This analysis focuses on the search for the ‘Numinosum’, typical of folk legends, and examines its role in the novels ‘Mars im Widder’ (‘Mars in Aries’, 1941) by Alexander Lernet-Holenia and ‘Le Roi des aulnes’ (‘The Erl-King’, 1970) by Michel Tournier. The idea of the numinous experience created by Rudolf Otto is understood as an intense connection of mind and body with a transcendental, supernatural force. In addition to encompassing the religious sphere, it can be found reflected in the narrations of both popular and highbrow literature. The reflection on how symbolism, motifs and thematic contexts of the folk culture influence the literary creation of spaces and characters are the central focus of this article. The theoretical take on the subject of the folk narrative research poses a question whether and to what degree the literary creations of space in novels fulfil the criteria of numinous reality typical of folk legends.