1/13
The exhibition is as mystical as the stories it brings to life.
Among dark green spruce forests, cold mountain streams and rustic log cabins, people have been telling legends for hundreds of years. Tales of ghosts, witches, dragons or the devil. Dark stories where you never know exactly what’s true. The “Legends from the Alps” exhibition, open until 23 April at the National Museum of Zurich, is dedicated to some of them.
The centerpiece is Graubünden. The canton is particularly interesting for its trilingualism and, as far as legends are concerned, is relatively well studied. Most of the Grisons legends concern witches. Damage magic, animal transformation or witches’ sabbath are central motifs.
The bear in Val Sumvitg
In this legend, a hunter shoots a bear in Val Sumvitg, a valley in Graubünden. However, it is not blood that flows from the killed animal, but gruel with cherries. Soon after, the death knell rings and the hunter learns that a woman with a bad reputation has just died. It becomes clear to him that the animal was a witch in the form of a bear.
In this legend, a hunter shoots a bear in Val Sumvitg, a valley in Graubünden. However, it is not blood that flows from the killed animal, but gruel with cherries. Soon after, the death knell rings and the hunter learns that a woman with a bad reputation has just died. It becomes clear to him that the animal was a witch in the form of a bear.
Between fiction and reality
The exhibition is spread over two rooms. These are as mystical as the stories they bring to life. In the center, a tree grows out of the ground, illuminated by a blue light. In one corner there are countless candles on the floor, their flames reflecting in a mirror. Along the walls there are objects of legends: the alleged crossbow of William Tell or a cross with nails that is supposed to drive away a ghost in “Defense of the Toggeli”.
Unlike fairy tales, legends are related to real places. Science distinguishes several types. In historical legends such as that of William Tell, real or presumed real figures appear in existing places. Demon sagas, on the other hand, deal with the supernatural and the uncanny. Dragons, devils or spirits make trouble, actions are punished or catastrophes threaten. “The blend of fact and fiction is exactly what fascinates people,” says Daniela Schwab, curator of the exhibition.
By word of mouth
The sagas are a combination of oral and written. They arise when people tell each other what they have read. As a result, they spread, but they also change in the process. There are different versions of «Sennentuntschi» scattered throughout the Alps. In January, the doll of this legend will be in the State Museum. As there have been delays, it is currently only available as a photo.
The Sennuntschi
The legend of the Sennentuntschi speaks of the desires and wishes of the cheesemakers. They make a doll, feed it, play with it and talk to it. After christening the doll, it suddenly comes to life. He takes revenge on one of the shepherds by killing him and spreading his skin on the roof.
The legend of the Sennentuntschi speaks of the desires and wishes of the cheesemakers. They make a doll, feed it, play with it and talk to it. After christening the doll, it suddenly comes to life. He takes revenge on one of the shepherds by killing him and spreading his skin on the roof.
The first mediators of legends date back to the 16th century. The Aargau teacher Arnold Büchli (1885–1970) heard legends and wrote them down in Switzerland. With the “Regional Mythological Studies of Grisons” he has created the most comprehensive collection of legends in Switzerland.
