| |
A booklet we received the first time we visited Lützelburg
informed us that Count Pierre had a beautiful wife named Itta or Melusina.
(The latter name seems to have been given to several witches in France
and may have been introduced in Lützelburg by an oral storyteller
before Itta's legend was preserved in writing. Or was Itta one of the
manifestations of Melusina?) In the summer of 1120, the peasants of Lützelburg
did something which annoyed her. To punish them, Melusina commanded the
heavens not to rain. Week after week a brilliant sun burned down, killing
all the crops -- even withering trees in the forests. All the streams
which fed the Zorn River dried up, and the Zorn itself was going dry.
It was so hot and dry that thatched roofs of the peasants' huts were bursting
into flame spontaneously. Finally the peasants realized that Melusina
had done this. They told Count Pierre their suspicion and he called her
to him. "Yes," she said, "I caused the drought. But if
the people want rain, they shall have rain." She commanded the heavens
again. Instantly, huge black clouds came boiling out of the northwest.
Lightning flashed. Thunder crashed. Rain came down like it hadn't since
the days of Noah and the ark, washing away all the topsoil and leaving
nothing but hard clay for the peasants to scrabble in. All that soil was
dumped into the Zorn, making its water unusable for days. The fury of
the storm destroyed most of the huts which had not burned. Convinced then
that Melusina was a witch, Pierre lowered her into the doorless, windowless
keep, where she soon died. We see a flaw in the legend, though. If she
could command the heavens to rain or not to rain, why couldn't she turn
into a bat and fly out of the tower. They all learn that basic trick in
Witchcraft 101, don't they? She would have left at midnight, of course,
when no one could see her. And any witch worth her brew could have found
some poor starveling creature in the forest and given that her form to
be found in the bottom of the tower.
Dan and Laurie Litzenberg Isdell visited Lützelburg
in 1994. Some American tourists arrived as they were exploring the castle.
While talking with a woman in the group, Laurie mentioned that her ancestor
Stephan had come from this place, meaning the community, not specifically
the castle. A few minutes later, Laurie heard the woman say to someone
else, "That's the American princess of the castle!" Melusina
must have been furious! The visitors left but Dan and Laurie lingered,
discussing what life in the castle might have been like for the Roman
soldiers 2000 years ago, or the monks 1000 years ago, or the barons and
their ladies 500 years ago. As it began to get dark they noticed a bat
circling over Laurie's head, coming lower and lower. Laurie ducked and
the bat flew out through the castle gate and off into the woods. Deciding
it was time to leave, they headed for the gate. As they exited, the bat
swooped by them, passing so close that it ruffled Laurie's hair. It seemed
clear that this was Melusina, warning the interloper that this was still
her castle!
When Stephan left Lützelburg about 1605 AD (see Family
Name to review his biography), he carried with him a seal
for making impressions in wax. It is a steel oval the size of a nickel
with a decorative handle on the back, and is protected by a tooled leather
case. The seal shows the three towers of Lützelburg and a stag gazing
at the sun, above which appear the words AD CREATOREM (toward the Creator).
Exposed rocks in the dry bed of the Zorn River can be seen at the lower
right. Storm clouds hang menacingly above the towers. The artisan has
captured that moment in time when Melusina's drought is at its worst and
her storm is about to explode in all its fury. The stag looks toward the
sun as a symbol of the Creator, praying to his Maker to save him from
the evils of this world. The hidden message of Stephan's seal, probably
forgotten centuries ago, is very clear: Turn toward the Creator to save
you from the evils of this world! (Click here
to see pictures of the seal.)
|
