Tatzelwurm

In the folklore of the Alpine region of south-central Europe, the Tatzelwurm (German: [ˈtatsl̩ˌvʊʁm]), Stollenwurm, or Stollwurm is a lizard-like creature, essentially a sort of dragon (see Germanic dragon), often described as having the face of a cat and a serpent-like body which may be slender or stubby. It is further described as having either four short legs or two forelegs with no hindlimbs, the latter a trait shared with many lindworms. Stories of essentially the same creature also exist in the folklore of South Sweden. The creature is sometimes said to be venomous, or to attack with poisonous breath (a common trait in dragons, see atter), and to make a high-pitched or hissing sound. Anecdotes describing encounters with the creature or briefly described lore about them can be found in several areas of Europe, including the Austrian, Bavarian, French, Italian and Swiss Alps. It has several other regional names, including Bergstutz, Springwurm, Praatzelwurm, and in French, arassas.

Nomenclature The name Tatzelwurm (Swiss German: Tazzelwurm) is not traditionally used in Switzerland, and the creature is usually known by the Swiss as Stollenwurm or Stollwurm ("tunnel worm" or "dragon of the mine-tunnels") in the Bernese Alps. The tunnel and underground motif can be found broadly elsewhere among Germanic dragons, like the lindworm, Fafnir and Nidhogg, the Swedish analogs, and flogdrake, among many more. Stollenwurm may also be interpreted to mean a "serpent" with "short, thick feet". Tatzelwurm was the term localized in Bavaria, Germany (with variants Daazlwurm and Praazlwurm) according to an early study. But Tatzelwurm later came into currency in Austria. Bergstutz, Birgstutz or Birgstuz'n ("mountain-stump") was the local name used in places in Austria such as the state of Styria, parts of the Tyrol, Salzburg and the Salzkammergut region, and some parts of Bavaria (specifically Berchtesgaden), according to early studies. The name was simply Stutzn in the valleys of the Traun and Alm rivers of Austria. Also the form linwurm (cf. German: lindwurm). In the French Alps, "arassas" was the applied name of the legendary cat-headed lizard. Slovenian forms include: Daadzelwurm, Hockwurm.

Description

In the anecdotes, Tatzelwurm or Stollenwurm has been described as resembling a stubby lizard measuring anywhere from 1-3 to 5-7 feet in length. and purportedly either two- or four-legged, or even six-legged. They have been described as having a cat-like face, especially in Switzerland. The Tatzelwurm of Austria and Bavaria is described as having poison breath, said even to be lethal. The Stollenwurm also has been characterized as poisonous in Swiss lore. Poison, specifically so called "atter", especially "attery breath", is a common trait in European dragons. The Tatzelwurm also allegedly issues a shrieking sound, whistles or hisses.

17th century accounts

An early description of dragon (Latin: draco) sightings in Switzerland was given by Johann Jacob Wagner in 1680, and replicated with copperplate illustrations of the beasts by Johann Jakob Scheuchzer in 1723. Even though Wagner had been the one to record the testimonies, the creatures were later dubbed "Scheuchzer's dragons", and were interpreted as Stollenwurm sightings by other commentators.

The anecdotes An anecdotal "cat-headed serpent" with a black-grey body and no legs was said to have been encountered by Johann[es] (Hans) and Thomas Tinner at a place locally known as "Hauwelen" on the mountain of Frümsen in the Barony of Altsax, Switzerland. It was alleged to measure 7 feet or more in length. Residents in the neighborhood were complaining that their cows' udders were being mysteriously sucked on but the incidents stopped after this creature was killed. A four-legged, cat-faced "mountain dragon" was described by one Andreas Roduner as something he encountered in 1660 on Mt. Wangersberg in Sarganserland (Landvogtei of Sargans), and when it reared up on its hind legs it became tall as a man, with boar-like bristles running down its back (pictured right). A creature like a four-legged lizard with a crest on its head, to give a later naturalist's description, was allegedly seen by Johannes Bueler of Sennwald Parish. A dragon with an enormous head and two forelimbs, was claimed to have been encountered by 70-year-old Johannes Egerter of Lienz on Mt. Kamor; when it exhaled its breath, the man said, he was overcome with headache and dizziness.

Later analysis and reception The naturalist Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre writing on the "history of dragons of the Alps" in 1887 explained that these creatures could all be identified as species of lizards or snakes (seemingly ignoring the cat-headed features). Dalla Torre considered these giant creatures of the past to have died out by his time, alongside the folk belief associated with them, but that the popular notion of the Tatzelwurm in his day lingered on as a "phantom" of those past legendary creatures. In contrast, Josef Freiherr von Doblhoff counted these early dragons among his "Tatzelwurm of old and now", the title of his 1896 paper. Although Wagner in the 17th century reported each Swiss monster sighted as a dragon, Studer in the early 19th century stated that the Alpine Swiss locals were generally unfamiliar with the names Drache or Lindwurm and knew only of Stollenwurm. Scheuchzer has been frequently ridiculed for his credulity in the dragons, evident in the tone of his work. The historian Peter H. Hansen notes however that, in an earlier piece of writing, Scheuchzer expressed skepticism in the material and comments that Newtonian scholars like him in this era had to maintain a posture of open-mindedness regarding nature, and that the modern distinction between "natural" and "supernatural" phenomena cannot strictly be imposed on the developing naturalism of the 18th century.

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