Suppose you’re a young Bavarian man in the 1800s. You see a beautiful young woman, and you want to get to know her a little better. How do you get her to take a walk in the woods with you? You could tell her, “Let me show you my Wolpertinger.”
I admit, it’s a poor pick-up line.
So, what is a Wolpertinger? This legendary creature of the Bavarian forests looks like a cross between a rabbit and a deer, and catching one is a lot like a snipe hunt. Sit down and enjoy the Legend of the Wolpertinger!
Rainer Zenz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This image was created by Rainer Zenz, who modified Albrecht Dürer’s famous “Young Hare” painting.
The Legend of the Wolpertinger
You’ll find them in drinking establishments and even museums in Bavaria. Odd-looking taxidermized creatures that resemble a rabbit with horns (and wait, are those wings??). That’s the Wolpertinger. The legend of the Wolpertinger starts with two star-crossed lovers, a hare and a roebuck. Their offspring is a strange-looking creature that comes right out of a mad scientist’s laboratory. But it doesn’t end there! Other forest animals saw how much the roebuck and hare loved each other, and they started their own families. Today, the Wolpertinger /Wolperdinger / Volpertinger could have parts from up to five animals! A rabbit’s head with deer antlers, maybe pheasant legs and duck wings. Some have a squirrel’s body. The wildness of its appearance depends entirely on a taxidermist’s imagination.
Because, this legend of the Wolpertinger was all a fun joke to play on tourists, drunks, and gullible young people. (If you’ve ever been on a Snipe hunt, you know).
Wolpertinger – German Folklore Art Print
The legends grew, as legends do, and the Wolpertinger gained some mystical attributes.
If its saliva came into contact with your skin, you would grow hair on that spot! Worse, there was no way to get rid of the hair (fine for your head, horrible for your palm) for 7 years when it would magically fall out.
The Wolpertinger sprayed a horrible stink, like a skunk, but no soap could wash it off, and no perfume could cover it. You live with the rancid smell for 7 years when it magically disappears.
gemeinfrei. anonym, aber 1836 veröffentlicht, Urheber MUSS also mehr als 70 Jahre verstorben sein., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
How do you catch sight of a Wolpertinger?
Similar to unicorns, Wolpertingers revealed themselves to beautiful young women by the light of a full moon. BUT! Only if the “right” man was with her. For protection? Probably not. Wolpertingers are mostly harmless and live on roots, herbs, and insects. There have been no reports of Wolpertiners fatally harming humans.
But a crafty man could catch a Wolpertinger, provided he set up his trap just right! All you need is a sack, a stick to hold the sack open, a lit candle to lure the Wolpertinger, and a shovel to push it into the sack. Or! If you get close enough, you could put salt on its tail.
(The legend isn’t clear about what happens then. Maybe you can grab it when it stops to shake the salt off?)
User:Gerhard Elsner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wolpertingers, Rasselbocks, Dilldapps, and Jackalopes
Bavarian Hunters spread rumors of the Wolpertinger in pubs and Gasthauses. And the taxidermists prepared creatures to help promote the myth. Tourists of the time were taken in by the stories and headed out to the woods to catch the elusive horned rabbit (who says Germans don’t have a sense of humor?) And some of them bought a taxidermied Wolpertinger to take home, spreading the story.
You’ll find similar stories about creatures like this around Germany. The Rasselbock (male) and Rasselgeiß (female) of Thuringia, and the Dilldapp of Wissen are other rabbit deer hybrids. And some of you may be familiar with the Jackalope of America’s Southwest. These local stories trick tourists or newcomers into a hunt for the elusive creatures.
Aside- In Wissen, there was an elaborate prank involving a slightly inebriated newcomer who believed the locals who told him that Dilldapp fur is priceless. He went out to hunt for one and was “caught” by the game warden for poaching. The game warden was a local from the pub who was in on the gag. When arrested, the young hunter protested his innocence and handed over an empty bag. The guys from the bar secretly hid a cat in the bag, and the game warden handed it back. Saying LOOK! When the guy opens the bag, a cat jumps out, and everyone falls to the ground laughing. (Again, who says that Germans don’t have a sense of humor?)
What is a Wolpertinger, really?
Chances are the Wolpertinger is just a rabbit infected with the “shope Pappiloma virus,” which affects certain species of rabbits and hares. It’s a horrible affliction because it causes carcinomas to sprout on the rabbit’s head and neck that look like horns. I imagine that seeing one in the wild frightened more than one hunter.
Today, you can still invite people on Wolpertinger hunts. If they are skeptical, assure them they aren’t just Gasthaus décor; there’s one on display at the Hunting and Fishing Museum in Munich!
Or better! You can visit the Wolpertinger Museum in Mittenwald (although, according to the map, it looks like there is a Brewery on that spot. I believe this might be another Wolpertinger-Hunt)
The Wolpertinger art prints in various sizesPostcard Artprint: WolpertingerWolpertinger Cryptid Enamel PinHand-Lettered Wolpertinger StickerWolpertinger Plush
References
Wolpertinger: Was wirklich hinter dem bayerischen Fabelwesen steckt
GMX Wie entstand die Fabelfigur des Wolpertingers?
Der Dilldapp, das Wissener Fabelwesen