The Water Sprite of the Ottakring Brook

Vienna · Austria · Natural site

The water sprite guarded the spring so fiercely that anyone who came near became vermin — and let one wanderer choose: gnat or spider.

Where the Liebhartstalstraße ends and the Ottakring woods begin lay the springs of the Ottakring brook. Before it was piped underground and vanished from the cityscape in 1910, the stream could become a raging torrent at snowmelt. Springs are guarded in folk belief by water sprites, and the one who lived here is said to have been unusually strict about the purity of the water: anyone who so much as approached the spring was turned into vermin. A weary wanderer who wanted to drink was offered a choice in mock good humour: state a claim — if it is true you become a gnat, if false you become a spider. The wanderer thought long and answered so that neither promise could be kept. As the houses crept up the slope, the sprite is said to have withdrawn deeper into the forest.

FAQ

Where is The Water Sprite of the Ottakring Brook located?

The Water Sprite of the Ottakring Brook is in Wien, Austria.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.