Lora Ley - Book Five - The Corn Spirits

Corn Spirits are an integral part of German myth and culture. Appearing in many shapes and forms, they're known as Feldgeister (Field Spirits) or Korndämonen (Corn Demons). They also relate to wheat and other grains. Some can create whirlwinds or storms.
At harvest the spirit hides in the last stalk. It's killed by cutting the grain heads, threshing the corn or it is brought to the village in ceremony, shaped as a corn doll.
Direct contact to the Feldgeister causes illness. Feldgeister may present as birds or other animals, a child (das Kornkind), demonic entities, as whirlwinds of wind or dust. They appear in fields to consume crops or lie in waiting for human prey, especially children who wander too far into the corn.