Spillaholle

The Spillaholle (Silesian German also Spillahulle,[1] Spillahole,[2]Spillahôle,[3] Spiellahole;[4] Standard German: Spindelholle;[3] English translation: "spindle Holle") is a legendary creature exclusively found in German folkore of formerly German Silesia[3] including Austrian Silesia.[5] A similar being is found in folktales of formerly German-speaking Bohemia.[6] The Spillaholle is a Silesian variant of female German legendary creatures such as Hulda or Perchta.[3] In Bohemia, she is simply known as Frau Holle ("Mrs. Holle").[6] Other Silesian names are Satzemsuse,[2] Mickadrulle,[3] and Mickatrulle.[7]

The Spindelholle is a sallow[1] old woman[4] with short arms and legs,[3] sometimes directly called a hag.[3] She appears hooded (characterized by the name Popelhole[4] or Popelhôle;[3] Standard German: Popelholle; English translation: "hooded Holle"[4]) or wearing ragged clothing (as shown by the name variant Zumpeldrulle[4] or Zompeldroll). She also can be seen in old Franconian dress[3] or generally shaped as a pelt sleeve.[1] The Bohemian Frau Holle is a small and ugly old woman which carries a batch of stinging nettles.[6]

The main activity of the Spillaholle is connected with spinning, for she is the overseer of spinning taboos[6] and a bogey used for spinning children.[3] Therefore, a broad variety of names for the Spillaholle shows connection to spindles, such as Spilladrulle, Spillagritte, Spillmarthe,[3] Spillalutsche or Spellalutsche.[5]

The appearance of the Spillaholle is mainly during the winter months,[5] especially during Advent,[4] Christmas[6] or during the Zwölften (twelve nights of Christmas).[3] She goes from house to house[4] to see if the children and spinsters are spinning diligently,[2] looking through the windows or even all gaps in the house wall. When they are still spinning during evening and night, then there will be slight or even severe punishments.[1]

When spinsters aren't finished with their spinning, then the Satzemsuse will sit in their lap during spinning or even give them igneous spindles instead of normal ones.[2] The Spillaholle takes the lazy spinsters away. Frau Holle beats them with a batch of stinging nettles. If all the tow is already spun, then there will not only be no punishment, even one of the nettles will be left in the house to ward the house of misfortune for the whole coming year. Additionally, in Bohemia all spinning is banned on the night of St. Thomas. If a spinster is working anyway, she will be punished by Frau Holle.[6]

To children spinning in the night the Spindelholle says: "Verzage nicht, verzage nicht, warum spinnst du die Zahl am Tage nicht?" (Do not quail, do not quail, why do you not spin the number at day?)[2] Then she kills the children or takes them away.[1] That this won't happen the children will be warned by their parents when at evening the wind is howling in the stove: "Die Spillagritte kommt!" (The Spillagritte comes!)[1] Or they will have to listen to the following rhyme:[5]

Silesian German Standard German English
Spennt, Kendala, spennt, Spinnt, Kinderlein, spinnt, Spin, little children, spin,
De Spellalutsche kemmt; Die Spillalutsche kommt; The Spillalutsche comes;
Se guckt zu olla Löchlan rei, Sie guckt zu allen Löchlein rein, She peeks through all the little gaps,
Ebs Strânla watt bâle fertig sein. Ob das Strähnlein wird bald fertig sein. If the little strand will be finished soon.

The Spillaholle also scares people to death or walks abroad at forest tracks.[1] A less malicious activity of her is the causation of snow. When the Spillaholle shakes her bed, then it will snow.[2]

The Spindelholle's home lies beneath a rock in the woods, known as the Spillalutschenstein ("Spillalutsche's stone"). At night, seven lights can be seen above the Spillalutschenstein.[5] Normally, the Spillaholle appears solitarily, but as Popelhole, she is wed to the Popelmann, a German Silesian Bogeyman.[4] As Satzemsuse she has companions which are the Satzemkater (Kater = tomcat), the Satzemziege (Ziege = goat) and the Rilpen, a collectivity of wood sprites.[2] The Bohemian Frau Holle is accompanied by small deformed wights which she orders to beat outrageous spinsters with rods.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Marzell: Spillaholle. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 1 Aal-Butzemann. Berlin/New York 2000 p. 262.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Will-Erich Peuckert: Schlesische Sagen. Munich 1993, p. 263.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Marzell: Spillaholle. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 1 Aal-Butzemann. Berlin/New York 2000 p. 261.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Richard Beitl: Untersuchungen zur Mythologie des Kindes. Münster/New York/München/Berlin 2007, p. 136.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Richard Kühnau: Sagen aus Schlesien. Paderborn 2011, p. 27.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Josef Virgil Grohmann: Sagen-Buch von Böhmen und Mähren. Berlin 2013, p. 39.
  7. ↑ Will-Erich Peuckert: Schlesische Sagen. Munich 1993, p. 264.

Literature

  • Marzell: Spillaholle. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 8 Silber-Vulkan. Berlin 1937. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000, ISBN 978-3-11-016860-0)
  • Will-Erich Peuckert: Schlesische Sagen. Munich 1924. (reprint: Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Munich 1993, ISBN 3-424-00986-5)
  • Richard Kühnau: Sagen aus Schlesien. Berlin 1914. (reprint: Salzwasser Verlag, Paderborn 2011, ISBN 978-3-8460-0190-5)
  • Josef Virgil Grohmann: Sagen-Buch von Böhmen und Mähren. Prague 1863. (reprint: Holzinger, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-1-4849-7919-8)
  • Richard Beitl: Untersuchungen zur Mythologie des Kindes: herausgegeben von Bernd Rieken und Michael Simon. Partially approved: Berlin, University, habilitation treatise R. Beitl, 1933, Waxmann Verlag, Münster/New York/Munich/Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-8309-1809-7.
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