Gebweiler
The
Devil at Castle Hugstein
The ruins of Castle Hugstein are situated at a
short
distance from the little town of Gebweiler ill Alsace. The last owners
of
this stronghold were two brothers who were both terrible
robber-knights.
The inhabitants of the neighbourhood lived in great fear of these men
who
were supposed to have given themselves up, body and soul, to the Evil
Spirit.
It was said that once at a great banquet these two robber-knights had
taken
this solemn vow, and since then the Devil had rewarded all their doings
near
and far with great success.
But the Evil-One had not lost sight of his own
interests
during this time, and was looking forward to the moment when this pair
would
be his own.
Disguised as a merchant, the Devil one day came to the
valley
near the castle with a small waggon laden with costly goods. The two
noble
brothers perceived the innocent traveller from their stronghold,
attacked
him, seizing his horse and merchandise, and at last threw the disguised
demon
himself into a dungeon. The Evil One was greatly pleased with the
success
of his plans, only in the evening when a servant brought him some bread
and
a pitcher of water, he was not content with such frugal fare.
He ordered the servant to inform his noble masters
that
such short commons rendered him very melancholy, and that the
loneliness
of his prison was not gratifying to him, as he had always been
accustomed
to spend his time in lively society. Therefore he wished to know if
these
noble gentlemen would kindly allow him to visit them after supper.
The two knights, who were just enjoying the
luxuries
of a well-spread table, laughed heartily at the peculiar request of
their
prisoner. Being at the moment in a very good humour, the knights felt
inclined
to grant this strange request, and ordered the prisoner to be brought
in.
The Devil proved himself a most entertaining guest, and amused his
hosts
with wonderful juggling tricks.
When midnight rang out from the clock on the
tower, the
juggler proposed to perform a trick which would crown all that he had
already
displayed. The two intoxicated knights were looking on from their high
stools.
The Devil thrust his hand into his vest, and
pulled out
a little bottle which he placed on the table. He then murmured some
words,
and the next moment the table cracked and broke into a thousand pieces,
the
ceiling collapsed, and the walls tottered.
Uttering a loud scornful laugh, the Evil One
seized the
two wicked robber-knights and fled with them through the air. The next
day
Castle Hugstein lay in ruins.
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