The Mermaid's Curse.

Country of Origin: Austria
Original Language: German
Published in: Sagen aus Österreich
Published by: Ueberreuter

The Mermaid's Curse. In bygone days – it’s been so long ago that nobody exactly remembers when this story happened – there was a cheery people of mermaids and water fairies dwelling in the clear waters of Lake Neusiedlersee. Once in a while they were spotted by humans who told all sorts of fantastical stories about them.
Back in those days there was an old fisherman living at the lakeside who was quite a bit of a scrooge. Every day he cast his nets and in the evenings he returned to his hut with nature’s rich bounty. Selling his fish for a good profit he accumulated money day by day and before soon was a wealthy man. And yet he complained and whined about each and every net that wasn’t quite filled to the bursting point. That’s the way it is: some people just never get enough! And our dear fisherman definitely was one of that sort: the more money he owned the greedier he got.
However, gradually the fish population of the lake sunk and the fisherman blamed it on the mermaids and water fairies. “They’re such useless creatures!” he lamented. “I really wonder why on earth they should exist at all. All they do is scaring away the fish with their unnecessary hustling and bustling!” Like that he went on ranting and called them names.
One day he got on his boat and rowed along the lakeside as he suddenly saw a gracious creature in a bay that vainly tried to run from him. He drew closer and saw that it was a beautiful mermaid that was trapped in one of his nets which she’d already torn at a few places. “Help me to get out of this net!” the mermaid pleaded. I’m already trapped here for seven days and seven nights and I just can’t get free. My children desparately need me!”
The fisherman, however, didn’t hear her pleas. He was just angry because the mermaid had torn his net and scared away the fishes. Furiously he struck her down with his fork and killed her. The moment the mermaid died, she cursed the fisherman: never again should he be able to return to his family, she screamed.
Unmoved by the mermaid’s curse, the fisherman hauled in his net, laughing. But suddenly the sky darkened, black clouds covered the sun turning day into night and the lake’s surface started to tremble. The thunderstorm started so abruptly that the fisherman couldn’t return to the lakefront in time anymore. Head-high waves drew his boat far out to the middle of the lake.
On silent evenings, when layers of mist cover the reeds of Lake Neusiedlersee, you can hear distant burbling and splattering. It’s the cursed fisherman who tries to reach the lakeside. But no matter how hard he tries – his boat won’t move and so he never manages to get back.

Bearsmill.

Country of Origin: Austria
Original Language: German
Published in: Sagen aus Österreich
Published by: Ueberreuter

Bearsmill. In former times, as the population of Wieden, one of the districts of Vienna that lay nearby the city moat, was still very sparse – only few single houses stood among the many wide vineyards – it happened pretty often that around wintertime hungry wolves, yes, sometimes even bears were sighted near the city wall. And it wasn’t uncommon at all that those beasts came quite close which caused a great deal of anxiety amongst the citizens of Vienna.
As the legend would have it, a mighty black bear once came to a mill at the River Wien called “Heiligengeistmuhle” on a freezing winter night and attacked the miller who’d just come out the door. The miller was a sturdy man and defended himself ferociously against the shaggy attacker but in the end Master Bruin got the better of him and knocked the miller down with a mighty blow from one of his paws. Filled with fear, the miller started screaming for help.
One of his helpers, who’d been in a room at the top floor of the mill, heard the miller’s screams, opened the window and saw the raging beast that had wrestled down his master. Instant help was needed – he had no time to run down the stairs. So he didn’t lose a second and foolhardily jumped out of the window, landing on the bear’s back in a sitting position – just like a rider on his horse.
With all his might he wrapped his strong arms around the bear’s throat and started throttling it until the bear abandoned his victim to get rid of that annoying guy riding on its back. The miller crawled out under the bear and with the help of some other strong blokes that had come running after hearing the miller’s cries for help, he managed killing the beast.
Of course the miller thanked his helper and offered him a respectable reward but the lad wouldn’t hear of it because in his opinion he’d only been doing his duty. So he didn’t take any money but only asked for the bear’s skin. Naturally he was granted that wish and the lad had a peltmonger make a coat out of it which he wore for the rest of his life. That way, according to the legend, he got the name “Bearskinner”.
The miller who’d been rescued, however, had a picture of the bear painted which he hung up above the front door of his mill and so the mill soon was commonly known as “Bearsmill”.

