In the 1400s at the Château de Bewartstein, not far from Wissembourg in Northern Alsace, there was a man with great wealth, and he was a merciless man. His name was Hans Trapp. He was well known for stabbing a child and slicing him into tiny pieces. After the child was sliced into pieces, he cooked him and his flesh.
This legend began from the reputation of a malicious lord. It is meant to scare children to behave. Hans Trapp was an evil man and had a taste for blood. He would disguise himself as a scarecrow and waited on lonely roads for his victims. Then one day he stabbed a boy with a sharp stick and cut him up into pieces and ate him. But eventually he was killed, and people warn their children about his spirit. Children are told that if they misbehave that Hans Trapp may visit them in his scarecrow disguise if they don’t change their ways. The scariest part of this story is that it was inspired by a real person.