Petermännchen is a small good natured household spirit who is said to live in the Schwerin Castle

Schwerin Castle

Schwerin Castle is a castle located in the city of Schwerin, the capital of the Bundesland of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. For centuries it was the home of the dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg and later Mecklenburg-Schwerin. It currently serves as the seat of the state...

 in Schwerin

Schwerin

Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:...

, Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. The diminutive spirit, maybe only a few feet tall, is often described as carrying many keys, roaming through the vaults and tunnels underneath the castle, unlocking doors as he goes. Other descriptions of Petermännchen have him carrying a lantern and a sword or dagger. He is also said to be the keeper and watchman of the castle, rewarding those who are honest and good. Conversely the spirit will punish or drive away thieves and intruders. To do so Petermännchen will cause a nuisance or play pranks. The spirit is said to make crashing and banging noises at night. Petermännchen is also said to have woken soldiers who fell asleep on their night-watch in order to save them from being punished.

Legend further has it that when Christianity first came to the Schwerin area a pagan god, who was worshiped at the site of the present Schwerin castle, fled leaving his servants, the spirits. Eventually these spirits also departed, except for one: Petermännchen, who would not leave his post. Other legends surrounding the ghost have him once working in the tunnels as a blacksmith.

Petermännchen has been described as appearing in numerous forms over the years, sometimes as an old man with a white, flowing beard extended down to his waist. On another occasions Petermännchen woud have a cavalier look with a stylish moustache, wearing a waistcoat, riding boots with spurs and a feathered hat.

External links

• http://www.schwerin-tourist.de/eng/ansicht/castle_peter.php, page on Petermaenchen from the Schwerin city web site