The Witch Trials and Their Echoes

Alsace-Lorraine suffered particularly brutal witch trials during the 16th and 17th centuries. The memories of these persecutions created a unique layer of folklore—stories about witches, but also stories about the accusers and the accused innocent.

The Real Witches Who Escaped

Folk tradition insists that while many innocents died, the real witches escaped through various means:

- Transforming into cats (black in Alsace, white in Lorraine) - Hiding in the Hexenloch (Witches' Holes)—caves that exist partially in our world, partially elsewhere - Bargaining with their accusers' shadows, trading places at the last moment - Calling on the Venezianer—mysterious Italian sorcerers who could walk through walls

These surviving witches supposedly formed hidden communities in the deepest forests, emerging only for seasonal gatherings. The Hexennacht (Witches' Night) on Walpurgis sees bonfires lit on mountain peaks—officially to drive away evil spirits, but some say to guide the hidden witches home.

The Accusers' Curse

More chilling are the stories of what happened to the witch hunters. Families who profited from confiscated witch property found themselves marked:

- Children born with Hexenmale (witch marks)—birthmarks shaped like flames or nooses - Inability to cross running water without sickness - Compulsive confession of minor sins, as if trying to expiate greater guilt - Descendants who see the executed witches in mirrors and water

The village of Bergheim, which executed many witches, has a tradition: each year, families descended from accusers must light candles for the accused on All Souls' Day. Those who forget report disturbances—objects moving, milk souring, and worst of all, finding their own names written in ash on their doorsteps.