The Ghosts of the Castle of Völlenberg

Above the village of Götzens, on the route to Arams, are to be seen the

ruins of two towers, once belonging to a castle of vast importance,

and which are called Völlenberg and Liebenberg. Two noble races used

formerly to reside in this castle, which has quite disappeared, with

the exception of the towers above named; it is from these families that

the towers derived their names. The celebrated Minnesinger Oswald von

Wolkenstein, of whom we have already spoken in the preceding legend,

was for a long time prisoner at Völlenberg.

The legend goes that the spirits of the former inhabitants are still

wandering about in those two towers; at certain times at midnight the

ruins become alive, and lords and ladies, in long sweeping dresses,

followed by liveried servants of the olden style, pass up and down the

ruinous stone staircases. Their heads are empty skulls, and they sit

down in the great castle hall, where they try in vain to drink out of

large goblets; being, however, unable to taste the beautiful wine with

which they are brimming over, they dash the goblets against the walls

and smash them into fragments.

So it happens also with their unholy feast, which is laid out most

temptingly before them on the tables; for as one of them approaches the

dish upon which he has set his mind, it falls to the ground as dust and

ashes. Then the wretched spirits endeavour to enjoy themselves with

singing and dancing; but their bones rattle so terribly, and their

companions are so frozen and stiff, that their song becomes a Miserere.

This is their punishment for all their former intemperance and

evil-doings, and this terrible scene is only brought to a close by the

ringing of the morning Angelus.