The Gütel (sg., pl.) is a variant of and synonym for the Kobold in
German folklore. Originating in the
Middle High German term gütelgüttel (= little god) signifying an
idol, the name was later connected with the adjective gut = good.[1]
Dialectal variants of the name Gütel are Gütchen, Gütgen, Güdgen, Güetel, Gietel, Gitel, Gidl, Gidle, Göthel,[1] and Jütel (sg., pl.; alternate pl. Jüteln). Further corruption of its name and confusion with the word Jude =
Jew made the Gütel a Jüdel, Jüdelchen, Jüdchen, Jüdgen (all diminutives of Jew), Jülchen or, through further derivation, Hebräerchen (diminutive of Hebräer =
Hebrew) in
Thuringia,
Saxony, and
Lower Lusatia.[3] Another name from the
Vogtland and the
Ore Mountains is Heugütel (
hayGütel), in dialect variously given as Heigidl, Heigidle, Heigitel, Hagitel, and Haagitel.[4]
Identity, appearance and dwelling
The Gütel appear in the Vogtland and the Ore Mountains as
domestic sprites or the
souls or deceased children.[2] The same is true for the Heugütel of the same regions which, despite appearing as a bearded old manikin inhabiting the
hayloft (hence the name), really is the soul of a child who died unbaptized,[4] though it can also appear colored black.[5] For this reason
newborn children have to be
baptized soon so that they don't become Heugütel. Thus it is not surprising when the
footprints left behind in
ash by the Heugütel are like that of little children.[4]
The Gütel or Gütchen also dwells inside the
stove.[6]
In Lower Lusatia, the Gütel are Erdmännlein (sg., pl.; earth manikins), i.e.
dwarves.[2] The same is said about the Jüdel.[7]
The Gütel usually is a good-natured, obliging, and child-friendly household spirit, while the rather malicious Jütel or Jüdel tends to torment
domestic animals and
children. The characteristics blend into each other, though. The connection between the Gütel and Jews is purely dialectal in its origin[3] and by no means is the Jüdel any worse than many other
legendary creatures, although a certain underlying historical
anti-Semitic sentiment can clearly be seen.
The Heugütel is a swift little helper in house and stable. It particularly likes to cradle the children to sleep and dallies with the child in its sleep.[4]
The Jüdel, Jütel or Gütgen teases the little children in their sleep making them restless, and it also causes them various diseases such as
chills and ague,
seizures, and
measles.[9] Seizures in particular are caused by the Gietel playing with the child.[10] Women in childbirth are also in jeopardy.[9]
Often it is already enough to distract the spirit with various amusements such as some bathing water left over placed on the stove inside a little pot for the Gütel to dabble with. Eggshells and playing cards hung on the crib or bow and arrows placed in the cellar and barn are also for the Gütel to play with.[9]
It can be kept away, though, by greasing the stove door with a bacon rind or by lacing a straw from the bed of the woman in childbirth at every door.[9] In Saxony, the Jüdel is driven away by a gift of new clothes.[11] A gift of clothing also drives the usually half-naked benign Heugütel away,[12] and with it also the blessing on the house.[4] Furthermore, the Heugütel only stays in houses where the inhabitants are pious and live a
Christian life.[13]
If somebody has already fallen ill, or if at night a loud, heavy plunge was heard which, according to belief in the Ore Mountains, is an
omen of impending
death, then the Gütgen is offered animals as
sacrifice which it kills instead. The offerings are as follows: a cock for a man, a sow for a woman, a goat for the person actually offering the animal, or hens for children.[14]
At
night, the Jütel or Jüdel enters the
stable and plays with the
cows until they growl and harasses the
horses until they wildly bite and kick around. Jüdel and Güttichen also like to tangle the manes of horses and hair of women. The resulting
Polish plait is thus called Jüdenzopf (Jew plait) or Güttichen Zopf (Gütel plait).[15] From this activity of knotting hair together, in
Upper Saxony the Gütel is also known as Haargütel in
Standard German and Hoorgitel in dialect.[16] Both terms mean "hair Gütel".
In Saxony, a Jütel, Jüdchen or Mützchen (little cap (wearer)) is attested once to practice "aufhocken" (leaping upon a person's back and forcing them to carry the aufhocking spirit), tormenting lonesome travelers until they are faint, out of breath, and ill due to that experience. This Hockelmännchen (aufhocking manikin) appears in the woods.[2]
Literature
Bächtold-Stäubli: Krampf. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias. Berlin 1933. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Burren: Gütel, Gütchen; Jütel, Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin 1931. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Burren: Haargütel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin 1931. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Burren: Heugütel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin 1931. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Burren: Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern. Berlin 1932. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Jungbauer: Kleid. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern. Berlin 1932. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Jungwirth: Kobold. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias. Berlin 1933. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Mengis: schwarz. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 7 Pflügen-Signatur. Berlin 1936. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
Ranke: Irrlicht. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern. Berlin 1932. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
von Geramb: Ofen. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 6 Mauer-Pflugbrot. Berlin 1935. (reprint: Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2000,
ISBN978-3-11-016860-0)
References
^
abcBurren: Gütel, Gütchen; Jütel, Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1233.
^
abcdeBurren: Gütel, Gütchen; Jütel, Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1234.
^
abBurren: Gütel, Gütchen; Jütel, Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1234 f.
^
abcdeBurren: Heugütel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1822.
^Mengis: schwarz. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 7 Pflügen-Signatur. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1434.
^von Geramb: Ofen. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 6 Mauer-Pflugbrot. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1189.
^Burren: Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 833.
^Ranke: Irrlicht. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 782.
^
abcdBurren: Gütel, Gütchen; Jütel, Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1235.
^Bächtold-Stäubli: Krampf. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 372.
^Jungbauer: Kleid. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1483.
^Jungbauer: Kleid. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 4 Hieb- und stichfest-Knistern. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1480, 1483.
^Jungwirth: Kobold. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 5 Knoblauch-Matthias. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 46.
^Burren: Gütel, Gütchen; Jütel, Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1235 f.
^Burren: Gütel, Gütchen; Jütel, Jüdel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1236.
^Burren: Haargütel. In: Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli, Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer: Handwörterbuch des Deutschen Aberglaubens: Band 3 Freen-Hexenschuss. Berlin/New York 2000, p. 1289.