One category of entities that does not have a clear origin (they might be undead, fairies, demons, or something else entirely) but which do have fairly similar modes of behavior are so-called “pressure spirits” - “Druckgeist” in German. No matter what form they take and how they operate, they have in common that they put, well, some form of pressure on people (and sometimes animals) and weaken them in this way (sometimes fatally so, but usually the victim survives). This seems to be an extremely strong craving for them, akin to addiction, and it is often implied that they gain nourishment from such an act. Depending on the context, this can often be linked to the phenomenon of sleep paralysis - and, possibly, modern UFO abduction stories.
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The Drudes
Many years ago, in the night before Epiphany[1], two old women arose from their holes in the forest and set forth on the path to the Ahornbauer[2] farmer. They were full of wrinkles, ugly to look at with short grey hair, and each carried an ash stick. These were evil Drudes, who committed nefarious deeds against humans and cattle alike all night long.
When they had arrived at the farm, they stepped into the main chamber where a fire had already been kindled and the married couple owning the farm had already sat down for dinner. The Drudes, pretending to be on a pilgrimage to Sankt Hermann[3], asked food and a place to stay for the night. In exchange they promised to pray for them at Sankt Hermann. The farmer, a God-fearing man, agreed to this request. But his young wife, who was pregnant, had ill premonitions about this.
The Drudes spoke much of holy matters, and the couple, sitting at the spinning wheel, listened with much astonishment. As the eleventh hour approached, one of the Drudes (who was named “Muss”) whispered to the other (who was called “Kan”) that she couldn't stand it any more - she had to go and squeeze a living being. Kan told her to be calm, for they should not harm their benefactors. But as the 11th hour approached, Muss was no longer able to contain herself and went into the chamber of the younger maid, who had gone to bed early. However, the maid was careful and had pointed the tips of her shoes outwards, away from the bed, and therefore the Drude was not able to touch her.
Thus thwarted, the witch ran into the stables - but all the animals were locked away, and the gates to their stalls were sealed with holy symbols after good Christian tradition. Even the farm dog had a blessed amulet around its neck. From all this frustration Muss became crazed and hugged a tree lying in the yard until she squeezed herself to death.
Meanwhile everyone in the farm had gone to sleep, but the farmer's wife felt unwell and realized that she was close to childbirth. The oldest farmhand thus had to mount their sorrel horse and ride to Kolmberg[4] in order to get the priest and the barber. Noticing this, Kann sat down on the back of the horse. The fear of the farmhand was hardly describable, for the Drude weighted down like lead on the horse, and no matter how hard he drove it onward the animal would hardly move an inch. Finally the church bells rang for the morning prayers, and the witch quickly jumped off the horse. But the farmhand, who was a clever man, called after the old woman: “Come back today, and borrow something!”
Immediately he heard crying and wailing, causing him to almost regret his words. At the ninth hour he returned to Ahornwies, the castle chaplain[6] and the barber in tow. When they arrived there was much fear and confusion, as the squashed Drude had been discovered and there was fear that the newborn child had come to harm. But the new mother and her child were healthy and well.
Then Kan, who was not as far gone as the evil Muss, returned. Crying, she begged for a pan with which she could make some mush for the newborn child. However, everyone opposed her. The priest made warding prayers against her. The maids arrived with fire hooks and brooms, and the farmhands with pitchforks and flails so that they could beat her down. But the old barber, who had found mother and child to be healthy, was well-versed in all magical arts and contemplated the Drude's request, stopping all abuse against her.
Now Kan became cheerful. The farmers were surprised, for now she no longer appeared as an ugly old woman to them, but beautiful and lovely. She stepped behind the stove and cooked a tasteful mush for the child. And from that moment on she became the children's maid for the Ahornwieser farmer and helped him raise ten children. She was no longer called a Drude, but Gertraud. And she no longer was a cursed person but a good Christian. She sang lovely songs to the children, spoke of Christ to them, and there were good fortune and blessings within the house. She lived for a long time and was kept in high honors when she became too old to work. Finally she died a peaceful death at an age of more than two hundred years, surrounded by the grandchildren and great grandchildren of the long-dead original Ahornwieser farmer.
[1] January 6th.
[2] “Ahornbauer” should be read here as “the farmer of the hamlet of Ahornwies”, a hamlet about 4 km north of the village of Sankt Englmar in Lower Bavaria. The suffix “-bauer” means “farmer”.
[3] A pilgrimage church in Bischofsmais, about 25 kilometers to the southwest of where this story takes place.
[4] A hamlet now part of Sankt Englmar and about 3 km north of Ahornwies.
[5] The nearest castle, or “Schloss”, seems to be Schloss Hagn in Neukirchen - about 10 km to the southeast of Ahornwies, and thus in a rather different direction than Kolmberg. If the chaplain was from this castle, then presumably he was on a tour to the different hamlets, and his schedule was known to the farmers of Ahornwies. If not... then maybe he was from a different castle after all.
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Commentary: While the Drudes (or “Trudes”, as they are spelled here) in this story are referred to as “witches” twice and a “cursed person” once, I am not altogether convinced that they started out as humans - indeed, the long lifespan of Kan even after her “conversion” hints that she is, or at least was, a faerie being of some kind (at least Arwen got to be Queen of Gondor after choosing mortality, while Kan gets to look after toddlers. Then again, this probably is a step up after living in a hole in a forest…).
We also see the power Christian symbols and rites have against the supernatural - with an added trick for protecting yourself from evil spirits by putting down the shoes in a particular way. What still mystifies me is the farmhand's phrase: “Come back today, and borrow something!” Presumably this compelled Kan to return to the farm, but I am missing the deeper context. Meanwhile, barbers - as people who had “strange abilities” (in medicine) were often believed to have magical powers as well, although in this story they are only hinted at.
Finally, how is this for a backstory? “I was raised by a fairy woman who used to be an evil spirit!” Maybe “Gertraud” taught her charges some other things than just Christian songs and theology...
Translation notes: The titular characters spelled “Truden” in the original text, but I decided to stick with the standard modern spelling. The names of the Drudes, “Muss” and “Kan”, translate as “Must” and “Can”, which is probably not a coincidence.
“Kleine Dirne” and “Grosser Knecht” were named ranks or roles among the inhabitants of a German farm. I have translated them as “younger maid” and “oldest farmhand”, but this is only approximate.
The tree that squashes the first Drude is called a “Schindelbaum” - literally, “Shingle Tree” in the original text. According to some obscure references, this might refer to North American cypress trees or shingle oaks - it's not inconceivable that they may have been imported to Germany by the time this story takes place. However, it is just as likely that this referred to any type of tree that was used for wooden roof shingles.