The Bacon Flitch on the Red Tower.

Country of Origin: Austria
Original Language: German
Published in: Sagen aus Österreich
Published by: Ueberreuter

The Bacon Flitch on the Red Tower. At the gates of the Red Tower in Vienna all the roads from the fertile North met to go into the capital. Every day hundreds of wagons and pedestrians passed through and it often involved some pushing and shoving to get inside or outside the city. The rather simple-minded country bumpkins who came by smiled each time they passed the gates for there was a bacon flitch carved out of wood that hung down from the tower which almost looked like a real one so that your mouth would start watering at its sight. Below that flitch of bacon, however, there was an inscription that didn’t contribute much to the honour of the people of Vienna. The verse read:
If there is only a single man,
Who with no guilty conscience can,
Call good and happy his married life,
And who doth not fear his wife -,
He may take this flitch and thrive.
For decades the bacon flitch remained on the tower, got dusty and gray with age and not a single man in Vienna felt up to taking the challenge and claiming it – it really seemed that all people of Vienna feared their wives. One day, however, one man turned up at the city council and proclaimed that he was the single and unchallenged master of his household, that he therefore had the right to claim the bacon flitch and that it was about time that this disgrace to all men be removed for good!
The councillors had no objections and so the necessary preparations for the removal of the bacon flitch were taken. The word spread quickly and by the announced time for the removal a big crowd had gathered at the Red Tower.
Soon a ladder was put up and proudly and confidently, the unchallenged master of his household began climbing the rungs in order to remove this disgrace to all men. However, as he reached the middle of the ladder he started examining the trophy, shook his head and quickly climbed down again. There he stood in front of the people and exclaimed: “That flitch is completely dusty and dirty! Dear fellows, I’m wearing my best clothes and I really can’t get them all dirty. My wife would be furious! Come on, let someone else climb the ladder first to clean that flitch!”
After those words it was dead silent for a moment, then the crowd burst out laughing and the heroic “master of his household” ashamedly backed down and disappeared through the gates.
The flitch of bacon remained at the gates for many more years. The legends know of nobody else who would have claimed it and only as the Red Tower was destroyed, the bacon flitch and the inscription, to the great joy of all husbands in Vienna, disappeared with it.

Pech gehabt!

Country of Origin: UK
Original Language: English
Published in: Urban Legends
Published by: Reclam

Pech gehabt! Es war am Geburtstag des Chefs, als seine Sekretärin ihn aus heiterem Himmel zu sich in ihre Wohnung einlud, um nach der Arbeit noch etwas mit ihm zu trinken. Sie war eine gutaussehende Frau und der Chef hatte sich schon immer zu ihr hingezogen gefühlt, obwohl keiner von den beiden je irgendwelche Annäherungsversuche gemacht hatte.
Natürlich dachte er, dass dies nun eine Anmache sei und ging mit ihr mit. Leider hatte er allerdings ihre Absichten völlig missverstanden. Als sie ihm also einen großen Whiskey einschenkte und sagte, dass sie schnell nebenan ins Schlafzimmer müsse, um etwas zu erledigen, war er schon voller Erwartung. Schnell entschlossen zog er sich komplett aus und wartete auf ihre Rückkehr.
Und so stand er da, nackt bis auf die Socken, als plötzlich seine Frau, seine Kinder, seine Freunde und Kollegen mit einer großen Torte in den Händen hereinplatzten und aus voller Kehle „Happy Birthday“ sangen...

Das Testament.

