Born in Middle Franconia (sources give varying birth dates; Wikipedia cites circa 1315), Eppelein became a medieval robber baron who led bands attacking merchant wagons to and from Nuremberg in the 1360s. Declared under the imperial ban by the Court of Nuremberg in 1369, his castle was destroyed in 1372 and he was betrayed and captured at Forchheim. Over subsequent centuries his historical career was reshaped into popular song and legend, most notably the tale of a last‑minute mounted escape from a scheduled hanging at Nuremberg Castle; he was ultimately captured at a drinking feast in Postbauer-Heng and executed in 1381.
Sources do not record a detailed physical description. Contemporary and later accounts identify him socially as a baron and leader of a band of robbers; descriptions focus on his status and actions rather than corporeal features.
As presented in historical and folkloric sources, Eppelein's 'abilities' are secular: leadership of an armed band conducting raids on merchant traffic around Nuremberg in the 1360s, eluding authorities for a time, and a reputation for daring and wit preserved in ballads and anecdote. The famous horse-and-wall escape is treated in sources as a legendary/tall‑tale episode rather than verified supernatural ability. He was ultimately captured (betrayed/caught at Forchheim; later at a drinking feast in Postbauer-Heng) and executed by breaking wheel on 15 May 1381 according to multiple accounts.
Weaknesses
- conditionbetrayal and capture at social gatherings
- conditionlegal condemnation (imperial ban, 1369) and military action against his stronghold (castle destroyed 1372)
Wards
None recorded.
Epimetheus
Epimetheus is a figure of ancient Greek myth, a son of the Titan Iapetus and the counterpart of Prometheus. His name means "afterthought" or "hindsight," and in literary sources he personifies the disposition in which thought follows action, explaining human vulnerability that results from lack of foresight.
Epione
Epione (Ancient Greek: Ἠπιόνη, Ēpiónē, 'soothing') is a minor Greek cult figure and personification of soothing, convalescent care, and the alleviation of pain. She is attested as the wife of Asclepius and part of the Asclepian healing household, represented in cult at several Greek healing centres.
Epistrophus
Epistrophus is a personal name borne by several mortal figures in Greek mythic genealogies and epic narratives. In the Homeric and later mythographic tradition he is attested primarily as a heroic-age leader — notably a leader of the Phocians in the Trojan War cycle — and appears in catalogue-lists, genealogical summaries, and death-notes rather than as a supernatural being.
Epochus
Epochus (Greek: Ἔποχος) is an Arcadian prince of the heroic age, son of King Lycurgus, attested in genealogies and in Pausanias's report of a temple painting at Tegea that depicts him supporting his wounded brother Ancaeus during the Calydonian boar hunt. He is recorded to have fallen ill and died young; no supernatural attributes are ascribed to him in the cited sources.
Epona
Epona is a Gallo‑Roman/Celtic goddess chiefly associated with horses, protection of stables and riders, and fertility/abundance related to equine livelihoods. Her cult is attested across Roman Gaul and throughout the Roman Empire, notably adopted by mounted units; some scholars also suggest a possible funerary/psychopomp aspect based on select votive objects and iconography.
Epopeus
Epopeus is a personal name applied to several distinct mortal figures in Greek myth rather than a single supernatural being. Principal attestations include a king of Sicyon who marries Antiope and is attacked by Lycus, a king of Lesbos described as the father and rapist of Nyctimene, a sailor who attempted to deceive Dionysus and was turned into a dolphin, and a man of Lemnos killed by the Lemnian women (reportedly by his own mother).
Erato
Erato (Ancient Greek: Ἐρατώ) is one of the nine Muses of ancient Greek religion, traditionally associated with erotic lyric poetry and imitation. As a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne she functions as a divine inspirer invoked by poets seeking the voice and affect appropriate to love-themed verse.
Erda
Erda is a polyvalent modern name attested in the provided sources with multiple unrelated referents: a toponym (Erda, Utah), a mythic/operatic figure in Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (linked on a disambiguation page to Urðr and Jörð), a Marvel Comics adaptation of a Wagnerian figure, and several institutional or fandom uses (acronyms, fanwiki entries). The supplied materials do not document a single, continuous folkloric supernatural entity called Erda.
Erdhenne
The Erdhenne (German: 'Earth Hen') is a German house spirit from Alpine, Upper Palatinate, and Bavarian folk tradition that usually remains unseen but communicates by loud clucking to warn households of danger. When it becomes visible it is regarded as an omen of death—tradition records death within a year, often of the person it shows itself to.
Erebus
Erebus (Ancient Greek: Ἔρεβος) is the primordial personification of darkness and gloom in Greek myth and a name used for the subterranean darkness or region of the underworld. He functions both as an originating cosmic principle in several theogonies and as a topographical/ontological term for the darkness through which the dead pass.
Erec
Erec is a human knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian literary tradition, best known as the protagonist of Chrétien de Troyes' romance Erec and Enide. He appears across medieval redactions (Old French, German, Norse, Middle English, and prose cycles) as a heroic figure whose narratives examine knighthood, love, reputation, and encounters with enchantment.
Erechtheus
Erechtheus is a mythic-heroic foundational figure of ancient Athens whose identity blends an autochthonous, earth-born ancestor-king with a localized cultic name often syncretized with Poseidon; he functions as eponymous progenitor of the Erechtheidai and as the focus of ritual memory on the Acropolis (the Erechtheion).
Community Record
- [1]Eppelein von Gailingen — Wikipedia. Wikipedia contributors, 'Eppelein von Gailingen,' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.wiki
- [2]Eppelein von Gailingen (Executed Today). Executed Today, '1381: Eppelein von Gailingen,' 15 May 2009.other
- [3]15 May 1381 – Eppelein von Gailingen | Execution of the day. Execution of the Day blog, '15 May 1381 – Eppelein von Gailingen,' 15 May 2008.other
- [4]Eppelein von Gailingen (archive item). Archive.org holdings: historical printed material on Eppelein von Gailingen.academic
- [5]Studies in history, legend and literature (archive). Archive.org: Studies in history, legend and literature — includes discussions of figures treated as historical/legendary.academic
- [6]Eppelein von Gailingen (alternate archive item). Archive.org holdings: further historical/legendary material concerning Eppelein von Gailingen.academic
- [7]Gaillenreuth Castle — Wikipedia. Wikipedia contributors, 'Gaillenreuth Castle,' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.wiki
- [8]Year 1381 - On This Day. OnThisDay: Year 1381 — contextual timeline referencing notable events including Eppelein's execution.other