Dragon myths
from Vorarlberg (Austria)
Vorarlberg is the westernmost province of Austria. It is a mountainous
area, and most of its inhabitants live in the alluvial plain of the
river Rhine. The other valleys are less densely inhabited. And the
alpine areas serve as pastures during summer. Life was not easy for
the peasants in this rough country. And during winter they had much
time to ponder about the vast powers of nature. Many natural hazards
were attributed to the dark and supernatural forces of the underworld.
Therefore Vorarlberg is rich in folklore and mythological creatures.
We learn about the "Nachtvolk" - the people of the night, compareable
to elves - or the "Butz" - a kind of goblin roaming the mountain
pastures and haunting the farmhouses during winter. Dragons, however,
are seldom found in these myths. And they were not defeated by noble
knights or saints. Believe me, the knights of our country had no
desire to leave their small, but comfortable castles in the valley of
the river Rhine. As the dragons did not devour lovely virgins, but
only a cow now and then, the nobility was not inclined to relieve the
peasants of these creatures. This was done by wandering scholars and
other wise people, who possessed some supernatural powers themselves.
The Dragon Slayer
A fierce dragon once haunted the pastures, forests and ravines near
Brand, a small and remote village well within a steep and narrow
mountain valley. He often came down to the village to devour the
cattle and harmed the peasants in every way he could. All attempts to
get rid of the foe were in vain. Then one day a travelling scholar
happened to visit the village. He promised relieve - but at the same
time he warned the peasants of his own powers. Nevertheless the people
of Brand were more affraid of the dragon but of the unknown magick of
the scholar. The wayfarer proposed two methods to defeat the dragon:
water or fire. Although knowing the forces of torrents and debris
flows the peasant considered the fire more dangerous.
Early that evening the sky turned black as night. But just one moment
later a thunderstorm arouse as it was never experienced before in this
country. Flashes so rapidly followed each other that the whole valley
was brightly enlighted - with no sun or moon shining. The thunder
rolled and echoed from one mountain ridge to the other, the rain
poured down and it hailed toads. The tempest was worst in that area,
where the dragon was supposed to dwell. Then at midnight, when its
force still increased, the whole hillside collapsed. Meadows and
woods, water and soil, trees and stones intermingled and rushed down
the slope. And in the midst of this there was the dragon. Suddenly he
was struck and killed by one last great flash. Then the thunderstorm
ceased, and the debris flow soon stopped the the bottom of the valley.
The rest of the night was covered by absolute darkness. Late came
dawn. At full light the peasants could examine the devastations of the
night. The whole hillside had turned into a steep torrent, and masses
whispered the men to their wives and children. The wandering scholar,
however, had disappeared.
Shurely these mountain pastures were hazardous both for peasants and
cattle. Cows quite often lost their ways and fell into torrents.
People were threatened and sometimes even killed by thunderstorms.
Debris flows still are a common hazard in these areas and millions of
shillings are spent each year for the obstruction of torrents. Folk
lore attributed all these threats to supernatural powers, e.g. in this
case to a dragon. According to the old rule similia similibus curantur
(an evil can be cured by somthing similar) only a magickal tempest
could relieve the valley of this creature. At the same time the legend
explained the formation of a new torrent. The geologist, however, has
another explanation: Huge masses of unstable gravel had been deposited
on the mountain flanks during the last ice age. They were soon covered
and stabilized by trees. But in areas without vegetational cover
theses gravels very often feed debris flows during thunderstorms.
The Schesatobel near Brand is one of these areas. About 200 years ago
the woods had been cut down. The people needed money for the
construction of a new church. They should not have done so. During the
following years a small creek, not wider than two or three feet,
developed into deep torrent. Today backward erosion exceeds three
meters each year! About 140 years ago the tooth of a mammoth was found
in Schesatobel.
Shurely the legend is much older and does not report the formation of
that torrent. But just imagine: The sudden collaps of a hillside,
which had been stable for hundreds of years during an extremely strong
thunderstorm, the appearance of a strange person at the same time, and
perhaps the finding of mammoth bones - all these features could be the
source of this myth which was born during the long winter nights.