Country of Origin: UK
Original Language: English
Published in: Urban Legends
Published by: Reclam

Das Testament. Eine Frau war einmal in der Madison Avenue in New York einkaufen, als sie plötzlich dringend aufs WC musste. In keinem der Geschäfte konnte sie eines finden und so ging sie zu einem Bestattungsunternehmen, dem einzigen anderen öffentlichen Ort in der Nähe, und benützte dort das WC.
Beim hinausgehen kam sie an einem verdunkelten, mit Blumen geschmückten Raum vorbei in dessen Mitte ein offener Sarg mit dem Körper eines toten Mannes darin stand. Weit und breit war niemand in Sicht.
Da sie die Toilette so still und heimlich benutzt hatte, hatte sie doch ein wenig schlechtes Gewissen und so schrieb sie sich in das Gästebuch ein.
Nicht viel später bekam sie dann einen Anruf vom Anwalt des toten Mannes, welcher ihr mitteilte, dass der Verstorbene sehr reich gewesen war und verfügt hatte, dass $10000 unter allen auf dem Begräbnis Anwesenden aufgeteilt werden sollten. Die Frau war die Einzige gewesen, die sich ins Gästebuch eingetragen hatte.

Der Todes-Pulli.

Country of Origin: UK
Original Language: English
Published in: Urban Legends
Published by: Reclam

Der Todes-Pulli. Dies ist eine wahre Geschichte und passierte meiner Schwägerin. Eines Tages ging sie zu Klein’s Department Store in Maryland in Amerika einkaufen. Dort sah sie, dass Pullover im Ausverkauf waren und probierte einige an. Plötzlich spürte sie ein Zwicken im Arm, dachte aber, dass es bloß das Preisschild gewesen war. Auf jeden Fall kümmerte sie sich nicht weiter darüber. Später am Nachmittag jedoch begann ihr Arm zu jucken, schwoll an und wurde feuerrot und am Abend fühlte sie sich bereits sehr schwach. Ihr Mann brachte sie ins Krankenhaus, wo sie als kritischer Fall eingestuft wurde und um die Ursache für ihren Zustand herauszufinden, versuchte man, ihren Tagesablauf zu rekonstruieren.
Es stellte sich bald heraus, dass es das Zwicken des Pullovers gewesen war. Die Pullover waren aus Japan importiert worden und irgendwie war es einer Schlange gelungen, in einer der Kisten ein Nest zu bauen. Aus den Eiern waren ihre winzigen Jungen ausgeschlüpft und hatten sich in den Pullovern versteckt.

Unknown.

Country of Origin: Japan
Original Language: Japanese
Published in: Japanese Reading Program with Basic 997 Words
Published by: Hokuseido Press

Unknown. There was once an American man who travelled to France. As he walked through the streets of a small town, he came to a big church where a young couple was getting married. There was a big crowd of people and so he asked one of the Frenchmen who stood close to him: “Who’s getting married?”
“Je-ne Sais-pas,” replied the Frenchman.
On the next day, as the American passed the same church again, there once more stood a big crowd, only this time the people were crying. In a low voice he asked a Frenchman in his proximity: “Excuse me, but who died here?”
“Je-ne Sais-pas.”
“What a terrible story!!” the American exclaimed in dismay. “That such a young man should die already!”

Little Precious.

Country of Origin: Japan
Original Language: Japanese
Published in: Japanese Reading Program with Basic 997 Words
Published by: Hokuseido Press

Little Precious. There was once a family where the son had a bad cold. He also had high fever. His mother was worried about him and so she asked her husband: “I think I want to take our child to hospital – which one’s good do you think?”
“Yamashita’s Hospital. They're meant to be really good.”
“But today’s Saturday. They’ll be closed! What about the Shimoda Hospital in front of the station? They would be open.”
“That’s no good! Their doctors are notorious for their bad skills. Our kid would get worse. Before we take our dear only son to a place like this, I’d rather have a look at him myself.”
The boy’s father had been a doctor as well.

Halloween-Party.

