Gütel

The Gütel (sg., pl.; German: [ˈɡyːtl̩]) is a variant of and synonym for the Kobold in German folklore. Originating in the Middle High German term gütel, güttel (= little god) signifying an idol, the name was later connected with the adjective gut = good.

The Gütel is first attested in 1507 as Güttgen, denoting a hunchbacked Kobold. Georgius Agricola mentions them as Saxon mining sprites in the Latinized form gutelos (acc. pl. masc.) based on which they entered Swiss literature as Guteli or Gueteli. Other early sources from the 16th or 17th century call them Gütelen or Güttichen.

Dialectal variants of the name Gütel are Gütchen, Gütgen, Güdgen, Güetel, Gietel, Gitel, Gidl, Gidle, Göthel, and Jütel (sg., pl.; alternate pl. Jüteln). Further corruption of its name and confusion with the word Jude = Jew made the Gütel a Jüdel, Jüdelchen, Jüdchen, Jüdgen (all diminutives of Jew), Jülchen or, through further derivation, Hebräerchen (diminutive of Hebräer = Hebrew) in Thuringia, Saxony, and Lower Lusatia. Another name from the Vogtland and the Ore Mountains is Heugütel (hay Gütel), in dialect variously given as Heigidl, Heigidle, Heigitel, Hagitel, and Haagitel.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.