Watzmann and Wolpertinger: Cutest Bavarian Folklore

DISCLAIMER: Unlike my previous story about a certain Cucaracha who eats avocados and poops guacamole, these stories about Watzmann and Wolpertinger are real Bavarian folktales. I just retell them here because I think they are really nice and more people should know about them 🙂

Each country or region has its own beautiful folktales, fairy tales, myths and fantastic creatures. One of my future ambitions is to read as many folktales (from varied countries) as I can.

For the moment I would like to introduce you to a really-really cute and happy Bavarian duo: the Watzmann and the Wolpertinger.

Watzmann

Watzmann is the name of a real mountain located in the Bavarian Alps. But, in the Bavarian folklore, it is a very charismatic and funny mountain. Here it is a painting by Caspar David Friedrich of the Watzmann mountain between 1824 and 1825.

Wolpertinger

Wolpertinger, on the other hand, is a tiny animal, not real this time, a mixture between various forest animals. Usually, it either has the body of a duck or that of a rabbit, with feathers and different other funny characteristics. German artist Albrecht Dürer painted in 1502 a rabbit, the painting is named Young Hare and you’ve probably already heard of it – an exquisite painting. Someone, I don’t know who, recreated Dürer’s hare by adding some other animal features, thus depicting an adorable Wolpertinger. Here it is:

I always wonder how did the Bavarians came up with such bizare fantastic little animal. I imagine that a grandpa huntsman came home, late, and his nephew was just about to go to sleep, so the kid asked the grandpa to tell him what he had seen in the forest. So the grandpa, as he tucked in the kid, told him he saw a wonderful rabbit, with big teeth and beautiful fur. The kid was delighted and impressed and the grandpa continued with saying it had big feathers and a majestic pair of horns. So the nephew felt asleep, fascinated, dreaming about this wonderful creature. – Well, at least, this is how I imagine it happened.

There are many types of Wolpertinger, and in Germany there are even museum where you can see them. One of my favorite Wolpertinger is this one:

It is not as beautiful as the first one, but it seems really funny and ready to lead your way through the forest.

And, on top of this, in 2006 the german eurodance band K2 released this funny song, where the Watzmann sings and laughs, overseeing Wolpertinger and other creatures too, incuding… Johnny Depp!

These are the lyrics in German. They sound kind of different in the song because they are sung in Bayerisch:

heidi, enzian, ziegenpeter
stoiber, huber, mutzeneder
schweinsbratn und bier vom fass

obatzda und leberkas
radi, brezn, eiderdaus
weißwurst, knödel, hofbräuhaus
edelweiß und maier sepp
hypobank und johnny depp

drum gott mit dir du bayernland
amigo stadl trachtengwand
der watzmann lacht grad weil´s ihm gfreut
ein prosit der gemütlichkeit

was macht der watzmann in der nacht

der watzmann singt der watzmann lacht
was macht der watzmann in der nacht
der watzmann singt der watzmann lacht
was macht der watzmann in der nacht
der watzmann singt der watzmann lacht
was macht der watzmann in der nacht
der watzmann singt und lacht

schuhplattln und alphornblasn
fc bayern, fussballrasen
fesche dirndln, bauernspeck
ozapft is ei do verreck
gaudiburschn, jagertee
wolpertinger, pulverschnee
gerhard polt, karl valentin
edmund will net nach berlin
drum gott mit dir du bayernland
amigo stadl trachtengwand
der watzmann lacht grad weil´s ihm gfreut
ein prosit der gemütlichkeit

was macht der watzmann in der nacht
der watzmann singt der watzmann lacht
was macht der watzmann in der nacht
der watzmann singt der watzmann lacht
was macht der watzmann in der nacht
der watzmann singt der watzmann lacht
was macht der watzmann in der nacht
der watzmann singt und lacht

 

UPDATE:

I came across this image. I think it is the girl wolpertinger :). Of course, it doesn’t belong to german folklore, but it is really sweet. I might be a wolpertinger… lol.