Country of Origin: UK
Original Language: English
Published in: Urban Legends
Published by: Reclam

Halloween-Party. Dem Gerücht zufolge soll einmal ein Ehepaar zu einer Halloween-Kostümparty eingeladen worden sein. Die Frau mietete Kostüme von einem Kostümverleih für sie und ihrem Mann. Als dann aber die Halloweennacht kam, hatte sie schreckliche Kopfschmerzen und fühlte sich zu krank, um zur Party zu gehen. Also nötigte sie ihren Mann, alleine zu gehen und sagte ihm, dass er sich gut amüsieren solle. Enttäuscht zog der Mann sein Kostüm an und machte sich auf den Weg; sie nahm ein paar Aspirin und legte sich hin.
Gegen neun allerdings wachte sie ohne einer Spur von Kopfschmerzen wieder auf und wollte nun also doch zur Party zu gehen. Und da ihr Mann ihr Kostüm noch nicht gesehen hatte, entschloss sie sich, inkognito zu bleiben und einmal zu sehen, wie er sich in ihrer Abwesenheit denn so benehme.
Als sie endlich ankam, sah sie ihn in seinem Kostüm, wie er gerade mit mehreren Frauen tanzte und offensichtlich mit ihnen flirtete. Also ging sie in ihrer Verkleidung auf ihren Ehemann zu und begann, mit ihm zu flirten. Sie tanzte mit ihm und nach einiger Zeit verschwanden sie in einem der leeren Schlafzimmer, wo sie sich liebten, ohne ihre Masken abzunehmen.
Vor der Demaskierung der Gäste um Mitternacht machte sich die Frau aus dem Staub, kehrte nach Hause zurück und wartete auf ihren Mann. Als der dann ankam, saß sie auf dem Bett und las ein Buch. Er erkundigte sich, wie sie sich denn fühle. Sie antwortete, dass es ihr nun viel besser gehe und fragte ihn, wie es denn so auf der Party gewesen sei.
„Ach, dasselbe wie immer“, antwortete er darauf. „Ich amüsiere mich nie sonderlich, wenn du nicht dabei bist.“
„Hast du viel getanzt?“
„Nein“, sagte er darauf. „Eigentlich nicht ein einziges Mal. Ich habe auf der Party ein paar Jungs getroffen, die auch alleine dort waren, also haben wir uns ins Hinterzimmer verzogen und Poker gespielt. Aber der Kerl, dem ich mein Kostüm geborgt habe, hat mir erzählt, dass er sich köstlich amüsiert hat!“

Lake Mondsee.

Country of Origin: Austria
Original Language: German
Published in: Sagen aus Österreich
Published by: Ueberreuter

Lake Mondsee. Deep down at the bottom of Lake Mondsee there is a small hill. A long time ago there was a wonderful castle standing on that hill and where now there is a water filled valley, there once lied fertile meadows, fields and a beautiful little village with a church consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The inhabitants of that village were diligent and pious farmers: on weekdays they were busily doing their work and Sundays were dedicated to the Lord.
The knight who was the owner of the nearby castle, however, was a cruel and vile guy who enjoyed exploiting and oppressing his subjects and also raiding neighbouring castles and stealing the goods. On Sundays he never went to church but feasted with his fellow knights in his castle.
One night the Blessed Virgin appeared to the village priest in his dreams and requested him to leave the village together with all its inhabitents because else everyone would be lost. In the same night the priest went from house to house and warned all the people who packed their things, gathered their cattle and left the village before sunrise. They settled down again at the place where still today the township of Mondsee stands. The knight watched the exodus of his subjects from his castle and sneered at them. Then he returned to his guests at the table and, as usual, they spent the day drinking, gambling and blaspheming until it finally grew dark.
But while the lord of the castle and his guests were drinking their fill, a storm was brewing and moved towards the castle. Countless times the castle was sruck by lightning and soon flames were shooting out of the roof, and from gashes in the ground water came blustering out, rapidly flooding the whole valley. The burning castle sank and so did the knight and his guests, no matter how much they cursed and shouted. The rising water finally swallowed the castle and also flooded the abandoned houses of the village.
The next morning the castle and the village were gone and there spread a wide, wide lake which got its name, ‘Lake Mondsee’, because of its moon-like shape.
In bygone times you were supposedly still able to see the church spire and also the battlements of the castle on the ground on sunny days and many fishermen have claimed to have heard the voices of the unfortunate knight and his guests.