The Rider without a Head (Mückenloch)

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Geographic Coordinates: 49° 23' 16.00" N, 8° 51' 27.00" E

At the entrance of the Mückenloch Forest, the path leads across a bridge. After crossing that bridge, it is sometimes possible to see a man riding on a pale horse who carries his head beneath the arm like a hat. He pursues people he comes across and likes to lead them astray, but he cannot cross the ditch that is located nearby, and thus people are safe from him beyond it. He can also only leave the forest for a short stretch of the road, and vanishes at the large boundary stone where that stretch ends.

During his lifetime, he was a land surveyor who committed such frauds in this region that he now must haunt this area as a punishment.

Source: Schnezler - Badisches Sagen-Buch Zweite Abtheilung, p. 575f

Volume 01: Lurkers at the Threshold Note: This story was published in the book Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles Volume 01: Lurkers at the Threshold. Get the book for further context and explanatory commentary!