The mysterious world of legends on the Obermain: stories of the robbers!

The mysterious world of legends on the Obermain: stories of the robbers!

In the mystical world of Upper Franconian legends there is much to do with strange voices and fleeting lights that dart around in the darkness. Who doesn't know the stories that have been told around the campfire for generations? Loud Main post In the past, people often heard spirits talking on their way home: “Where should I put the stone?” These experiences, often heavily embellished, not only caused fear and terror, but also became a topic of conversation in the villages.

These stories are not only part of regional folklore, but also contribute to the rich dialect diversity in Bavaria. An example of this is the Upper Franconian word of the year 2025: “Robbern”, which means something like wheelbarrow. This word can be found in two stories that keep the regional language alive and shape the identity of the people.

The diversity of robbers

Within the framework of the dialectic offers BR interesting insights into the different facets of the term “robbers”. It becomes clear that a Robbern usually does not have a wheel. The dialect is playfully referenced here and the theme is the parish song, which tells of a failed attempt at making money in Franconian Switzerland. Related to the Robbern, the Drochboär is also mentioned, which does not have a wheel, but still finds its reason for being because it supports people in its own unique way.

There are numerous terms for the wheelbarrow in the region, such as Roowern, Rowerna or Blaachkarre, each of which tells a little story in itself. This diversity reflects the rich dialect of Franconian Switzerland, where people use a colorful vocabulary of different names for the same device.

Franconian and its origins

A look at history shows that the Franconian dialects belong to the Low, Middle and Upper German-speaking areas. How on Historical lexicon of Bavaria can be read, the Franconian administrative districts are largely influenced by the East Franconian dialect. The border between Rhine Franconian and East Franconian is defined by the “Appel/Apfel” line, which is of great interest, especially in dialect research.

Upper Franconian, Middle Franconian and Lower Franconian are the different forms that exist in Bavaria alongside the Bavarian and Swabian dialects. The fact that the Franconian dialects are so complex shows once again that there is not just “Bavarian” in Bavaria, but a rich variety of regional phrases and cultural peculiarities.

The legends and the associated dialects reflect a living tradition that will continue to exist in the future as long as there are people who continue to tell the stories and keep the special words alive. There is still a lot to discover in the world of Franconian dialects and their vocabulary, which enrich our everyday lives.