Der GroBMann
The Slenderman’s origins can be traced back to medieval 16th-18th century Germany and a legend labeled “Der Großmann”. This legend is roughly translated to “The Tall Man”, “The Great Man”, “The Big Man”, and others. The legend is located from Schwarzwald, otherwise known as the Black Forest, a fair sized area in southwest Germany. This forest, is the central focus for the Der Großmann legend.
As the story goes, Der Großmann is a fairy who lives in the Black Forest. Parents would warn their children not to go into the woods late at night, or even stay up too late for that matter. They also added, that if the children did not do this, then Der Großmann would come and take them. How would he take them? Well, the stories vary.
For children who had gone into the forest despite their parents warnings, Der Großmann is said to have chased them in his forest. He would prolong this pursuit until he finally caught the children, stealing them away to a fate unknown. Or, the chase would also stop when the child returned home and confessed to their parents what they had done, or that they had disobeyed them and gone in the forest. At very least in this method, there is hope of escape. Other stories tell of less fortunate outcomes.
Some stories tell of how he lures in children by haunting them, and whispering voices in their head to come to him. Children who go to him are said to walk into him many arms and be taken away to yet again, a fate unknown. A few other stories also say, that Der Großmann will come tapping at the window of a child who stays up too late, and he will take them away. Their fate, cryptically and as the legend repeats, unknown.
Der Großmann himself is labeled to have many profound features. These include great height as implied by the name, incredibly thin, multiple upper limbs, and disfigured facial features. He is said to be tall as to hide amongst the trees of the Black Forest, and so his name was based off this most obvious fact. He is also described to be excessively thin along with his height, to further his camouflage amongst the trees of Schwarzwald, which include various pines and firs like norway spruce and white pine. His multiple upper limbs are described as handless, and they are often compared to tentacles. He is said to use these limbs to ensnare children so he can take them away. His facial features also vary by story. Some say he is void of any facial features what-so-ever. Other accounts describe him as having pearl-orb eyes and no face, and a few describe him to be faceless but have a gruesome smile.
As the story goes, Der Großmann is a fairy who lives in the Black Forest. Parents would warn their children not to go into the woods late at night, or even stay up too late for that matter. They also added, that if the children did not do this, then Der Großmann would come and take them. How would he take them? Well, the stories vary.
For children who had gone into the forest despite their parents warnings, Der Großmann is said to have chased them in his forest. He would prolong this pursuit until he finally caught the children, stealing them away to a fate unknown. Or, the chase would also stop when the child returned home and confessed to their parents what they had done, or that they had disobeyed them and gone in the forest. At very least in this method, there is hope of escape. Other stories tell of less fortunate outcomes.
Some stories tell of how he lures in children by haunting them, and whispering voices in their head to come to him. Children who go to him are said to walk into him many arms and be taken away to yet again, a fate unknown. A few other stories also say, that Der Großmann will come tapping at the window of a child who stays up too late, and he will take them away. Their fate, cryptically and as the legend repeats, unknown.
Der Großmann himself is labeled to have many profound features. These include great height as implied by the name, incredibly thin, multiple upper limbs, and disfigured facial features. He is said to be tall as to hide amongst the trees of the Black Forest, and so his name was based off this most obvious fact. He is also described to be excessively thin along with his height, to further his camouflage amongst the trees of Schwarzwald, which include various pines and firs like norway spruce and white pine. His multiple upper limbs are described as handless, and they are often compared to tentacles. He is said to use these limbs to ensnare children so he can take them away. His facial features also vary by story. Some say he is void of any facial features what-so-ever. Other accounts describe him as having pearl-orb eyes and no face, and a few describe him to be faceless but have a gruesome smile.
German woodcuts- Fake and possibly real
Now, there have been many mentioned accounts and stories of Der Großmann. Well, even though the stories stay vaguely similar, and account as part of the legend, there are few rumored woodcuts and a journal entry that specifically spark authenticity of the myth itself.
