Halloween Ghost Tale

The Erl King Story 

By Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe

WHO rides there so late through the night dark and drear?
The father it is, with his child so dear;
He holdeth the boy tightly clasp'd in his arm,
He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm 

Thus begins a nightmare unparalleled. The Poem of the Erl King is about a Sprite or Spirit much like a Banshee. It is envisioned as a malevolent creature who haunts forests and carries off travellers to their deaths. The original story developed out of a ballad called Erlkönigs Tochter, or the Erl Kings Daughter by Johann Gottfried von Herder in the late 1700’s. In that version it is a women that ruthlessly calls to the dying.

    Of course stories, legends and folk tales blend and grow creating a monster of epic proportions. Eventually the Erl King becomes a male creature who feeds on fear, hate, mistreatment, lack of love and the many other weaknesses that children of that day would had suffered. Eventually it becomes a creature that seduces children who are unwanted or maltreated into its world promising the child a mother who cares, comfort, food and fun. When in truth it only won’t the child so that it can feed on its soul and suck the life out of it. As to the treatment of children in those days , If you wonder about what I speak of,  all you have to do is read the Grimm Tales. It is full of stories about children being mistreated or cast aside.

   I discovered the poem about 6 years ago and I was immediately drawn to it. I even wrote story using the Erl King as my main bad guy but have never been able to get a handle on the original poem so that I could use it for storytelling. The Poem is a subtle story that plays on the most basic of childhood fears. In fact the story is quite direct and simple. The simplicity of the story was not an issue but what I lacked was a back ground story to weave into the original poem and a way to properly set the mood for this story.

    I played with many devises off and on while trying to find a way to make this story work for me. In a recent version that I wrote using this poem as the main inspiration I finally found what I was looking for in a background story but still the question remained ‘how to use it’. I wanted this to blend flawlessly.

    I find it funny how my mind puts things together. Oft times I have no idea that anybody is up there at all. Somewhere in those dark recesses of matter hiding in a tiny cubby hole was a little brain blob just waiting for the door to open. Sometimes I think it must use a pry bar to get it open but oh well. It is what it is, whatever it is.

   Yeah something up there connected and a very simple solution presented itself that works and I liked it. So in the end I am able to use the basic structure of the poem as is along with a perfect back story and incorporate the beginning and end of the poem in the process. The story is not long, maybe ten minutes at best. I still haven’t practiced it all the way through but that will come. This will be a case of presentation making this story work and so practice it I must. I have learned over the years how important basic simple voice inflections can change how the listener hears what is being said. You can literally lead your listener by the ear down the path you want them to go. In some stories this is more important than in others.

    This coming October 29 I will get to use this chilling tale at the Denton Courthouse ghost story concert in the adult storytelling program inside the courtroom. I got to perform inside the courtroom a few years ago when we used the inside for the first time and it became one of my most favorite settings.

     I will dedicate this story to one of my best friends Elizabeth Beamon who will be celebrating her 60^th birthday that night and will not be able to attend the program. So here to you Liz! Happy Birthday Sweety and thanks for the support and friendship.

 All My love

Gary