Hemann
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The Hemann (German: [ˈheːˌman]), also Homann, Hoymann,[1] Hoimann, or Jochhoimann, (Mann = man), is a spirit from German folklore known to scare people through yelling, usually invisibly and at night. The first part of its name usually depicts the kind of yell heard from the Hemann. It can be found in former German-speaking Bohemia (where the Czechs also know it as Hejkadlo), former German-speaking Silesia, Upper Palatinate, the Fichtel Mountains, the Vogtland, Westphalia, and around Crailsheim in Baden-Württemberg.[2]
The Hemann yells "he he!" or "he helfts!" ("Hey help!") and chases the people with its yelling without ever reaching them completely. Only, it will "aufhocken" (leap upon a person's back and force them to carry the aufhocking spirit) if anybody dares to imitate its yells.[2]
It is either a ghost, especially a Grenzfrevler[2] (boundary sinner, i.e. someone who has moved a boundary stone or similar landmark with criminal intent, thus damning the soul to haunt the very boundary it unlawfully changed in life[3]), or a field sprite who is offered the last sheaf of harvest. Occasionally, it also appears as domestic spirit.[2]
The Hemann likely has its origin in the very real calls of the owl and eagle owl, the hoopoe, and the nightjar. Accordingly, in Silesia the owl is explicitly identified with the Hemann In Upper Palatinate, the same is true for the raven.[4]