The Hare Woman of Zofingen

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Geographic Coordinates: 47° 17' 18.42" N, 7° 56' 41.89" E

There was a woman in Zofingen who was from a distinguished lineage that had immigrated to Switzerland from southern France. While transformed into a cat, she stole meat out of the town slaughterhouse, and in the shape of a hare, she stole the fruits from the field. A skilled marksman pursued this hare for a long time until he once managed to blast it on the head. Despite the verified hit, the hare still managed to escape, but since then this woman was one-eyed.

Once, the owner of an estate had let sheaves of grain become overly ripe. They were loaded up on a wagon near the town, and, due to the huge mob of poor girls who were eagerly surrounding it so that they could pick up the fallen grains, the harvest wagon was scarcely able to proceed. The surly owner harshly banished the children from his field. But now the wagon stood still on the spot as if it was bewitched, and the bulls did not want to move further. Because it was feared that something evil was afoot, the people helped themselves with an old custom: An odd spoke was broken out of one of the wheels, and indeed the wagon then drove onwards. But since that time, the above-mentioned one-eyed woman from Zofingen also developed a limp.

Note: In the same manner, a spoke is broken out of a wheel of a cart which sank into the ground, but then the carter himself had to step into its place: See Section III, nr. 145, “Wildjäger am Tegernbache”.

Source: Rochholz - Schweizersagen aus dem Aargau Zweiter Band, p. 59