!”
The burial opening was too narrow to allow them to drop him into the ground, so the pallbearers had to trample him under their feet.
There was a hole in his grave mound for a long time after that, but it has likely closed up by this point because grass has long since grown over Gust K.’s legend.
The Fox Hill of Dodow
There was an elderly woman who had a fox strap who resided in the village of Dodow close to Wittenburg. She could turn herself into a fox with its assistance, so she always had enough geese, ducks, and other poultry on her table.
Her granddaughter was aware of it, and while the schoolmaster discussed magic in the classroom, the youngster mentioned the fox strap. The following day, the child took it to school.
The teacher accidentally approached his head with it after taking it in his hand. He suddenly appeared in front of the kids dressed as a fox. They erupted in chaos. The small schoolmaster was so terrified by this that he leaped out the window all at once.
He quickly climbed the nearby hill and made a den for himself there.
Our fox was one of the targets of the huntsmen who arranged an extensive hunt one day. A bullet hit him, and the huntsman was startled to see a schoolteacher lying there. The fox strap was torn apart as the bullet hit it.
The area where their schoolmaster had resided was given the moniker Fox Hill by the residents of Dodow in honor of this incident.
Klein-Krams Werewolf
The dukes frequently traveled to this area to conduct their large hunts in the past since the area around Klein-Krams near Ludwigslust had enormous forests that were so rich in game.
They frequently saw wolves during these hunts, but no matter how close they got to him, they could never shoot him down. They had to watch as he ran into the village with a piece of the game right in front of their eyes, which they found to be very impressive.
A hussar from Ludwigslust once happened to be passing through the community and walked right into the home of a man by the name of Feeg. A group of kids stormed out of the house and dashed into the yard with a loud shout as soon as he walked inside the house.
When he questioned them about their irrational behavior, they explained that nobody from the Feeg family was home, save for a young boy, and that he had turned into a werewolf, as was his habit when no one was home. They further explained that they avoided him because he would bite them if they didn’t run away from him.
Soon after, but no longer in wolf form, the feared wolf reappeared. The hussar attempted to ask the Feeg child more questions about the wolf game, but the kid remained silent. But the stranger persisted, and eventually, he got the kid to start speaking.
The young boy informed him that his grandmother had a strap that, when worn, would transform a person into a wolf.
With almost all tales from Germany revolving around wolf pelts, there could be some basis to the tales
The hussar graciously invited the child to appear as a werewolf. The child initially protested, but he eventually decided to do it if the strange man would first ascend into the attic, leaving him safe from him. The hussar accepted this and also made care to raise the ladder he had used to enter the loft.
The moment this occurred, the boy sprinted into the main room, quickly reappeared as a young wolf, and chased everyone out of the entrance.
The hussar climbed down and had the Feeg child show him the magic belt once the wolf had returned to the main room and emerged as a boy, but he could not notice anything strange about it.
After that, the hussar went to a forester nearby Klein-Krams and described to him what had happened in the Feeg house. The werewolf who could not be wounded sprang to mind as soon as the forester, who had usually been present at the large hunts at Klein-Krams, heard this tale.
He was now of the opinion that he could kill the werewolf.
He told his pals, “Today the werewolf will not escape from me,” during the subsequent hunt, as he rammed a bullet of inherited silver into the barrel of his gun. He said nothing more while his friends gawked in awe at him.
The hunt soon got underway, and the wolf made another appearance before long. Numerous hunters shot at him, yet he sustained no injuries. The forester finally brought him to the ground as he approached him.
The wolf was injured but quickly got to his feet again and charged into the village. When the huntsmen tried to catch up with him, the werewolf outran them and vanished into the Feeg farmyard.
The wolf was on the grandmother’s bed when the huntsmen entered the home during their search. The tail poking out from under the covers helped them identify it.
No one else but Feeg’s grandmother was the werewolf. She was so distraught that she forgot to remove the strap, prompting her to spill the beans accidentally.
The Workers and the Werewolf
Three workers were mowing a meadow. When noon rolled around, no one had brought them their lunch, so they decided to mow one more round before lying down under a bush until the food was served. That’s precisely what they did.
Two of them passed out right away because exhaustion constantly improves sleeping, and a bed of flowers and grass is always softer.
However, the third laborer fastened a wolf strap to his waist and snuck close to a group of horses that were grazing nearby. He was perfectly suited to the best foal. He seized it and put an end to it.
The herder fled, along with the surviving horses. The other harvesters were appalled and terrified when they witnessed what had transpired, so they smartly pretended to be asleep.
After the werewolf got his fill of food, he removed the strap, went back, and curled up to sleep. A big pot of porridge, six boiled eggs for each man, some bread, and salt were shortly brought to them. The werewolf replied, “Earlier, I was starving, but for some reason, I don’t feel like eating now,” as the two harvesters helped themselves with their wooden spoons. The other two remained silent.
The lone harvester spent the entire afternoon whining about stomachaches and cramps and frequently visited the brook to quench his intense thirst. The other two remained silent. He mentioned that he had never felt so stuffed again that evening while traveling home.
One of the harvesters responded by saying that anyone may experience this.
The other worker added, “A person who eats a whole foal should not be shocked to feel stuffed and have stomach cramps,” as they approached the town gate, and he was still whining.
He retorted, “if you had stated it earlier, you wouldn’t be walking home on your legs.” He turned into a wolf, put his scythe away, fastened the strap around his waist, and vanished from that area.
Next, read about the Gloria Ramirez: The Woman Who Poisoned a Hospital in her Death, and also about The Dark History Behind the Suicide Forest of Japan!
