Hemann
A yelling spirit that punishes those who imitate its cries.
The Hemann is a spirit from German folklore known for scaring people through yelling, usually invisibly and at night. Its name often depicts the kind of yell heard from it. It appears in former German-speaking Bohemia, Silesia, the Upper Palatinate, the Fichtel Mountains, the Vogtland, Westphalia, and around Crailsheim in Baden-Württemberg.
Quick Facts
- Also known as
- Homann
- Hoymann
- Hoimann
- Jochhoimann
- Czech name
- Hejkadlo
- Typical yell
- he he! or he helfts!
- Origin
- Calls of owl, eagle owl, hoopoe, nightjar
Facts from the source article.
Characteristics and identity
The Hemann yells "he he!" or "he helfts!" and chases people without ever reaching them. If anyone imitates its yells, it will "aufhocken"—leap onto the person's back and force them to carry it. It is either a ghost, especially a Grenzfrevler (boundary sinner), or a field sprite offered the last sheaf of harvest. Occasionally it appears as a domestic spirit. Its origin likely lies in the calls of owls, the hoopoe, and the nightjar; in Silesia the owl is explicitly identified with the Hemann, and in the Upper Palatinate the raven is similarly identified.
Local variants
In the Upper Palatinate, the Hoymann or Hoimann haunts mountain forests alongside the Hemann. Its shout, like a coarse male voice or an owl, can be heard a quarter hour away, day and night but especially in autumn and Advent. It appears as a tall man in hunter's costume with a broad-brimmed hat or as a giant reaching the clouds, though it is usually heard rather than seen. Its identity is either an irredeemable poor soul or the devil. It punishes wood theft and imitation of its shout with aufhocken, leading astray, or a slap. The Hoimann accompanies the Wild Hunt. In Lower Lusatia, the Homann yells every noon at 12 p.m. and serves as a time indicator. In Northern Bohemia, the Hehmann dwells in cornfields and shrilly shouts "heh"; those who answer experience aufhocken as it leaps on their neck. In Switzerland, the Egelsee-Hüper invisibly haunts Lake Egelsee, yelling "hüp hüp!" at midnight. In Westphalia, the Ropenkerl shouts "hoho!" as an omen of bad weather; the Heitmännchen shouts "heit heit!" or "ju ju!", appears as a little blue flame, aufhocks if imitated, but helps with harvest when offered a sandwich; the Homännchen shouts from a cow herd, appearing briefly as a manikin in a gray camisole. In the Lechrain, the Hojemännlein are tiny green Kobolds inhabiting forests and dilapidated farms, dancing on grassless meadow patches. During Advent they yell "hoje!", do somersaults, and play good-natured tricks; their yelling sounds wistful and like heart-rending weeping, and they punish those who imitate their yells.
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