DWARFNOSE is a German folktale by Wilhelm Hauff. It was also adapted by Andrew Lang in the VIOLET FAIRY BOOK. I lived in Germany right after college for several years but I didn’t see any Herbwitches. The German town my husband comes from, has a midieval tower similar to the one I painted, except it leans. Pisa, Italy isn’t the only town with a leaning tower. This art is in my older painting style but I still love the witch character.
The old lady with a crooked nose, Herb-wise lures the young boy to her home and keeps him prisoner. A mouse lives in her wig, and uses a ladder to climb up top. She turns the cabbages into heads and uses guinea pigs and squirrels as servants. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_Nose
