Sodenberg is a 481m high basalt cone (German: basaltkegel), the remnant of an extinct volcanic crater, located in the Franconian Saale (German: Fränkische Saale), in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia

Lower Franconia

Lower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....

 (German: Unterfranken). From its heights it offers a panoramic view of the region extending from the ranges of the High Rhön

Rhön Mountains

The Rhön Mountains are a group of low mountains in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end of the East Hesse Highlands , are partly a result of ancient volcanic activity...

 to the Kreuzberg

Kreuzberg (Rhön)

The Kreuzberg is one of the Rhön Mountains in southern Germany. It is about high and is located in the Bavarian part of the Rhön, in the province of Lower Franconia. The Kreuzberg — also referred to as the "sacred mountain of the Franconians" — is near the town of Bischofsheim an der Rhön in the...

, as far as the Hassberge

Haßberge Hills

The Haßberge Hills are a 512,2 m over zero high hill chain north of the Main River in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. On the other side of the Main Valley is the Steigerwald....

 and the Steigerwald in the east, and the Spessart

Spessart

The Spessart is a low mountain range in northwestern Bavaria and southern Hesse, Germany. It is bordered on three sides by the Main River. The two most important towns located at the foot of the Spessart are Aschaffenburg and Würzburg....

 in the southwest.

A local Franconian tradition tells of Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...

 finally coming to rest on the slopes of Sodenberg. The fact that the names of many towns and villages in the surrounding area contain the names of animals within them, such as Ochenthal (oxen), Morlesau (sow), Schweinfurt

Schweinfurt

Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...

 (pig), Hammelburg

Hammelburg

Hammelburg is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Franconian Saale, 25 km west of Schweinfurt...

 (sheep), Wolfsmünster (wolf), Fuchsstadt

Fuchsstadt

Fuchsstadt is a municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany.-Geography:Fuchsstadt lies in the valley of the Franconian Saale, surrounded by the foothills of the Bavarian Rhön Mountains....

 (fox), Hundsfeld (dog), Katzenbach (cat), Rossmühle (horse), Wittershausen (ram), Hassenbach (hare), Motten

Motten

Motten is a municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany.-Divisions of the municipality:The municipality consists of the following towns:*Kothen*Motten*Speicherz-History:...

(moths), Schnackenwert (mosquitoes) and Geiersnest (vultures), may very well have had something to do with the origin of this somewhat fanciful version of the famous biblical story.