© Shutterstock

Roots -

Christman Genipperteinga is said to have been born circa 1569 in Körpen (today’s Kerpen), located around 12 miles (20 km) southwest of Cologne, in Germany.

© Shutterstock

Home -

Not much is known about his family or home. The story goes that, later in life, Genipperteinga moved to a cave complex in the forests of the Rhineland.

© Shutterstock

Criminal life -

At some point, Christman Genipperteinga put together a gang of robbers. They would prey on travelers, robbing and killing them.

© Getty Images

Journal -

Reportedly, Genipperteinga kept a journal where he would record information about his murders.

© Shutterstock

Murders -

Christman Genipperteinga is said to have killed a total of 964 people. His goal was apparently 1,000.

© Shutterstock

Fortune -

Of course, being a robber as well as a serial killer, Genipperteinga amassed a lot of money. About 70,000 Gulden (gold coins), according to some estimates.

© Getty Images

Fortune -

For sake of comparison, an average laborer back then would earn around 300 Gulden per year. So it’s safe to say that he amassed enough money to last for the rest of his life.

© Getty Images

Different versions - The story of Christman Genipperteinga has suffered numerous alterations over the years. Some versions say that not only did he kill his victims, but that he also ate them.

© iStock

Different versions -

Other versions of the story describe Christman Genipperteinga as having supernatural powers, such as the power of invisibility. These powers, of course, were given to him by the devil himself.

© Getty Images

Abduction -

It probably got lonely for Genipperteinga in his cave, but finding a suitable partner in the traditional sense was not his thing. The German serial killer decided to do so by force.

© Getty Images

Hostage -

According to legend, Christman Genipperteinga took a woman and held her in captivity for a number of years. Some sources say seven.

© Getty Images

Who was this woman? -

The woman was said to be the daughter of a cooper, who was kidnapped while traveling to Trier. Some versions say Genipperteinga made her his sex slave.

© Getty Images

Offspring -

The killer and his hostage had a number of children as a result (some sources mention six). And this is when things get even more twisted. To begin with, Genipperteinga decided to take the life of his own children.

© Shutterstock

He had a really sick mind -

And if killing his kids was not horrific enough, legend has it that Genipperteinga stretched and hung up the corpses, which he liked to watch “dance” as they moved in the wind.

© Shutterstock

Creepy song -

The story goes that he’d sing a song when the wind made the children’s bodies move. The lyrics roughly translate to “Dance, dear little children, dance, Genipperteinga, your father is making the dance for you.”

© Shutterstock

Escape -

The woman found a way to escape, and according to the legend she came up with an inventive way to trace back the whereabouts of the serial killer.

© Getty Images

Trail -

The woman left a trail of peas, leading to Genipperteinga’s hideout. She went to the authorities, and they found the serial killer.

© Shutterstock

Fairytale -

Interestingly, the trail of peas story can be found in a German fairytale. More specifically, in Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's ‘The Robber Bridegroom.’

© Getty Images

Arrest -

Legend has it that the brutal murderer was captured on May 27, 1581 by a group of some 30 armed men.

© Public Domain

Evidence -

In the cave, the authorities found wine, coins, salted meat, and weapons.

© Shutterstock

Sentence and torture -

The serial killer was apparently sentenced to die on June 17, 1581. The chosen method? The brutal breaking wheel.

According to the legend, the executioners kept Genipperteinga alive for longer… just so he could suffer a bit more. It's said that the serial killer was kept alive for nine days.

© Shutterstock

Sources -

The first—and most famous—written account of the story is a 1581 pamphlet published by Caspar Herber, called Erschröckliche newe Zeytung Von einem Mörder Christman genandt ('Terrible new tidings about a murderer named Christman').

© Public Domain

Similarities to other stories -

Whether Christman Genipperteinga was real or not is still up for debate. But there are many other similarities with other stories, in addition to the already mentioned trail of peas in the Brothers Grimm tale.

© Getty Images

Cave and hostage story -

Another story with similar details includes that of a robber named Lippold, who kidnapped the daughter of the mayor. The Lippoldshöhle (pictured) indeed has a lot in common with Genipperteinga’s cave.

© Shutterstock

And another cave story -

And so does the story of Daneil's Cave (pictured) in the district of Harz, Germany, where apparently a robber named Daneil used to hide, as did other robbers and highwaymen.

© Shutterstock

Other tales -

Other German robbers have similar stories, including Görtemicheel, Schwarzer Friedrich, Vieting, and Papedöne.

© Shutterstock

Scottish version -

Sawney Bean and his incestuous cannibal family also lived in a cave.

Sources: (Grunge) (University of Pittsburgh)

© Getty Images