| Dragon Lore and Legends: Haymo, a Tyrolean Dragonslayer |
P.U. |
| Lil Stinker NP-g07 (anywhere@uwant2.com) |
2005/09/25 16:12 |
Haymo, a Tyrolean Dragonslayer
A famous dragon ravaged the surroundings of Innsbruck, capital of the
Austrian province Tyrol. South of this town the narrow and gloomy
gorge of the river Sill leads to a once dark, deserted mountain
forest. During the long winter nights rumours spread about the
occurance of gold in that area. But no one dared to search for it. For
the gorge was inhabited by a gruesome dragon. He guarded a huge hoard.
cave and swept away small pieces of gold. Sometimes they were found by
lucky people strolling the banks of the river. When the dragon noticed
the loss, he left his cave in search of the thief. He then rushed down
the gorge, ravaged the fields and destroyed houses, stables and
gardens, spreading terror all around.
At that time a giant named Haymo lived somewhere near the Rhine. Being
more than 12 feet tall he exceeded all other people in height. His
strength was matchless. And he was of noble descent. When Haymo heard
of the dragon, he decided to relieve the peasants of this brute. He
gathered the best weapons available and took his way towards the Alps.
Approaching Innsbruck he encountered the devastations caused by the
dragon. There was not even one firm house, but only small, pitiful
huts. Peasants lamented over the loss both of cattle and grooms. Haymo
had come just in time. Again the dragon lurked for victims. With one
leap the giant was upon the beast and gave him one stroke after the
other. The dragon wriggled and roared with pain. At last he fled into
his cave. But Haymo persued the brute and stabbed it. As a prove his
astonished and glad. They persuaded Haymo to stay in Tyrol and to be
their sovereign.
Haymo, however, did not come to rest. Another giant, Thyrsus,
inhabited the surroundings of Seefeld, then a small village some
kilometers northwest of Innsbruck (today Seefeld is well renowned as a
winter sports resort). Thyrsus was both brutal and jealous. Therefore
he pondered on how to defeat his rival. Haymo, however, cought rumours
about the evel intentions of his enimy. So they met somewhere between
Innsbruck and Seefeld. During their struggle Haymo happened to wound
Thyrsus who fled back to his home where at last he was slain. His
blood soaked the earth and even the rocks. Seeing his rival dead,
Haymo regreted his deed. When he returned to Innsbruck he founded the
monastery of Wilten just at the spot where he had killed the dragon.
As in many other legends, the dragon served as a personification of
the violent forces of the river Sill. This supernatural creature could
only be defeated by another mythological being: a giant. Gold was
never found in the surroundings of Innsbruck, but small crystals of
the golden mineral pyrite are quite common in the metamorphic rocks of
the Alps. A geological peculiarity of the surroundings of Seefeld is
the occurance of bituminous shales of middle Triassic age (Seefelder
Fischschiefer; approximately 210 to 223 m.y.). They have been mined
for centuries. The oil destilled from the shales (named Ichthyol =
fish-oil) is still used for medicinal purpose. ABEL (1939) tried to
link these bitumina to the legend of Haymo slaying the Sill-dragon:
dragon blood was believed to have great powers. Although he mentioned
heroes, interpreted Thyrsus as a general name of giants and equated
Thyrsus and Haymo. He also neglected the different geological settings
of Seefeld (limestones and shales) and the Sill gorge (metamorphic
rocks). This misinterpretation is still found in recent publications.
monastery of Wilten. It is now at exposition at the Tiroler
Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum. Of course it is not a real tongue, but the
rostrum of a swordfish (Xiphias gladius), which probably was brought
to Tyrol by a crusador.
Lil Stinker
"just havin' fun!"
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