Curse and Blessing of the Wild Maidens
A long time ago, a herder drove his cattle to the Plösch for grazing. Then the Wild Maidens arrived, and one of these even sat down on the back of an ox and let herself be carried by it. But the herder, who was a coarse and callous man, drove the friendly spirits away with his whip. Then the Wild Maidens proclaimed a curse that no feed for the animals should grow in this area of the Plösch anymore. After this, they left the region and settled down in Johnsbach.
There, a Wild Maiden fell in love with the owner of a farming estate, one Paul Wolf. But this man was already married. However, the farmer’s wife — who knew how vengeful the Wild Maidens could be if their wishes were thwarted in any way — was smart and did not show any jealousy. To the contrary, she handed over all her rights to the Wild Maiden, and even acted as if she favored the relationship herself. When the Wild Maiden laid down in bed, and her beautiful, golden, shiny hair fell down to the floor in long strands of hair, the farmer’s wife carefully adjusted the cushion of the sleeping woman, lifted the hair up, and carefully and diligently put it beneath the blanket.
And the Wild Maiden was wholly grateful for all this, and during her farewells said: “As long as a Paul Wolf lives on this farm, the farm shall always have good fortune and blessings.”
And this has remained true until the current day.
Source: Krainz - Mythen und sagen aus dem steirischen Hochlande, p. 394