The Accursed Fiddler

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In the parish of Bröns, two miles to the south of Ripen, several girls and young people had gathered on a Sunday evening and had a strong desire to dance. But there was no fiddler present, and nobody had an idea about where they could get one. Upset, one of them finally said: “I shall fetch a musician somehow, even if it is the Devil himself,” and then he went out to try his luck.

As soon as he was out, he encountered an old man with a fiddle beneath his arm. They quickly came to an agreement, and the old one was introduced to the party. He started to play, and the young people began to dance. But the fiddler continued to pull his bow across the strings without pause, and the dancers danced without end, and nobody could stop. In the end, the preacher had to be fetched. He spoke some serious words to the musician, whereupon the latter vanished.

(From Herr Dr. Reimers in Gram.)

Source: Müllenhoff - Sagen Märchen und Lieder, p. 147

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Geographic Coordinates: 55° 11' 39.85" N, 8° 43' 40.12" E