Black Forest · Do Not Call Out to Anyone in the Woods

The firs of the Black Forest grow tall and close, so that going in by day feels like evening; the German tales of Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood both come from oral stories of this region.

Local legend tells of “a figure in the woods who leads the way in the fog”; those who follow him out of the forest find, on returning home, that a day is missing.

The ranger’s advice is practical: keep to marked paths, come down before the fog rises, and do not call out for another person in the woods — hearing your own echo first does not mean anyone is there.

Folklore / Baden-Württemberg · Germany / Time immemorial