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Analp (German:[alp]; pluralalpe oralpen) is a supernatural being inGerman folklore.
Alp is sometimes likened to avampire, but its behavior is more akin to that of theincubus. It is distinct from both of these creatures in that it wears a magic cloak called aTarnkappe, from which it draws its powers. The wordAlp is the German form of the word that comes into English aself, both descended fromCommon Germanic. It is also known by the following names:trud,mar,mart,mahr,schrat, andwalrider. Many variations of the creature exist in surrounding European areas, such as thedrude or, in theBritish Isles, the Old Hag, related to now commonly recognizedsleep paralysis.
In the period before about 1000, theOld High German wordalp is attested only in a small number ofglosses. It is defined by theAlthochdeutsches Wörterbuch as a "nature-god or nature-demon, equated with theFauns of Classical mythology ... regarded as eerie, ferocious beings ... As themare he messes around with women".[1] Accordingly, the German wordAlpdruck (literally 'elf-oppression') means 'nightmare'. There is also evidence associating elves with illness, specifically epilepsy.[2]
In a similar vein, elves are inMiddle High German most often associated with deceiving or bewildering people "in a phrase that occurs so often it would appear to be proverbial: 'die elben/der alp trieget mich' (the elves/elf is/are deceiving me)".[3] The same pattern holds in Early Modern German.[4][5] This deception sometimes shows the seductive side apparent in English and Scandinavian material:[2] most famously, the early thirteenth-centuryHeinrich von Morungen's fifthMinnesang begins "Von den elben virt entsehen vil manic man / Sô bin ich von grôzer lieber entsên" ("full many a man is bewitched by elves / thus I too am bewitched by great love").[6]Elbe was also used in this period to translate words for nymphs.[7]
In the later medieval prayers, Elves appear to be threatening, even demonic, force. Evidence includes Latin prayers found inscribed in lead amulets from southern Scandinavia andSchleswig.[8] The most famous is the fourteenth-centuryMünchener Nachtsegen, a prayer to be said at night, which includes the lines:[9]
- alb vnde ł elbelin
- Ir sult nich beng' bliben hin
- albes svestir vn vatir
- Ir sult uz varen obir dē gatir
- albes mutir trute vn mar
- Ir sult uz zu dē virste varē
- Noc mich dy mare druche
- Noc mich dy trute zciche
- Noc mich dy mare rite
- Noc mich dy mare bescrite
- Alb mit diner crummen nasen
- Ich vorbithe dir aneblasen
- elf, or also little elf,
- you shall remain no longer (readinglenger)
- elf's sister and father,
- you shall go out over the gate;
- elf's mother,trute and mare,
- you shall go out to the roof-ridge!
- Let the mare not oppress me,
- let thetrute not pinch me (readingzücke),
- let the mare not ride me,
- let the mare not mount me!
- Elf with your crooked nose,
- I forbid you to blow on [people]
Correspondingly, in theearly modern period, elves are described inNorthern Germany as doing the evil bidding of witches;Martin Luther believed his mother to have been afflicted in this way.[10]
As in Old Norse, however, there are few characters identified as elves. An elf does appear in an account of the parentage of the heroHagen (ON Högni) which survives only in the Old NorseÞiðreks saga but which was translated from a German text (now lost).[11] Here, Hagen is the product of his mother Oda being impregnated by an elf (ONálfr) while she lies in bed. Otherwise, it seems likely that in the German-speaking world, elves were to a significant extent conflated withdwarves (Middle High German:getwerc).[12] Thus some dwarves that appear in German heroic poetry have been seen as relating to elves, especially when the dwarf's name isAlberich, which etymologically means 'elf-powerful'[13] (thusJacob Grimm thought that the name echoed the notion of the king of the nation of elves or dwarves).[14][15] The Alberich in the epicOrtnit is a dwarf of childlike-stature who turns out to be the real father of the titular hero, having raped his mother.[16] TheAlberich who aids Ortnit is paralleled by the FrenchAuberon, who aidsHuon de Bordeaux and whose name derives fromAlberich.[17] Auberon entered English literature throughLord Berner's translation of thechanson de geste around 1540, then asOberon, the king of elves andfairies in Shakespeare'sA Midsummer Night's Dream (see below).
