Considering the German "emergency money" - the Notgelds of the 1920s, one is involuntarily amazed at the abundance of tiny people depicted there, fairy gnomes or kobolds (in Germany - something like a brownie). For example, 10 pfennigs of 1921 from Ilsenburg (the land of Saxony-Anhalt) depicts the king of the mountain shorty Gubich, who is easily recognizable by his magic wand. But is everything that is connected with these amazing inhabitants of the folklore universe really so fabulous?
Sensational video from the Swiss Alps
In August 2019, the online community was excited by a video posted by Munich-based photographer Mario Brol. While filming the surroundings of the high-mountain glacial lake Lai da Tuma, where he was with a friend, Mario accidentally captured a strange tiny creature dressed in animal skins. His fidgeting between stones is very reminiscent of the movements of the goblin dwarf Hoghl from the American movie "Labyrinth" (1986), where the king of evil Jareth was played by rock singer David Bowie.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to examine the mysterious creature properly. The recording is not clear, and the video is too short. Therefore, many netizens did not believe the German. No, he was not suspected of a hoax. It was decided that Brohl was not saying something. And perhaps hides really interesting shots with an unusual mountain inhabitant.
Recall that the sensational video footage was filmed near Lake Lai da Tuma, officially recognized as the source of the Rhine. And the banks of this legendary river have long been considered the abode of the evil dwarfs-Nibelungs.
Treasure keepers
These amazing creatures are mentioned in the early medieval epic poem "The Song of the Nibelungs". The mythical people are mentioned there in connection with the dubious exploits of the main character of the epic Siegfried. By the way, they even "lit up" on one of Xanten's notgelds.
The image on this money surrogate is presented as a triptych. And we are talking there about the division of the treasures inherited by the miniature dwarfs brothers Shilbung and Nibelung. The dwarfs invited Siegfried as an arbitrator, but in the process of dividing, all three quarreled. Having dealt with the leaders of the short ones, the ancient German Achilles fought with their retinue and as a result killed seven hundred henchmen of Shilbung and Nibelung, 12 giants and a thousand more dwarfs of King Alberich, who is depicted in the "triptych" in the lower left. As a result, Siegfried got the dwarf treasure. And Alberich and the Nibelungs who survived the massacre pledged to guard them in the interests of a stranger who had fallen on their heads from nowhere.
Promotional video:
Caution: Biting Dwarf
By the way, Lake Lai da Tuma has its own guardian dwarf. His name is Pacolamennhen, or simply Pacola. Once tourists, who had spent the night in a mountain hut located just above the reservoir, walked noisily until dark. Suddenly someone knocked loudly at the window of the hut. The bravest of the revelers looked out and was stunned. A strange creature appeared before him - a stocky little man with rough features and glowing eyes. Just like a goblin on a collectible 2011 Australian dollar.
The mysterious stranger put his index finger to his lips, demanding silence. And then he chirped down the slope towards the lake. The quieted guests could not sleep for a long time, peering fearfully into the twilight of the hut. And silence and tranquility reigned over the alpine lake again.
Even before the Alpine flora was protected by law, Pacolamennchen himself looked after it. He pretended to be a stone, then a mound. And if people bent down to pick a flower, he would instantly bite their fingers. This completely discouraged a person from the desire to harm nature.
So who did the photographer from Germany capture on camera: the mysterious Pacolu or his friend wearing a mountain gnome costume?
Mysterious inhabitants of the green hills
But are the real facts of the existence of gnomes, kobolds, miniatures and other mythical creatures known? Yes! And they are immortalized on no less real means of payment. Specifically, on the current banknote of 100 Scottish pounds Clydesdale Bank - one of the three commercial banks in Scotland with the right to issue their own paper banknotes.
The obverse of this unique bill is dedicated to the material evidence of the life of the ancient inhabitants of Europe. They are located in the banknote field on the left and represent the amazing archaeological site of the Neolithic era called Skara Bray. These are dwellings of an unknown dwarf race, excavated in the thickness of the hills. Why dwarf, you ask? Because the height of their walls, built of mica sandstone, does not exceed one meter, and the height of their doorways is 80 centimeters! But that is not all. “And the dimensions of the stone beds, cupboards and dish shelves found there are not much different from the dimensions of doll furniture.
Skara Bray is not a hoax. Archaeologists have dated the mysterious structures to the third millennium BC. And their discovery in 1850 seriously puzzled scientists and frightened the inhabitants of the Orkney Islands (an archipelago northeast of Scotland - ed.). The islanders remembered the old legends about the tiny inhabitants of the evergreen hills, reputed to be wizards, and the beliefs according to which “anyone who dares to climb into the dwelling of the“hill people”without asking, will turn into sand”! As creepy as it may sound, neat heaps of sand of unknown origin were indeed discovered in Skara Bray. Mostly near the thresholds of houses.
You can be convinced of the tiny dimensions of stone dwellings and their interior decoration on your own. To do this, you need to go on a trip to the Orkney Islands. And once there, not be content with inspecting a fake dwelling at the entrance to the protected area. This is just an enlarged copy of the best preserved of the premises of the complex. Move on. But do not forget about respect for the memory of the ancient race of dwarf wizards! Otherwise, there is a danger of turning into another heap of sand in the mysterious structures of Skara Bray. However, in this, as they say, believe it or not.
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №44. Author: Rolf Meisinger