A common motive in alpine folk lore is the punishment of hart-hearted
people. It explains the occurence of vast devasted areas, glaciers or
strange morphological features. As these legends should remind us of
the powers of the LOrd, they usually are not connected to dragons -
with one exception.
hill)
once occupied by a rich farmhouse surrounded by fertile fields and
pleasant meadows. One day a stranger appeared begging for alms. When
the hart-hearted farmer drove him away, the stranger turned around and
warned: "Just wait, what I will bring you in return." Then suddenly
the beggar disappeared, and one moment later the sky turned black as
night. Water roared and a nearby creek turend into an impetous
torrent. Down the valley came trees and boulders devasting the once so
lovely place. And in the midst of the debris flow there was the
stranger leading a fierce dragon by a red cord. With his tail the
dragon drove all trunks and rocks towards the farmhouse. He heaped up
the debris above the house burying both men and cattle. Then the
stranger took the red cord and, leading the dragon through the center
of Bezau, he turned towards the neighbouring village. Both beggar and
dragon were seen never again.
This is not the only dragon threatening Bezau:
The Dargon of Lake Sonderdach
("Der Drache im See Sonderdach"; VONBUN & BEITL, 1950: No. 20)
pleasant pastures. It lodges a huge dragon. Of course nobody knows its
depth. One day some curious country lads tried to fathom the lake.
Suddenly they heard a voice:
Frightend out of their wits they fled the enchanted waters. From that
day on nobody again dared to measure the lake in fear of the dragon.
With a stroke of its tail the brute might break through the shores.
Then masses of water and mud will rush down the hill and the dragon
will ride upon this debris flooding and ravaging the village.
In another myth the dragon not only acts as the bringer of debris
flows. He also guards a mysterious hoard:
The Dragon of Galina gorge
("Der Drache im Gallinatobel"; VONBUN & BEITL, 1950: No. 100)
One of the most striking features in Galina gorge is an isolated huge
rock. As the tale goes, in former times it rested upon three other
boulders. A poor sheperd often seeked shelter beneath this rock. Every
time he did so, he found coins of silver, and sometimes even of gold.
One day his father got aware of these findings and - quite correctly -
guessed that this was the hiding-place a hoard. But the moment he
crept beneath the rock a dreadful thunderstorm arouse. Water rushed
down the gorge carrying soil and stones. The man could escape, but the
cave beneath the rock was buried. It is said that a wandering scholar
had deposited his valueables there. A dragon guarded the hoard. This
dragon also causes the thunderstorms and torrents of rains that still
ravage the gorge occasionally. One day the dragon will leave his
dwelling in the worst thunderstorm ever experienced. He will pass the
hoard over to any person daring to stay on a nearby wooden bridge
during the flood.
Well, brigdes are much safer today than they used to be some decades
ago. However, floods will never be totally banned. If you now want to
visit Vorarlberg and wait for the dragon you should bear in mind that
the old wooden bridge has long been replaced by one made of concrete
and steel. But perhaps the dragon allready has left his gorge. And
finding nobody waiting for him he took the hoard along to hide it in
some other remote place.
The Dragon and the "Venediger"
141)
Long time ago a dreadful dragon ravaged the surroundings of Sonntag, a
small mountain village, where he harmed both man and cattle. All
efforts to banish the beast were in vain. One day a "Venediger"
appeared. Fearlessly he mounted the dragon and rode off through the
valley waving his hat. From that day on the dragon was seen never
again.
"Venediger" litterally means "man from Venice". During the middle ages
and the ensueing centuries merchants from Venice travelled the Alps to
find and buy rock crystals and other minerals which were cut and sold
in Venice. In alpine folk lore a Venediger is a kind of goblin or
dwarf searching rare crystals and especially gold. Some of them could
even turn the water of a secret spring into gold (although in some
cases it took five years to fill the magickal jar). Our myth does not
mention any hoard. But perhaps it was their common love for the
treasures of the mountains which established the friendship between
the Venediger and the Dragon.
Lil Stinker
"just havin' fun!"
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