Starting with the woodcuts, there are three specifically know woodcuts said to date back to 16th-18th century Germany. These three woodcuts are pictured here:
Starting with the woodcuts, there are three specifically know woodcuts said to date back to 16th-18th century Germany. These three woodcuts are pictured here:
Now the first two are labeled Der Ritter, and were supposedly done by a man named Hans Freckenberg. Sadly, as with many popular myths, these two are actually photoshopped pictures of two other original woodcuts:
These original woodcuts were actually done by a man named Hans Holbein, in a series called the “Dance of Death” which depicts how no one can escape death. Now even though these two are fakes, there may be some truth to the third woodcut.
This is a picture/photocopy of a woodcut regarding Der GroBmann that is supposedly found within demonology/faerie section of the New York Library, taken by someone named E. Silva. According to the person’s notes, captioned with the picture it says ,"Steigen sie nie in seinen wald ein." Which roughly translates to "Never enter into its forest." “Its”, most likely being Der GroBmann. This goes along with the original myth regarding that Der GroBmann was a fairy from the Black Forest. The author of this piece is unknown, and it is estimated to be from 16-17th century Germany.
1702 German journal entry
Succeeding the woodcuts is a chilling journal entry dating back to 1702. This is the entry right here:
"My child, my Lars… he is gone. Taken, from his bed. The only thing that we found was a scrap of black clothing. It feels like cotton, but it is softer… thicker.
Lars came into my bedroom yesterday, screaming at the top of his lungs that "The angel is outside!" I asked him what he was talking about, and he told me some nonsense fairy story about Der Großmann. He said he went into the groves by our village and found one of my cows dead, hanging from a tree.
I thought nothing of it at first…But now, he is gone. We must find Lars, and my family must leave before we are killed. I am sorry my son…I should have listened. May God forgive me."
After reading and examining the full account, there are a few notable relations between the legend and this entry.
Firstly, this is about a child who was kidnapped/stolen by Der Großmann, or at least they disappeared. This first fact goes with the original legend for Der Großmann, that states he targeted children. In this case, a boy named Lars.
Second, the entry mentions a black cloth. Regarding all german accounts of Der Großmann, there aren’t many claims to suggest his clothing in appearance. However, relating to Romanian and Modern myth, he is described as wearing a suit, or dressed as a nobleman. This only correlates the information. Also, in the 1700’s, cotton was a valuable material. This also add to that formal prestige supported by other legends.
Third, the boy Lars, references Der Großmann as an angel. While slightly different from the proper title of a fairy, it still is a close entity of myth. Just a sentence further, the angel part is corrected when the writer says,”-he told me some nonsense fairy story about Der Großmann.” As bolded and underlined, it specifically even names the entity Der Großmann.
The next, slightly subtle detail gone over is the cow hanging from the tree. Keep in mind, Der Großmann is supposedly a fairy from the Black Forest. So having a tree in the entry just correlates the information further. However, the cow itself I can’t find a symbolic nature for, but perhaps after further research on other myths I may find something.
"My child, my Lars… he is gone. Taken, from his bed. The only thing that we found was a scrap of black clothing. It feels like cotton, but it is softer… thicker.
Lars came into my bedroom yesterday, screaming at the top of his lungs that "The angel is outside!" I asked him what he was talking about, and he told me some nonsense fairy story about Der Großmann. He said he went into the groves by our village and found one of my cows dead, hanging from a tree.
I thought nothing of it at first…But now, he is gone. We must find Lars, and my family must leave before we are killed. I am sorry my son…I should have listened. May God forgive me."
After reading and examining the full account, there are a few notable relations between the legend and this entry.
Firstly, this is about a child who was kidnapped/stolen by Der Großmann, or at least they disappeared. This first fact goes with the original legend for Der Großmann, that states he targeted children. In this case, a boy named Lars.
Second, the entry mentions a black cloth. Regarding all german accounts of Der Großmann, there aren’t many claims to suggest his clothing in appearance. However, relating to Romanian and Modern myth, he is described as wearing a suit, or dressed as a nobleman. This only correlates the information. Also, in the 1700’s, cotton was a valuable material. This also add to that formal prestige supported by other legends.
Third, the boy Lars, references Der Großmann as an angel. While slightly different from the proper title of a fairy, it still is a close entity of myth. Just a sentence further, the angel part is corrected when the writer says,”-he told me some nonsense fairy story about Der Großmann.” As bolded and underlined, it specifically even names the entity Der Großmann.
