The Fiery Dragon in Riedheim

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Oral tale. Told to the author by a now-deceased daughter of the village teacher.)

All the people in Riedheim know that a fiery dragon flies around during the hours of the night, when everyone in the village is asleep. It twists into the openings of the attic storerooms, retrieves grains and other supplies, and then puts them into other storerooms.

One of the last few village teachers, who was also a carpenter, once had to work at his workbench deep into the night. After his light went out, he wanted to undress next to the window. Then he saw the fiery dragon. It had an elongated body, “large as a hay pole”, and was heavily loaded with goods, and it crawled into the chimney of the house on the opposite site.

There is a widespread belief that treasures are put into houses which the dragon visits, but these only belong to the second family succeeding the current one. Such a family making their home there will instantaneously own these treasures.

Notes: Compare with p. 3, “The Snake in the Jura Mountains”.

The bringing of money or grain is also ascribed to household spirits and kobolds. See for example Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie, p. 971; Daumer, Geheimnisse des christlichen Alterhtums II, p. 140ff; compare with the same source on p. 135. But to the Devil as well: “If there are tales about the Devil who brings his friends and favorites money or grain, then he appears in a form similar to that of benevolent household spirits or elves, and in such instances there is never any talk about signing over one’s soul, or denying God. Usually, he is seen as a fiery dragon rushing through the air and into chimneys. The people of the Lusatia tell of the grain dragon who fills the attic of its friend, of a milk dragon who fills the milk cellar of the innkeeper woman, and of a money dragon who brings wealth. Such a dragon can be attained in the following manner: Someone finds a threepenny coin lying somewhere. If they pick it up, a sixpence coin will lie on the same spot. And after each coin is taken, the value of these coins increases until a thaler is lying there. If someone is greedy enough to take the thaler as well, then a dragon will appear in their house. It demands respectful treatment and good food (like a household spirit). But if their host neglects to do so, it will ignite the very house above their heads.” Grimm, D. Mythologie, p. 971.

“If you take of the first fruits of the harvest, and lay out numerous grain stalks in a crosswise pattern in the four corners of the barn, then the dragon will be unable to fetch any of it.” Hundert Hausmittel u. Bauernregeln u.s.w. by Rabus, 1825, in Panzer’s Beitrag zur deutschen Mythologie, p. 261.

Source: Stöber - Die Sagen des Elsasses Zweite Ausgabe, p. 289f