Hagazussa

The story begins in 15th-century Austria, where a lonely young girl named Albrun lives a secluded life with her goat-herding mother. The mystery surrounding her father's identity looms over their humble existence in an unforgiving landscape.

A traveler arrives at their cottage and delivers a grave warning about the malevolent spirit, the Perchta. He advises Albrun and her mother to turn back and avoid any harm that may come from the spirit's wrath.

One fateful night, men in goat skins and horns invade Albrun's cottage. They accuse her mother of witchcraft and demand they be burned alive, showcasing the rampant superstitions gripping the community.

Following the terrifying invasion, Albrun's mother falls gravely ill and is deemed beyond help by a doctor and a nun. Albrun is left to care for her ailing mother as her condition deteriorates both physically and mentally.

In a moment of despair, Albrun's mother flees into the unforgiving winter night. The next morning, Albrun discovers her mother's lifeless body surrounded by snakes, marking a traumatic turning point in her life.

Fast forward fifteen years, Albrun still lives in the same cottage, now caring for her infant daughter, Baby Martha. Facing similar hardships, Albrun tends goats and struggles against the superstitions of the local townsfolk.

Attempting to sell goat milk in town, Albrun is met with rejection due to the townsfolk's superstitions, further isolating her. After being tormented by a group of unruly boys, she receives unexpected compassion from a townswoman named Swinda.

During a meeting with the town's parson in the church ossuary, Albrun receives a polished skull, a harbinger of disturbing events. The parson's cryptic message about cleansing sacrilege adds to Albrun's growing frustration and despair.

Albrun's life spirals further as she becomes a victim of a brutal assault staged by Swinda and a local man. This traumatic event deepens her sense of isolation and drives her into a frenzy over the theft of her goats.

In a fit of rage after losing her goats, Albrun poisons the local water source, marking a drastic shift towards vengeance. Alone, she communes with her mother's skull, deepening her descent into madness.

As Albrun walks through town, she is horrified to see corpses being removed, signaling a spreading death. In a desperate attempt to escape her grim reality, she consumes a hallucinogenic mushroom and falls into psychosis.

Lost in her disturbed state, Albrun tragically leads her daughter to a stagnant pond, resulting in Baby Martha's drowning. In this moment of horror, Albrun succumbs to a dark calm enveloping her.

Albrun awakes to find a snake over her, an ominous sign from her mother. Overcome with grief upon discovering her daughter’s lifeless body, she bizarrely drops it into a bubbling soup, facing the horror of her actions.

Overwhelmed by visions and the specters of her past, Albrun experiences a complete breakdown. As dawn breaks, she lies in despair on a mountaintop, ultimately igniting herself in the flames under the rising sun.