I am visiting a fascinating medieval tale today! It is about a dead body searching for a home and a self-driving carriage! Or, should I cite my witch and call this just the kind of weird little magic men could get away with while she had to burn?
Let‘s take a look at this!
The first time I heard this story was in a lecture hall a few years ago, when I was learning about teaching regional history, and I honestly thought the interpretation I just heard was a very personal one of that professor telling it, because he looked old enough to fall apart or a sleep at any moment and was so lively amused about it! And honestly, in the end I had to laugh as well. As I looked into it many years later to cover it on my witching blog, I had to find out that he in fact had only told a version I found various sources on!
The tale is about the St. Reinholdus. Or Reinhold. There are a few versions to name him.
I have never known much about St. anyones and holy people, because although I grew up in a religious household this was a catholic thing strange to me. But with moving from the north of Germany far into the west, I moved into a traditionally catholic area. This particular St. Reinoldus however is still a tale only known regional in what is called the „Ruhr“ area (the river „Ruhr“ providing for a cluster of a few medium seized cities). Fun fact: Since this area has imported workforce from Poland during industrialization times, the legend spread there as well.
But who is this Reinoldus, what is so funny about his tale?
To understand this, let‘s first of all look at the city which grew around the church, that eventually was built for him.
Dortmund Central station
The city is called Dortmund, and I have to admit that it really is not all a city to expect any medieval magic in.
Located somewhere between Münster and Cologne, it is surrounded by old places having played a major role in medieval Germany and Europe, but Dortmund itself never really has.
Its growth started much later, with the industrial times and the cole and steal industries taking hold of this area. So, before the late 19th century, this was nothing but a small settlement. And so were the other, medium seized cities around.
Since most parts of infrastructure are very young, the city appears gray and simple, what does not mean that I dislike it, or living so close to it.
But in medieval times, and we really have to think back into the 9th century, the time of „Karl der Große“ (I hate translating places and titles, as readers of my blog might have noticed, so I will just call him Karl from here on) fighting against the pagan Saxons and the Holy roman empire stabilizing itself in the known medieval version, is where our tale starts.
Back in those days, Dortmund did not really have any meaning. There was a street called „Hellweg“ that was relevant for trade, and that was basically it. The important people stayed in Cologne, Aachen and Münster, and Dortmund finally wanted to feel noticed and important!
So, when Reinhold died, people witnessed the opportinity for a legend to be born.
But who is Reinhold?
According to this legend that was forced into existence, he was through his mother a nephew of Karl. Reinhold became a monk when living as a knight tired him, and he was known for his disciplin, whate eventually upset people enough to plot on killing him. He apparently was aware of those plans to end his life and still let it happen, which is apparently something to be worshipped for . Under mysterious circumstances, his dead body was found in the Rhine river a few days later, and once they put it on a carriage, the carriage decided to drive all the way to Dortmund.
This is the most important point of the tale!
His dead body was found in Cologne, which is 100 km away from Dortmund.
Still, the carriage had to take him to Dortmund, because that was where his dead body wanted to rest.
And in doing so, on its very independent 100 km long journey, it passed through places such as Essen (once Eschhaim) and Bochum (then called Buchhaim), all just because this holy dead body told it so.
Isn’t that impressive?
Dortmund at the times was probably called “Trut munia”, what had its origin back in roman days and Saxons fighting the invasion.
And after his arrival, a church was built in Dortmund. The oldest church today still to be found in the city. A combination of romanic as well as gothic architecture that survived through the centuries, although it had to be rebuilt after the second world war, of course.
His grave in Dortmund had all kinds of magical powers. It is known to have healed ill people, to make blind people see – you know the narrative.
More important: Finally, Dortmund was a point on the medieval map! They made it! They burried Karls nephew! Finally, there was a place holy enough to swear by when signing contracts! And think of all the travelers wanting to visit the grave!
So, the reason why a city that only ever grew during industrial times has such an old church in its middle is a holy dead body that desperately wanted to be buried there. Who put the bones there for real is apparently unknown, by the way.
When I first heard this tale, I really had to laugh at the long and passionate description that old history professor had of the carriage driving 100 km all on its own because the body had wanted it to.
„This so is the arrogant, white-male kind of magic I have warned you about“, my witch hisses into my ear, as we enjoy a coconut latte at the cafe near the St. Reinoldi church. “Self-driving carriages, a dead body wanting to rest in a city that needed more trading privileges and political meaning – and we get burned for looking too pretty when brewing a little love potion!”
She has all the right to roll her eyes, right?
I still enjoyed this little trip and can’t wait for the next one.
https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienR/Reinold_von_Koeln.htm
https://www.sanktreinoldi.de/st-reinoldi/architektur
http://www.sagenhaftes-ruhrgebiet.de/Wie_Dortmund_zu_seinem_Namen_kam
Mistress witch writes 
Self-driving carriage? If you look at it, maybe that inspired Elon Musk to create the self-driving Tesla vehicles we see today!
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Medieval Musk … Oh well : D
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