You think you know sausages. You’ve grilled them, roasted them, maybe even gotten a tattoo of a banger to honor how much you love them. But across the globe, sausage isn’t just dinner—it stars in tales of murder, magic, curses, and even weather control.
Just as every culture has its own sausages and dishes, many also have sausage folklore, urban legends, ghost stories, and superstitions best told over a campfire while a link sizzles on a stick. In honor of spooky season, sink your teeth into this juicy collection of myths, haunts, hexes, and traditions—all (ahem) linked by links.
Meet Bjúgnakrækir, Iceland’s Legendary Sausage Thief
In Icelandic folklore, the Yule Lads are a rowdy band of 13 mischievous brothers who visit children one by one in the nights leading up to Christmas. Each has their own brand of chaos: one lad will eat your pie crusts; another will lick your spoons.
And then there’s Bjúgnakrækir, the “Sausage Swiper.” On December 20, Bjúgnakrækir—the Danny Ocean of Yule Lads—sneaks into homes and pilfers the best sausages, traditionally the ones hanging from rafters or smoking racks. Because Iceland.
These days, legend has it he’s adapted with the times and now scopes out your fridge instead of your chimney. So if your links go missing this December, don’t blame your partner—blame Iceland’s original sausage burglar.
The Great British Sausage-Burying Weather Ritual
In one of the more curious food superstitions to emerge from social media, a new “tradition” claims that burying a raw sausage before your wedding guarantees clear skies on the big day. The ritual supposedly calls for digging a small hole in your yard the night before the ceremony, offering a single sausage to the weather gods, and waking up to sunshine on the big day.
The catch? Nobody seems to have heard of it before 2023, so this isn’t exactly some ancient druidic ritual. Which is why some internet pranksters in the UK must be delighted that People Magazine wrote a whole article on the trend that confirmed once again that correlation absolutely and indisputedly equals causation.
Ghosts of the Sausage Factory
Baseball, football, bowling, and spooky butcher shops—these classic American pastimes are all woven into the United States’ cultural fabric.
Folklore is packed with eerie tales that begin behind the butcher’s counter, from the savory pies of Sweeney Todd to old nursery rhymes and ghost stories whispered across small towns. So it’s no surprise that old-timey sausage shops sit comfortably alongside abandoned hospitals and creaky mansions on the list of places where things go bump in the night. But two stories have managed to become part of the popular American sausage-spook lexicon.
In Chicago, sausage factory owner Adolph Luetgert became infamous after his wife disappeared, Louisa, disappeared under gruesome circumstances. According to local legend, Louisa’s ghost continued to haunt the building long after Adolph was convicted of murder—until it became something far scarier: condos.
Meanwhile, in the 1920s a New Orleans butcher named Hans Mueller employed the tools of his trade rather than a divorce lawyer, only to be driven mad in his sausage shop by the ghost of his wife. Her presence became one of the more enduring legends of the Big Easy—and considering that city’s paranormal résumé, that’s really saying something.
These tales—part true crime, part ghost story—show how easily sausage-making and superstition have intertwined in American lore. They also prove that Victorian-era sausage makers would do anything but go to therapy.
St. Thorlak and the Cursed Sausage of Iceland
St. Thorlak Thórhallsson was a 12th-century bishop and Iceland’s patron saint known for his efforts to reform the Icelandic church. According to a medieval tale of questionable provenance (supported by this blog from 2011), an English cleric once laughed and shook a piece of sausage at a statue of St. Thorlak while hurling insults.
The saint, unimpressed, allegedly struck the man still—his hand frozen around the offending sausage—until he begged forgiveness. Moral of the story? Don’t weaponize cured meats unless you’re prepared to face divine retribution from a saint who definitely doesn’t turn the other cheek.
South Africa’s Legendary Sausage Tree
In South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, there’s a tree that looks like it’s growing corndogs. Known scientifically as Kigelia africana—but far more famously (and fittingly) as the sausage tree—this striking species produces massive, sausage-shaped fruit that can stretch nearly two feet long and weigh up to 20 pounds.
Beyond its eye-popping appearance, the sausage tree holds deep cultural and spiritual significance. In Zulu mythology, it’s believed to possess sacred powers tied to fertility, strength, and virility. Some legends say its fruit can cure impotence or enhance vitality, while others warn that harvesting it without the spirits’ blessing invites misfortune.
Maybe that’s why you don’t hear much about Bjúgnakrækir’s dating life.
The Man, the Girl, and the Underground Mansion
"The Man and the Girl at the Underground Mansion" is a Danish fairy tale — and more proof that the Nordic countries have a very complicated relationship with sausage. The tale exists in several regional variations across Scandinavia and the Baltics, but the meat of the story stays mostly the same: a girl is forced to complete impossible chores for a witch, like washing white wool until it turns black. Along the way, she receives magical help from an enchanted animal who (naturally) becomes a handsome prince by the end.
Then comes the sausage part. In some versions, the witch—or her associate, Tiina—offers the girl a sausage as part of a trap. The girl hides it in her clothes instead of eating it, and Tiina commands, “Sausage, kill her!” The girl promptly tosses the murderous meat away, escaping certain doom.
What happens if she eats the sausage across versions isn’t clear, but it’s a good reminder to source your sausages from reputable retailers like The Sausage Project.
Make Your Own Spooky Sausage Memories
Not every sausage story needs to be steeped in lore, mysticism, or mild horror. Halloween’s also about treats—and a little kitchen mischief. This year, skip the séance and summon something tastier: our favorite spooky sausage snacks. Who knows—maybe the secret to luring your favorite Nordic sausage goblin to the party isn’t a spell at all, but a perfectly wrapped sausage mummy.