Wolpertinger

Taxidermy wolpertinger souvenir

In Bavarian folklore, a wolpertinger (also called wolperdinger, poontinger or woiperdinger) is an animal said to inhabit the alpine forests of Bavaria in Germany. It has a body comprised from various animal parts — generally wings, antlers, tails and fangs, all attached to the body of a small mammal. The most widespread description is that of a horned rabbit or a horned squirrel.

Stuffed "wolpertingers", composed of parts of actual stuffed animals, are often displayed in inns or sold to tourists as souvenirs in the animals' "native regions". The Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum in Munich, Germany features a permanent exhibit on the creature.

It is similar to other creatures from German folklore, such as the Rasselbock of the Thuringian Forest, or the Elwedritsche of the Palatinate region, which is described as a chicken-like creature with antlers; additionally the American Jackalope, as well as the Swedish Skvader are in ways similar to the Wolpertinger. The Austrian counterpart of the wolpertinger is the raurakl.

In popular culture

• Wolpertingers are featured in the MMORPG RuneScape as a creature that can be summoned. It is depicted as a combination of a rabbit and a wolf.
• A Wolpertinger is a companion pet in World of WarCraft. It is depicted as a hare with bird wings, antlers, and fangs.
• Wolpertingers are the main characters in the novel Rumo by Walter Moers. In the novel, they are depicted as anthropomorphic dogs with small horns.
• Wolpertingers and Skvaders are included in Adventure Path #61: Shards of Sin for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game as encounters and also as new familiar options for spellcasters.
• A Wolpertinger features on one of the special animal tiles in the Winter Edition of Carcassonne (board game).
• A Wolpertinger has to be hunted in a randomnly occuring event in the MMORPG Guild wars 2. It is depicted as a small, white rabbit with antlers.

See also

• Elwedritsche
• Jackalope
• Skvader