Death-Ghost

In Schwatz and Innsbruck, they speak of a ghost that appears when death is near.
At first, it is small.
Then it grows, taller and taller, until it stands as high as a house.
It wanders the streets without sound.
And if it stops at a window
and looks inside,
someone in that house
will die.

Todes-Gespenst

Erasm. Francisci höll. Proteus S. 419. u. 1044.

Zu Schwatz und Innsbruck in Tirol läßt sich zur Sterbenszeit ein Gespenst sehen, bald klein, bald groß, wie ein Haus. Zu welchem Fenster es hinein schaut, aus demselben Hause sterben die Leute.

Deutsche Sagen (Grimm, 1816)

This reading is an adaptation based on a traditional folk account recorded in the 19th century. The language and structure were shaped for oral transmission.

Original photography by Branimir Balogović. Manipulated by Ashmore under the Unsplash License.