The next, slightly subtle detail gone over is the cow hanging from the tree. Keep in mind, Der Großmann is supposedly a fairy from the Black Forest. So having a tree in the entry just correlates the information further. However, the cow itself I can’t find a symbolic nature for, but perhaps after further research on other myths I may find something.
Schlankwald
There is also a poem in Germany, dating unknown but somehow connected to lure. the poem describes a creature known as Schlankwald.
“They say that monsters come only at night,
That light will drive them away.
But not all creatures follow this rule,
Safety not certain during the day.
He hides on the fringes of your vision,
Brief glimpses of the distorted.
He slithers and writhes behind your eyes,
Reaching for you, limbs contorted.
Before you know it your children are taken,
And now it's come down to you.
His breath is oppressive, his presence acidic,
He feels pity is undue.
Suddenly, trapped in his grasp so tight,
You struggle to break yourself free.
He laughs and he gurgles and he screeches with glee,
He turns your head for you to see.
Your children are crying though their eyes are removed,
They collapse, still and silent.
His arms and legs bend pulling you closer,
The man's eyes dark and violent.
He strikes and he cuts, your skin flays open,
Your soul to weak to resist.
This should not have happened, if only you had listened,
Never go into his forest.”
Now, there are many things to note here. First being that this creature is not limited to the darkness, as seen in Romanian and modern myth. It described the creature to target children, as in other German, English, and modern myth. Odd manipulatory limbs are also described, possibly correlating information to Canadian, American, English, Scottish, Romanian, other German, and modern myth. The creature also possesses a torturous nature as seen in Romanian and American myth. There is also a sort of distortion and control described, possibly correlation to German, Romanian, and modern myth.
Most importantly, his overall appearance isn’t described. Sure, there is a vague mention to limbs, but there is no description of its face, height, or girth. Leaving much room to question if this is the same creature.
However, the name does appear to correlate more information. Schlankwald, translated from German, means ‘slim forest’. Setting both a tone for girth and setting. slim of course, relating to Canadian, American, Scottish, other German, and modern myth. Setting of course being a forest, goes back to Romanian, Scottish, American, Canadian,other German, and modern myth.
There is one line even, that appears to relate to the only real woodcut. The line,” Never go into its forest.” It is strikingly similar to the translated text from the woodcut,”Never enter into its forest." The only changed word being “go” to “enter”. This is a considerably strong correlation.
“They say that monsters come only at night,
That light will drive them away.
But not all creatures follow this rule,
Safety not certain during the day.
He hides on the fringes of your vision,
Brief glimpses of the distorted.
He slithers and writhes behind your eyes,
Reaching for you, limbs contorted.
Before you know it your children are taken,
And now it's come down to you.
His breath is oppressive, his presence acidic,
He feels pity is undue.
Suddenly, trapped in his grasp so tight,
You struggle to break yourself free.
He laughs and he gurgles and he screeches with glee,
He turns your head for you to see.
Your children are crying though their eyes are removed,
They collapse, still and silent.
His arms and legs bend pulling you closer,
The man's eyes dark and violent.
He strikes and he cuts, your skin flays open,
Your soul to weak to resist.
This should not have happened, if only you had listened,
Never go into his forest.”
Now, there are many things to note here. First being that this creature is not limited to the darkness, as seen in Romanian and modern myth. It described the creature to target children, as in other German, English, and modern myth. Odd manipulatory limbs are also described, possibly correlating information to Canadian, American, English, Scottish, Romanian, other German, and modern myth. The creature also possesses a torturous nature as seen in Romanian and American myth. There is also a sort of distortion and control described, possibly correlation to German, Romanian, and modern myth.
Most importantly, his overall appearance isn’t described. Sure, there is a vague mention to limbs, but there is no description of its face, height, or girth. Leaving much room to question if this is the same creature.
However, the name does appear to correlate more information. Schlankwald, translated from German, means ‘slim forest’. Setting both a tone for girth and setting. slim of course, relating to Canadian, American, Scottish, other German, and modern myth. Setting of course being a forest, goes back to Romanian, Scottish, American, Canadian,other German, and modern myth.
There is one line even, that appears to relate to the only real woodcut. The line,” Never go into its forest.” It is strikingly similar to the translated text from the woodcut,”Never enter into its forest." The only changed word being “go” to “enter”. This is a considerably strong correlation.