In the heart of Bavaria, nestled between pine forests and church steeples, lived a blacksmith named Johann Bauer — a man of fire and iron, respected for his skill but known for his temper.
He could mend any blade and forge any tool, yet his pride was fiercer than his furnace. “There is nothing I cannot make,” Johann often said, “not even a soul worth selling.”
The villagers laughed — all except old Frau Gertrud, who crossed herself whenever he spoke so. “Words invite listeners from places unseen,” she warned.
One stormy night, as Johann hammered a plowshare, the forge door burst open. A gust of smoke and brimstone filled the room, and a tall figure stepped from the shadows.
He was elegant, darkly dressed, with eyes like burning coal. “Your words reached me, Herr Bauer,” he said smoothly. “I am a collector of souls — and I’ve heard yours might be for sale.”
Johann froze but hid his fear. “And what’s your price?”
The stranger smiled. “A single gold coin that never empties. Spend it, and it returns by dawn. Enough to make you richer than kings.”
Johann hesitated. “And the cost?”
“When your forge cools for the last time, your soul is mine.”
Greed and pride whispered louder than caution. Johann shook the devil’s hand.
The coin worked as promised. Johann bought land, hired apprentices, and built a grand house. The villagers envied him; his fame spread as far as Munich.
But wealth dulled his heart. He mocked the poor and worked his men to exhaustion.
Then one night, Frau Gertrud appeared at his door. “The priest is dying,” she said. “He asks for a new bell for the chapel before he goes — forged by you.”
Johann scoffed. “I’m no charity worker.”
But that night, he dreamed of fire that burned without light — his own forge, empty and cold. The devil waited beside it, smiling.
When Johann awoke, sweat-soaked and trembling, he lit the forge before dawn and worked without rest. By sunrise, he had cast the most perfect bell the village had ever seen.
As he lifted it from the mold, the devil appeared. “Time is up, blacksmith.”
Johann bowed his head. “One last ring of the bell before I go.”
The devil nodded. The bell rang — clear, pure, and full of light.
As the sound echoed through the valley, the gold coin in Johann’s pocket turned to ash.
The devil roared, “You tricked me!”
Johann smiled faintly. “You bought a soul already given — to repentance.”
The bell tolled once more, and when the smoke cleared, the devil was gone.
The villagers found Johann’s body beside the bell, his hands folded in peace. To this day, they say when that bell rings, no evil crosses the valley.
Moral of the Story
Wealth made without conscience is worthless. True redemption is forged in humility, not gold.
Knowledge Check
- Who was Johann Bauer?
A proud blacksmith from Bavaria known for his skill and temper. - What did the devil offer him?
A gold coin that refilled itself forever. - What was the price?
His soul when his forge went cold. - Why did Johann forge the chapel bell?
To redeem himself and serve good before death. - How did he outwit the devil?
By dedicating his final work to repentance. - What remains as his legacy?
A bell that keeps darkness from the valley.
Origin: German folktale (Bavaria, 18th century oral tradition)
