The Spectre of the Brocken.
I will now tell you of certain strange appearances, which are sometimes produced by clouds, operating like mirrors, and reflecting upon the sky the images of things on the earth.
In Germany, there is a range of elevations, called the Hartz Mountains. The Brocken is the loftiest peak, and is said to be about three fourths of a mile high. The view from the top of it is so extensive as to embrace a tract of land inhabited by more than five millions of people.
Now these reflecting clouds of which I have spoken, sometimes collect around this mountain, and bear a very distinct though shadowy image of whatever may be on the summit of the Brocken, when the sun is rising. It is remarkable that this image is greatly magnified, so that if a man is on the mountain, his figure upon the cloud is as tall as a steeple. The best account of this wonderful spectacle is given by a very learned Frenchman, called Hauy. He visited the place in 1797. I give his own account of what he saw, which is as follows:
“After having come here for the thirteenth time, I was at length so fortunate as to have the pleasure of seeing the spectre. The sun rose about four o’clock, and the atmosphere was quite serene. I was looking round to see whether the atmosphere would permit me to have a free prospect of the southwest, when I observed at a very great distance, toward one of the other mountains, what seemed like a human figure, of a monstrous size. A violent gust of wind having almost carried off my hat, I clapped my hand to my head, and the colossal figure did the same.
“The pleasure which I felt at this discovery can hardly be described; for I had already walked many a weary step, in the hopes of seeing this shadowy image, without being able to gratify my curiosity. I immediately made another movement by bending my body, and the colossal figure before me repeated it. I was desirous of doing the same thing once more, but my colossus had vanished. I remained in the same position, waiting to see whether it would return, and, in a few minutes, it again made its appearance on the mountain.
“I paid my respects to it a second time, and it did the same to me. I then called the landlord of the Brocken, and, having both taken the same position, we looked towards the mountain, but saw nothing. We had not, however, stood long, when two colossal figures were formed in the same situation, which repeated our compliments by bending their bodies as we did, after which they vanished.
“We retained our position, kept our eyes fixed on the same spot, and, in a little while, the two figures again stood before us, and were joined by a third, which was most likely the double reflection of one of us. Every movement that we made by bending our bodies these figures imitated, but with this difference, that the phenomenon was sometimes weak and faint, and sometimes strong and well defined.”
There are many other interesting stories relating to these reflecting clouds, but I have not room to tell them here. You will find them in one of Parley’s books, entitled, “Wonders of the Earth, Sea, and Sky,” from which I have been permitted to copy this account and the engraving that accompanies it.