Germanic Folklore pertaining to the Drude consists of verbal and customary traditions. Verbal as the stories have been written since the 16th century and is passed down from generation to generation. Customary traditions consist of rituals that one can utilize to ward off a visit from the Drude.
In German belief Drude’s are priestesses who are virgins. They are possessed in a certain way that allows them to break off parts of their spirit creating a Drude. This is called a Drudenfluch (Drude’s curse). While at times it can be a voluntary process, in most instances it is forced upon the young maiden. If a woman is cursed, she will not tell anyone due to the stigmatization surrounding such beliefs. A Drude can only ever be a woman, they do not ever come in the form of a male. There is a way that the Drude can be exorcised from the individual and break the curse, but it requires the woman to be given a tame animal but also the animal must be deemed an important domestic animal in most cases it was a horse. Once the process is completed the Drude will leave its hosts body and enter into the animal, the animal dies in the process, but the woman is no longer cursed and bound to its darkness.
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Drude's are shapeshifters. They can come in many forms such as a feather, smoke, spiders, small creatures that sneak into homes. In most cases a Drude takes on the form of an old ugly woman. They are able to sneak in through cracks in the walls, the smallest of openings such as under the door. Once they enter the home of their unsuspecting victim they sit on their chests and possess them. Most individuals are blissfully unaware of their possession until they go to lay down their heads to sleep and are plagued with nightmares.
The main effective way to prevent a visit and possession from a Drude is to use charms and magical wards. Drudenfuss which is the pentagram on the left, also known as drude's foot. It was usually carved into doorways and windows to prevent the Drude from entering. As well as a Drudenstein that is on the right. Drudenstein's are strung up in rooms, stables, and cribs to protect sleeping areas from a visit from the Drude.
