The Staff in Iron

Wien · Østerrike · Urban site

A locksmith's boy paid three drops of heart's blood for a gate-penny. The little red man was the devil — and ordered the iron ring for Vienna's oak.

At the corner of Stephansplatz stands an iron-bound tree trunk studded with driven nails. The legend explains why. A careless locksmith's apprentice played away the day on the field outside the walls and reached the city gate after it was locked. In despair he cried that he would sooner be the devil's if only he could get in. At once a little man stood beside him, in a flame-red coat and coal-black underclothes, with three cock's feathers in his hat. It gave him the gate-penny for three drops of heart's blood — and the promise that the boy would be his if he ever missed a Sunday mass. Next morning the little red man ordered an iron ring and an intricate lock for the old Vienna oak. Only the apprentice could do it, and when he later forged the key the devil sat invisible in the fire and twisted the bit.

FAQ

Hvor ligger The Staff in Iron?

The Staff in Iron ligger i Wien, Østerrike.

Image: Gugerell · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons