This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The talk page may contain suggestions.(February 2015)
Peruchty in Hrdly [cs], Kingdom of Bohemia, 1910
Perchta or Berchta ('Bertha'), also commonly known as Percht and other variations, was once known as a goddess in Alpine paganism in the Upper German and also Austrian and Slovenian regions of the Alps. Her name may mean 'the bright one' (Old High German: beraht, bereht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz) and is probably related to the name Berchtentag, meaning 'the feast of the Epiphany'. Eugen Mogk provides an alternative etymology, attributing the origin of the name Perchta to the Old High German verb pergan, meaning 'hidden' or 'covered'.[1] The exact origin or time of origin is unknown.
Perchta is often identified as stemming from the same Germanic goddess as Holda and other female figures of Germanic folklore (see Frija-Frigg). According to Jacob Grimm and Lotte Motz, Perchta is Holda's southern cousin or equivalent, as they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts" and appear during the Twelve Days of Christmas, when they oversee spinning.[2][3]
Grimm says Perchta or Berchta was known "precisely in those Upper German regions where Holda leaves off, in Swabia, in Alsace, in Switzerland, in Bavaria and Austria."[4]
According to Erika Timm, Perchta emerged from an amalgamation of Germanic and pre-Germanic, probably Celtic, traditions of the Alpine regions after the Migration Period in the Early Middle Ages.[5]
Perchta or Berchta ('Bertha'), also commonly known as Percht and other variations, was once known as a goddess in Alpine paganism in the Upper German...
Aarne-Thompson type 480. Frau Holle (also known in various regions as Holla, Holda, Perchta, Berchta, Berta, or Bertha) was initially a pre-Christian female legendary...
her redemption. The best-known Heimchen are the companions of Perchta, though. Perchta is the leader of the host of Heimchen, the wailing souls of unbaptized...
best-known White Lady of the Czech Republic is the ghost of Perchta of Rožmberk at Rožmberk Castle. Perchta of Rožmberk (c. 1429–1476) was a daughter of an important...
mix of the two. John B. Smith said she, like her High German counterpart Perchta, is nothing more than the personification of Epiphany invented by medieval...
Christmas Spider Mari Lwyd Miner's figure Nisse North Pole Old Man Winter Perchta Santa's workshop Tió de Nadal Turoń Vertep Wenceslaus Yule cat Yule Lads...
etymology that supported a derivation based on the legendary figure of Frau Perchta (Berchta), a woman (Holle < Holda 'well disposed, dear') with good and...
disappeared, remnants of the mythos persisted: There are: Frau Holle or Perchta, a "supernatural" patron of spinning and leader of the Wild Hunt (in German...
Christmas Spider Mari Lwyd Miner's figure Nisse North Pole Old Man Winter Perchta Santa's workshop Tió de Nadal Turoń Vertep Wenceslaus Yule cat Yule Lads...
gift-bringer, another West Germanic figure associated with the midwinter period Perchta – German Alpine goddess, a female figure in West Germanic folklore whose...
one'; also Holle or Holt), Fru Waur, or Fru Gode in Northern Germany; or Perchta (the bright one; also Berchta, Berhta or Berta) in Southern Germany. The...
Perchta of Rosenberg, who is identified with the Rosenbergs "White Lady" ghost tales, and current residents of the area still report seeing Perchta's...
a variety of Christmas storytelling traditions, including Krampus and Perchta of Central Europe and Icelandic folklore's Gryla, who punish miscreants...
neighboring Germanic Europe, similarities have been observed between the Alpine Perchta and Holda or Holle in the folklore of Central and Northern Germany, and...
German folklore of the 16th century. The name is here replacing the female Perchta. Notable people with the name, or variants, include: Bertulf (archbishop...
Christmas Spider Mari Lwyd Miner's figure Nisse North Pole Old Man Winter Perchta Santa's workshop Tió de Nadal Turoń Vertep Wenceslaus Yule cat Yule Lads...
Brigid's cross List of Irish-language given names Saraswati Maman Brigitte Perchta Athena Campbell, Mike Behind the Name. See also Xavier Delamarre, brigantion...
Christmas Spider Mari Lwyd Miner's figure Nisse North Pole Old Man Winter Perchta Santa's workshop Tió de Nadal Turoń Vertep Wenceslaus Yule cat Yule Lads...
Christmas Spider Mari Lwyd Miner's figure Nisse North Pole Old Man Winter Perchta Santa's workshop Tió de Nadal Turoń Vertep Wenceslaus Yule cat Yule Lads...
Grimm theorised that these stories are related to the Upper German figure Perchta or Berchta (English Bertha). Like the legends of "Bertha la fileuse" in...
Christmas Spider Mari Lwyd Miner's figure Nisse North Pole Old Man Winter Perchta Santa's workshop Tió de Nadal Turoń Vertep Wenceslaus Yule cat Yule Lads...
the Badalisc The Badalisc People listening to the "Badalisc's speech" Perchta Krampus Pre-Christian Alpine traditions (in Italian) Atlante demologico...
Global Information
