The Höllenköttel is a well-known figure from the Berg legend collections:
The vernacular tells of the evil knight Robert, who lived in Much Castle (a building that had already fallen into disrepair in the 16th century and was located where the houses at Kirchstrasse 10 and 12 now stand) and whose aim it was to also bring the nearby Overbach Castle into his to bring hand.
In a fit of anger he had killed his wife, who had tried in vain to dissuade him from his insidious plan. Tormented by scruples, he hunted on his horse through the forest behind the Bockemsmühle. At the beginning of this Siefen, which leads uphill from the Wahnbach, he came across a little man dressed in fire red who promised to calm his conscience and to ensure that he could take Overbach. But he had to pledge his soul to him under oath. That's what Knight Robert did and little "Köttel" disappeared under thunder and lightning.
Shortly thereafter, Robert really conquered Overbach Castle. However, its residents managed to escape because a white-clad female figure, the ghost of Robert's murdered wife, showed them an escape route.
The place where Robert pledged his soul to the "bad guy" has been called "Höllenköttel" ever since.
Source: Hartmut Benz/Verkehrsverein Much
Translated by Google •
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