THE PAGEANTS 151

stroyed by the Ldufer in the customary carnival fire. This seems
to be an unique example of a basilisk as a pageantic animal.
A giant rules the Holle in the carnival of 1508 (Fig. 40), his
gigantic size accentuated by the low castellated walls (colored
blue, green, and brown) surrounding him on the sleigh. He is
described in the text on f. 52r as a "KinderfreBer," two stories
high: "Jhr Hoel war ein Kindter FreBer Zweyer Gaden106 hoch,
fraB eins nach dem andern, die er auB seiner Daschen Zog/." The
ogre's costume, like that of the Ldufer for the year, is almost a
motley, formed by crisscrossing bands of purple and green on a
white background. This carnivalesque costume, together with a
tasseled, conical cap of the same colors set rakishly on his head,
recalls the jolly, giant fools who herald the Schembartlauf. Here,
however, the facial mask is patriarchal, resembling that of the
Wild Man, with large grave features, long hair, and full beard.
Gravely he pulls, not children, but trembling fools in varicolored
costumes (red, green, purple, orange, and blue) from the bag at
his feet. Through the open doorway of the castle we see the bag,
with two fools in it, another fool has just been dragged out by the
giant, a fourth is held high above the towers, struggling to get loose,
his arms outstretched in anguish. The "Kinderfresser" is thus rep-
resented in our MS as a "Narrenfresser," or rather, the two ogres
are confused, as will become clear when the Holle for 1522 is ex-
amined; in other MSS the dolls in the arms of the "Kinderfresser"
and in his bag represent children, corresponding to the text.107 We
have already seen several bugaboos of a similar nature among the
grotesques in the Schembartlauf: the Wild Man and his mate, and
the pig-demon, all of whom carried child-like dolls with them, and
who also frightened the boys in the crowd. This is the first of three
pageantic versions of the motif exhibited on the Hbllen, three mon-
sters feasting on children, fools, and witches.
106 Grimm, Wb., IV1, 1133: Gaden, "Stockwerk."
107 Cf. MS No. 58 (Drescher, p. 14): "hetten eine hell, War ein SchloB auf einer
Schleiffen, darauff saaB ein Mann anderthalb Gaden Hoch, der fraB Kinder eines
nach dem Andern das gab ein groses Gelachter und eine grose Furcht unter den
kleinen Kindern, Wurde am Ascher Mitwochen Vor dem Rathaus gestiirmet und
Verbrandt." In MS No. 10 the Holle for 1508 is a representation of Hell-mouth with
two Ldufer throwing dolls into the fire. Briiggemann (Vom Sch.), p. 56, reproduces
the text and miniature in color of MS No. 6, which also shows children.