The Tatzelwurm occupies a curious niche in Alpine folklore, its very name suggesting both wonder and unease, since it fuses the German Tatze, meaning paw, with Wurm, a word that until the modern period could refer to any serpentine or draconic creature rather than merely an earthworm. This nomenclature already hints at its hybrid nature, for the creature is neither fully reptile nor fully mammal, instead described as a serpent or lizard endowed with short,