
In the winter of 1782, a remote Austrian farm becomes the stage for a disturbing chain of events. When Johanna Seibert, a young woman of the Lengenfeld estate, steps into the stable, the cattle—normally calm and prized at the regional market—suddenly turn ferocious, snarling and biting with a maddening intensity. The villagers, already uneasy from recent odd behavior among the herd, are thrust into panic as the animals’ bizarre aggression spreads through the courtyard.
Johanna herself is not left untouched. Overcome by a force that seems both primal and otherworldly, she erupts into a torrent of blasphemous outbursts and violent impulses that shock even the most hardened peasants. Her once‑devout upbringing is eclipsed by a wild, almost satanic energy, prompting frantic attempts by the local priest and her own family to restrain her. Yet the deeper origins of this possession remain a haunting mystery.
The tale weaves folklore, religious dread, and the stark realities of rural life into a vivid, unsettling portrait of a woman caught between innocence and a consuming darkness, leaving listeners eager to discover what lies beyond the first unsettling act.
Language
hu
Duration
~4 hours (264K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Budapest: Athenaeum, 1926.
Credits
Albert László from page images generously made available by the Hungarian Electronic Library
Release date
2024-01-02
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1869–1944
A vivid voice of Hungarian literature, he was known for richly atmospheric prose and plays that brought elegance, memory, and city life onto the page and stage. His work helped shape literary Budapest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
View all books