Hackelberg's Dogs Tear a Woman Apart

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Geographic Coordinates: 54° 10' 15.27" N, 12° 57' 40.48" E

A man walked towards the forest when, suddenly, Hackelberg (Hâkelbârch) raced towards him and told him to hold his large, black dogs. The farmer agreed to this, for he knew that he would be killed himself if he defied Hackelberg. After he took the dogs’ chains into his hand, the Wild Huntsman asked him if he had encountered a woman recently. The farmer confirmed this, and furthermore indicated the direction into which she had gone. Then, Hackelberg hurriedly went away to pursue her.

It didn’t take long until he had brought back the woman alive, and he had tied her tightly on top of the horse. When he had arrived back at the man’s location, he encouraged him to pick up something between the forelegs of the horse as a reward. But the man replied that he didn’t need a reward for holding the dogs. Hackelberg was content with this, gave his thanks, took the dogs back, and rode into the forest.

The farmer followed from a distance and, when he was in the middle of the forest, he saw the corpse of the captured woman on the ground. She had been completely torn apart by Hackelberg’s dogs.

(Oral tale from Sievertshagen, Grimmen district.)

Source: Jahn - Volkssagen aus Pommern und Rügen, p. 8f