Who is Punker?
Punker (ˈpʊŋkɐ) is a legendary figure of the 15th century from the German village of Rohrbach (now part of the city of Heidelberg). According to the Malleus Maleficarum. around 1430 there was an extremely accurate archer named Punker who was rumoured to possess supernatural powers. It was said that he had enabled the capture of a castle (castrum Lendenbrunnen, presumably Lindelbrunn near Dahn) almost single-handed with deadly shots from his bow. In addition a legend about him, similar to one told about the Swiss William Tell, is recounted in Malleus Maleficarum. The story goes that even the Count Palatine, Louis III of the Rhine, was in awe of Punker, so outstandingly accurate he was, whether on the battlefield or in the hunt. In order to try and trap him into admitting his magic powers, he ordered him to use his own son as a target and shoot a penny from the top of his beret. If he failed, the penalty was death. For a long time, Punker refused because he was worried that the devi...
