At the “Wolf’s Hole”, the Melusine led the girl into the open gallery mountain where three monstrous giants lay armed with spear and armour and slept. Black dogs were sitting on the crates, who jumped off and in front of Melusine. The boxes were filled with money and Melusine promised the girl that if she would redeem them, everything would be his.

Melusine told the shepherd girl, “When you are 18 years old, you can redeem me, for I am cursed. Here at these 12 stones, a double fir tree had to sprout from a root first. And when this tree was 100 years old, two single young people had to cut it down on Wunibald’s Day. The strongest trunk was led down into the valley on a sledge “on Scrooge’s Day, and your cradle was made from the boards of this trunk”. Melusine met the shepherd girl many more times until finally the priest intervened and threatened her with church penance. Therefore, redemption did not come about. But whoever is pure from sins will ultimately redeem the Melusine with her treasures.

The twelve stones fell victim to the bulldozers and viticulture already several decades ago. The old fir trees on the way to St. Wendel are also no longer there, but on this map we can still find it as the shepherd girl with the Melusine once saw it.

Even somewhat younger than the Melusine legend is the legend of the “Black Knight on the Black Cross”. Between 1850 and 1860, the Zorn family from Bulach erected four black crosses on their estates, each facing a point of the compass. One was built on the crossroads above Bernhardsgrund, between Illental and Rohrbach. Legend has it that by the old pine tree and the black cross, Wendelinus pilgrims and hikers walking the path on dark eerie nights saw a black knight in medieval armour. The helmet visor was closed, no one ever saw his face. In his left hand he has a mighty black shield, in his right he holds a huge sword. If you dare to walk past the knight, you must expect him to lash out wildly with his sword, and when you come to after a moment’s shock, you see the light-enclosed figure of a wonderful beauty in the nearby corner of the forest. Those who experienced this were unable to move from their spot until the church bells were calling for the morning mass.

The Devil’s Stone from St. Wendelin is also very nicely marked on the map.

Links to the old tales (German): Der schwarze Ritter am schwarzen Kreuz Wu de Moospfaff übernachtet Der Michelewitsch Das siebte Buch Moses Auf den Spuren von Geistern und Melusinen Die Melusinensage von Schloss Staufenberg Die Wetterhexe Die drei Kisten Des Vogts Sohn von Staufenberg Die Zwingmesse