21 December 2025
How do you talk about urban legends in German?
Random German Word of the Day: Ammenmärchen (n.) - this German word means “old wives’ tale” or an unfounded story. For “urban legend,” moderne Sage is another useful term.
The word Amme originally referred to any breastfeeding woman, and today means “wet nurse”. The word Märchen means “fairy tale”.
The word combines Amme (wet nurse) and Märchen (fairy tale). The more specific bedtime-story origin is uncertain.
Extra Fact
Interestingly, the German word Hebamme (“midwife”) is not at all related: It comes from heben (“to lift”) and Ahnin (“female ancestor”) - referring to the child’s grandmother.
Oh, and one more thing: There’s a modern urban legend that’s as popular in Germany as it is odd. Namely, that the city of Bielefeld does not exist. Who knows if there’s some truth to it - we have yet to meet anyone who’s been there.
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