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Perchta orBerchta ('Bertha';German:[ˈpɛʁçta,ˈbɛʁçta]), also commonly known asPercht (German:[ˈpɛʁçt]) and other variations, was thought to be agoddess inAlpine paganism in the Upper German and also Austrian and Slovenian regions of theAlps. Her name may mean 'the bright one' or 'the bearer' (Old High German:beraht, bereht, fromProto-Germanic *berhtaz) and is probably related to the nameBerchtentag, meaning'the feast of the Epiphany'.Eugen Mogk provides an alternative etymology, attributing the origin of the namePerchta to theOld High German verbpergan, meaning 'hidden' or 'covered'.[1] The exact origin or time of origin is unknown.
Perchta is often identified as stemming from the sameGermanic goddess asHolda and other female figures of Germanic folklore (seeFrija-Frigg). According toJacob Grimm andLotte Motz, Perchta is Holda's southern cousin or equivalent, as they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts" and appear during theTwelve Days of Christmas, when they overseespinning.[2][3]
Grimm says Perchta or Berchta was known "precisely in those Upper German regions where Holda leaves off, in Swabia, in Alsace, in Switzerland, in Bavaria and Austria."[4]
Perchta had many different names depending on the era and region: Grimm listed the namesPerahta andBerchte as the main names (in his heading), followed byBerchta in Old High German, as well asBehrta andFrau Perchta. InBaden,Swabia,Switzerland and Slovenian regions, she was often calledFrau Faste (the lady of theEmber days) orPehta or 'Kvaternica', inSlovene. Elsewhere she was known asPosterli,Quatemberca andFronfastenweiber.[5]
The mother of theFranks emperorCharlemagne may have had a related albeit unwitted influence, as it did the Visigoth queenBrunhilda on her own, into its medieval folklore,Bertha or Berthrada was said to be of long and wide feet, in effect taller than her husband called precisely, Pippinthe Short and may have been the reason why Charlemagne inherited from her his unusual height.
In southernAustria, inCarinthia among the Slovenes, a male form of Perchta was known asQuantembermann, in German, orKvaternik, in Slovene (the man of the fourEmber days). Grimm thought that her male counterpart or equivalent isBerchtold.[6]
Regional variations of the name includeBerigl,Berchtlmuada,Perhta-Baba,Zlobna Pehta,Bechtrababa,Sampa,Stampa,Lutzl,Zamperin,Pudelfrau,Zampermuatta andRauweib.
In some descriptions, Perchta has twoforms; she may appear either as beautiful and white as snow like her name, or as elderly and haggard.
In many old descriptions, Perchta had one large foot, sometimes called a goose foot or swan foot. Grimm thought the strange foot symbolized her being a higher being who couldshapeshift to animal form. He noticed that Bertha with a strange foot exists in many languages (Middle German "Berhte mit dem fuoze", French "Berthe au grand pied", Latin "Berhta cum magno pede", Italian " Berta dai gran piè", title of a medieval epic poem of Italian area): "It is apparently aswan maiden's foot, which as a mark of her higher nature she cannot lay aside...and at the same time the spinning-woman's splayfoot that worked thetreadle".[7]
In the Tyrol, she appears as a little old woman with a very wrinkled face, bright lively eyes, and a long hooked nose; her hair is dishevelled, her garments tattered and torn.[8]
Initially, Perchta was the upholder of cultural taboos, such as the prohibition againstspinning on holidays.[9] In the folklore ofBavaria andAustria, Perchta was said to roam the countryside at midwinter, and to enter homes during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany (especially on theTwelfth Night). She would know whether the children and young servants of the household had behaved well and worked hard all year. If they had, they might find a small silver coin the next day, in a shoe or pail. If they had not, she would slit their bellies open, remove their stomach and guts, and stuff the hole with straw and pebbles. She was particularly concerned to see that girls had spun the whole of their allotted portion offlax or wool during the year.[8] She would also slit people's bellies open and stuff them with straw if they ate something on the night of her feast day, other than the traditional meal of fish and gruel.[4][8]
The cult of Perchta, under which followers left food and drink forFraw Percht and her followers in the hope of receiving wealth and abundance, was condemned in Bavaria in theThesaurus pauperum (1468)[citation needed] and byThomas Ebendorfer von Haselbach inDe decem praeceptis (1439).
Later canonical and church documents characterized Perchta as synonymous with other leading female spirits:Holda,Diana,Herodias,Richella andAbundia.[10]
Grimm thoughtHolda is her equivalent while theWeiße Frauen may derive directly from Berchta in her white form.
The wordPerchten is plural forPerchta, and this has become the name of her entourage, as well as the name of animal masks worn in parades and festivals in the mountainous regions of Austria. In the 16th century, the Perchten took two forms: Some are beautiful and bright, known as theSchönperchten ("beautiful Perchten"). These come during the Twelve Nights and festivals to "bring luck and wealth to the people." The others are theSchiachperchten ("ugly Perchten") who have fangs, tusks and horse tails for the driving out of demons and ghosts. Men used to dress up as the ugly Perchten during the 16th century and went from house to house driving out bad spirits.[11][12]
Sometimes,der Teufel is viewed as the mostschiach ("ugly")Percht andFrau Perchta as the mostschön ("beautiful")Perchtin.
Perchta is also the Queen of theHeimchen.[13]
According toJacob Grimm (1882), Perchta was spoken of inOld High German in the 10th century asFrau Berchta and thought to be a white-robed goddess who oversaw spinning and weaving, like the myths ofHolda. He believed she was the feminine equivalent ofBerchtold, and was sometimes the leader of theWild Hunt. However, John B. Smith disagrees and suggests that Perchta represents the personification of the feast of the Epiphany (Perchta's Day), and is therefore not pre-Christian.[14]
Perchta was also depicted in very well known Slovene filmKekec as 'teta Pehta', the old woman living in the mountains that supposedly steals children and knows how to use medicinal plants.
In contemporary culture, Perchta is portrayed as a "rewarder of the generous, and the punisher of the bad, particularly lying children".[14]
Today in Austria, particularlySalzburg, where she is said to wander throughHohensalzburg Castle in the dead of night,[15] the Perchten are still a traditional part of holidays and festivals (such as the CarnivalFastnacht). The wooden animal masks made for the festivals are today calledPerchten.[12]
In thePongau region of Austria large processions ofSchönperchten ("beautiful Perchten") andSchiachperchten ("ugly Perchten") are held every winter. Beautiful masks are said to encouraging financial windfalls, and the ugly masks are worn to drive away evil spirits.[16]
Other regional variations include theTresterer in the AustrianPinzgau region, the stilt dancers in the town ofUnken, theSchnabelpercht orSchnabelperchten ("trunked Percht") in theUnterinntal region and theGlöcklerlaufen ("bell-running") in theSalzkammergut. A number of largeski-resorts have turned the tradition into atourist attraction drawing large crowds every winter.
Media related toPerchta at Wikimedia Commons
