What Is a Drude or Trude?

Written by Dyami Millarson

In Southern German folk religion, a Drude is a female incubus or mare. So when a Drude lies on a person, that person will experience nightmares and shortness of breath. The plural is Druden. Other forms of Drude include Drud and Trud(e).

On page 1453 of the second volume of Grimm’s Deutsches wörterbuch, the Drude is described as a witch, an old witch-like woman, a bad spirit, or mare who presses a sleeping human victim.

On page 182 of the second volume of Bailey-Fahrenkrüger’s Wörterbuch der englischen Sprache published in 1822, Drud(e) is glossed as fairy. It ought to be understood that a fairy may not necessarily be an innocent, harmless being.

On page 621 of volume I of Johann Ebers’ The New and Complete Dictionary of the German and English Languages published in 1796, Drud(e) is rendered as “a Magician, a Wizard, a Conjurer, Sorcerer, Enchanter; a Hobgoblin, a Spectre, Spirit, Phantom, the Nightmare or the Hag.”

On page 265 of the second volume of Christian Joseph Jagemann’s Dizionario italiano-tedesco e tedesco-italiano published in 1803, Drud is rendered into Italian as “stregone; strega — spirito” and Drude as “folletto — incubo.” The former signifies “sorcerer; witch — spirit” and the latter signifies “fairy — incubus.” The Italian dictionary interprets Drud as a masculine substantive and Drude as a feminine substantive.

In pages 180-181 of volume II of Karl Pearson’s work The Chances of Death, and Other Studies in Evolution published in 1897, it is said: “Later M.H.G. trut, trute, Bavarian and Tyrolese trud, drud, trûte, trütl, Modern German drude, denotes a witch, magic-working woman, or spirit, who comes as an incubus at night. That the trud who came and pressed the sleeper at night was […] often very human, is evidenced by Bucher’s tale of the Caluzine father, who found out that his trut was the kerzlerin, i.e. the woman who sold votive candles in the church.”