Eric Norman, in his book 'THE UNDERPEOPLE' (1969., Award Books., N.Y.),
relayed a highly unusual account of a strange dwarfish human-like visiter
who appeared from a hidden underground passage within the basement of an
ancient German abby:
_______
Pepin the Short, the pint-sized father of Emperor
Charlemagne, was the founder of the Brunia Monastery in the
fabled Trier region of ancient Prussia. In A.D. 1138, a strange
series of events culminated in an unusual visitation by a bizarre
little man.
There had been several nocturnal visitations to the
monastery's wine cellar and its steward voiced his suspicions to
the abbot: 'The monks are slipping into the wine cellar and
sampling the casks.'
The abbot frowned at the thought of a possible scandal and
asked, 'When did this begin?'
"It's been going on for several months. I didn't mind it
when they only took a cup or two," explained the embarrassed
monk. "Last night, the culprit tapped a huge cask and forgot to
stop the bunghole. A whole keg of wine drained out onto the
cellar floor."
The abbot hurried to the cellar, inspected the damage, then
carefully tapped the bunghole in each of the huge casks. He
anointed the cellar with holy water, securely locked the door
and placed a saint's relic above the entrance, declaring, "None
of our monks would dare transgress against the power of the
Cross."
The following morning, a sleepy-eyed abbot unlocked the
cellar door and squinted into the dim room. Followed by a group
of curious monks, the abbot discovered that another keg of wine
had been tapped; the floor was covered with the rich, red liquid.
Suddenly, the abbot spotted movement in the dark shadows in the
far corner of the cellar. "There's the thief," he shouted.
"Grab the transgressor and prepare him for punishment!"
Two burly monks rushed forward and grabbed the shadowy
figure. They carried the struggling thief into the light and the
abbot stared in wonder at a dark-skinned dwarf, who glared back
in impassive silence.
"Are you a Nubian? How did you get in our wine cellar?"
inquired the abbot.
The strange little man would not speak.
"Do you have parents?" the abbot asked.
"Here! Here! This fellow got in through the wall," called
a monk, pointing to a displaced stone that covered a small tunnel
leading down into the earth. The bewildered monks crowded around
the secret tunnel as one quaking novice suggested the tunnel must
lead to the Devil's lair. An older monk spoke knowingly of
subterranean demons who delighted in tormenting those who had
taken the vows.
Despite his crime, the captured dwarf was accepted into the
society of holy men. "He looks human and the least we can do is
provide the poor child with a Christian education," the abbot
said. But, in spite of the kindness showed him by the monks, the
dwarf refused to utter a single word. He sat quietly on the bed
in a cross-legged position, staring directly ahead and refusing
all food and drink. After several weeks of fasting, the
monastery dwellers were concerned for the life of their visitor
and a visiting bishop was asked for his advice as the dwarf was
brought into the great hall and introduced to him.
"Good Lord! You must expel this Devil's child at once!"
the alarmed bishop shouted. "He is a demon and the tool of the
devil!"
Gervase, a monk at Christ Church, Canterbury, England,
later inscribed this strange ending to the dwarf's appearance in
his manuscript: "...The demon ran in alarm from the holy words.
He went to the cellar and returned to his underworld tribe!"
