The Nachzehrer: A German Vampire in the American West

What Is the Nachzehrer?

In German folklore, a Nachzehrer is a type of vampire that rises from its grave to feed on the life force of the living, often by consuming blood or other bodily fluids. In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, the term is introduced by Frieda Zimmerman, a German-speaking settler, who uses it to label the undead state of Good Stab. The novel transforms this folk figure into a symbol of colonial violence—a monster born not from superstition but from the historical sins of genocide, dispossession, and cultural erasure.

The word appears only once in the text, uttered by Frieda after she tests eggs for rot outside the Miles City church: “Nachzehrer” ([Evidence chapter-0015-chunk-0002]). Yet its resonance anchors the entire supernatural framework of the story. Good Stab himself never uses the term; he describes his condition through Pikuni concepts (“Cat Man,” “Person-Eater”). The German label thus becomes an outsider’s attempt to understand—and control—a horror that the settlers themselves helped create.

Where the Nachzehrer Recurs

The Nachzehrer motif recurs across both timelines of the novel—Good Stab’s past narrated in the “Dark Gospel” chapters and the pastor Three-Persons’s present in “The Absolution of Three-Persons.” Key recurrences include:

Good Stab’s transformation: After being killed by soldiers at Chief Mountain, Good Stab drinks the blood of the Cat Man (the undead creature in a cage) and dies, only to awaken as a thirst-driven being ([Evidence chapter-0004-chunk-0014]). This origin directly ties the Nachzehrer to colonial violence: the Cat Man was transported by the U.S. Army and used as a weapon.
Feeding cycles: Good Stab repeatedly feeds on soldiers, trappers, hide‑hunters, and even Pikuni people. Each feeding reinforces his undead nature and moral decay. For instance, after accidentally killing the boy White Teeth, he is devastated but still driven to drink ([Evidence chapter-0011-chunk-0001]).
The egg test: Frieda’s ritual of dropping eggs to detect evil parallels the Nachzehrer’s association with decay and pollution. One egg yields a “oily black” yolk, confirming the church’s infestation ([Evidence chapter-0015-chunk-0002]).
Congregation’s suspicion: The Miles City community gossips about poisoned dogs and skinned corpses, linking the unexplained deaths to a monstrous presence. The pastor himself struggles to dismiss the supernatural, eventually retitling his journal entries to acknowledge “the savage’s story” as a “dark gospel” ([Evidence chapter-0015-chunk-0002]).

How the Nachzehrer’s Meaning Changes

Initially, the Nachzehrer is a folk label imposed by settlers to explain inexplicable violence. Frieda mutters it after the egg test, connecting the black yolk to a vampire that “rises nightly from the grave to subsist on the lives of the living” ([Evidence chapter-0015-chunk-0002]). The pastor tries to “subscribe to a secular understanding” but fails; the term becomes an admission that Good Stab is a literal creature.

As the novel progresses, the Nachzehrer symbol shifts from a European supernatural category to a embodiment of irredeemable colonial sin. Good Stab is not a traditional vampire; he was created by the Cat Man’s blood, which itself originated from a creature the army used. His hunger is a direct result of genocide—the destruction of the buffalo, the massacre of his people, the theft of his identity. By the final “Dark Gospel” chapter, Good Stab refuses even the label “Piegan” and affirms his Pikuni identity, suggesting that the Nachzehrer is not his true nature but a curse forced upon him.

Furthermore, the Nachzehrer’s meaning expands to include the guilt of the settlers. Three-Persons, a former Civil War soldier, is haunted by his own role in the Marias Massacre. The Nachzehrer becomes a mirror: Good Stab forces the pastor to confront his past, claiming he is there “to remind you of something you pretend never happened” ([Outline chapter 18]). The undead figure thus represents the return of repressed history—a violent reckoning that cannot be buried.

Character and Theme Connections

Good Stab: The Nachzehrer is his identity after death. He struggles with the loss of his humanity, mourning the boy White Teeth and weeping when he finds Yellow Kidney’s son dead on a white buffalo robe ([Evidence chapter-0019-chunk-0010]). His condition isolates him from both his people and the settler world.
Three-Persons: The pastor serves as confessor and witness. His growing belief in the Nachzehrer parallels his moral unraveling. He eventually abandons his parish, walking to the site of his greatest sin to die ([Outline chapter 20]).
The Cat Man: The original Nachzehrer, who entombs Good Stab in ice and later becomes “Walks Twice.” He represents the earliest layer of colonial violence—a being weaponized by the army.
Themes: The Nachzehrer directly connects to colonial violence and genocide, vampirism as consumption, and justice and revenge. Good Stab’s undead hunger literalizes the exploitative consumption of Indigenous land and life. His revenge killings are an expression of justice, but also a curse that perpetuates the cycle of violence.

Study Questions

1. How does the Nachzehrer symbol differ from traditional vampire folklore, and what purpose does that difference serve?

The Nachzehrer in folklore is a mundane corpse that drains life. In the novel, Good Stab is not a reanimated corpse but a living man who dies and is reborn through blood drinking. He retains his memories, emotions, and Pikuni identity. This difference emphasizes that the Nachzehrer is a product of specific historical trauma, not a generic monster. The traditional folk figure would imply universal evil; Jones’s version implicates colonialism as the source of horror.

2. Why does the pastor choose to retitle his journal sections as “Dark Gospel” after hearing Frieda’s accusation?

The pastor’s retitling marks his acceptance that Good Stab’s story is not merely a tale but a scripture—a truth that demands belief. The phrase “dark gospel” suggests that the Nachzehrer’s testimony is a sacred text of suffering and sin. By scratching his own name off the front and inscribing the new title, Three-Persons acknowledges that he is no longer an objective recorder but a participant in the narrative of guilt.

3. In what ways does the Nachzehrer reflect the theme of cultural erasure?

Good Stab’s transformation into a Nachzehrer strips him of the ability to live in community. He cannot join the Fat Melters or Small Robes; horses fear him. His beard grows from drinking white men’s blood, altering his appearance to resemble the colonizers. Yet he fiercely retains his Pikuni name and rejects labels like “Piegan.” The Nachzehrer thus embodies the forced assimilation and identity loss experienced by Indigenous peoples, while also showing resistance through memory.

4. How does the egg test scene connect the Nachzehrer to domestic and religious corruption?

Frieda drops eggs outside the church; most are eaten by dogs, but one yields a black yolk. The egg, a symbol of life and resurrection (especially in Easter season), rotting black indicates that the Nachzehrer has contaminated the sacred space. The pastor’s cat Cordelia mews for fresh eggs, but only rot remains. This corruption extends the Nachzehrer’s influence beyond the prairie into the heart of the settlers’ moral and spiritual order, suggesting that the violence of colonization cannot be contained—it poisons everything.