As the apparent convergence with dwarves suggests, the wordalp declined in use in German after the medieval period, though it still occurs in some fossilised uses, most prominently the word for "nightmare",Alptraum ("elf-dream").[18] Variations of the German elf in later folklore include themoss people[19] and theWeiße Frauen ("White Women").[20] In Teutonicmyth and folklore,Alpe were considered friendly elf-like beings which lived in the mountains, but eventually turned more negative and malevolent. The characteristic magic that theAlpe possess also bear the creature much resemblance to theKobold, particularlyHodekin. As in English, however, twentieth-century fantasy fiction has helped to reinvigorate the term.J. R. R. Tolkien recommended using the older German formElb in his "Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings" (1967) andElb, Elben was consequently introduced in the 1972German translation ofThe Lord of the Rings, having a role in repopularising the form in German.[21]
AnAlp is typically male, while themara andmart appear to be more feminine versions of the same creature. Its victims are often females,[22][23] whom it attacks during the night, controlling their dreams and creating horrible nightmares (hence the German wordAlptraum ["elf-dream"], meaning a nightmare). AnAlp attack is called anAlpdruck, or oftenAlpdrücke, which means "elf-pressure".Alpdruck is when anAlp sits astride a sleeper's chest and becomes heavier until the crushing weight awakens the terrified and breathless dreamer. The victim awakes unable to move under theAlp's weight. This may have been an early explanation forsleep apnea andsleep paralysis, as well asnight terrors. It may also includelucid dreams.
Sexual attacks by theAlp are rare.[24]
TheAlp is often associated with vampires because it will drink blood from the nipples of men and young children,[25] though women are the preferred victim of the invariably maleAlp, for it favors the taste ofbreast milk.
Alpe also exhibit a tendency for mischief similar to elves, like souring milk and re-diapering a baby; a maid mustsign a cross on the diaper or theAlp will put the soiled diaper back on her child.[26] They also enjoy tangling hair into "elfknots" or chewing and twisting horse's tails. They will ride a horse to exhaustion during the night and may sometimes crush smaller farm animals such as geese to death during a pressing attack.Alpe are also similarly blamed for minor illnesses and milking cows dry, for they enjoy the taste of cow's milk as well.
TheAlp, in many cases, is considered ademon, but there have been some instances in which theAlp is created from the spirits of recently dead relatives, more akin to a spirit or ghost.Children may become anAlp if a woman bites ahorse collar to ease the pain during an extremely long and tortuous childbirth. Also, a child born with acaul} or hair on the palms may become anAlp. If a woman who is pregnant is frightened by an animal, the child may be born anAlp. Stillborn infants are also suspected to return from the grave asAlpe and torment their family. People who have eyebrows that meet are suspected to beAlpe.[27]As with the case of werewolves, sometimes a normal human or animal may become anAlp during the night. They are typically unaware of their nocturnal activities and are invariably in disguise while doing so. Finding anAlp while it is not active simply requires injuring or otherwise marking it during one of its attacks, and seeking out the being with a similar mark during the day. The person can then be cured if it is found out who sent them the curse, or how they became cursed to begin with.Witchcraft is often the prime suspect in this case.[23]
Sometimes anAlp is a spirit summoned by a witch or an evil person wishing harm on another, and sent to torment them. Tricking anAlp may lead a person to its master.
TheAlp is best known for itsshapeshifting abilities, similar to the creatures fromwerewolf lore. It may change into acat,pig,dog,snake or a small whitebutterfly.[25] It has also been said that it can fly like abird and ride ahorse. TheAlp always wears a hat, giving it an almost comical appearance.[22][24][25] The hat is known as aTarnkappe[25] (the literal translation being "camouflage cap" or "cap of concealment") which is simply a hat (or less commonly aveil) that gives theAlp magic powers and the ability to turninvisible while worn (see alsocloak of invisibility). The hat is visible no matter what shape theAlp takes. AnAlp who has lost this hat will offer a great reward for its safe return.[22] TheAlp also possesses an "evil eye" whose gaze will inflict illness and misfortune. Removing or damaging this eye also removes theAlp's malicious intentions.
Protections against anAlp include laying a broomstick under apillow, ironhorseshoes hung from the bedpost, placing shoes against the bed with the toes pointing toward the door, or placing amirror on the chest. Steel and crosses are also used. If awoken by theAlp and finding him still there, one can address him by asking him to return in the morning to borrow something or have coffee. TheAlp will dash away at once, arriving in the morning either in his "true" form, or else in the form of a human with eyebrows that meet to receive his gifts. The creature can be convinced to leave the victim alone at this time, but theAlp will beg pitifully and at length not to be turned away. Plugging up any holes, specifically keyholes, before a visitation will keep theAlp out. Plugging them during a visitation will invariably seal it inside the room, as they can leave only through their original entrance. A light kept constantly on during the night will also effectively ward off anAlp. A sentry may also be employed to wait and watch for theAlp to attack the helpless sleeper, theAlp may be driven away if caught by someone not under theAlp's influence. Similar to the German Neuntoter,Alpe are weakened or immobilized by shoving a lemon in its mouth should it be caught resting during the day. TheAlp appears all but impossible to kill, and sometimes even after being turned away it may reappear years later in a worse mood.[25]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)): "Swen der alp triuget, rouchet er sich mit der verbena, ime enwirret als pald niht;" meaning: 'When analp deceives you, fumigate yourself withverbena and the confusion will soon be gone'. The editor glossesalp here as "malicious, teasing spirit" (German:boshafter neckende geist)
