3. The dwarves on the Lauchernalp

Under the Waldärru, on the Lauchernalp, where today the beautiful ski area offers relaxation, stands the Zwärglistein. This is the home of the Lötschental dwarves. Some of these little creatures had superhuman powers. There are monuments to their gigantic strength scattered throughout the valley, such as the Grynstein behind Eisten or the Müllerstein in the Ferden Pass. Both colossi were carried to their present location by dwarves and planted in eternal memory. The dwarves in the Lötschental were good with the good and bad with the bad, ready to offer loving help, but also ready to play mischievous tricks. They were everywhere and nowhere. On the Milchboden in the Kummenalp there are still three dwarf farmsteads today, and not so long ago old people claim to have seen the last dwarf in the valley...

Once a dwarf woman was expecting another child at the Zwärglistein in Waldärru. But because there was no dwarf midwife to be found in the whole area, the father-to-be, after much deliberation, made his way to Ferden to fetch the valley midwife. He knocked timidly on the door and made a touching plea. The woman was happy to help, but didn't really dare to say yes, because people trusted the gnomes to do all sorts of things, especially when their mood turned bad.

After much hesitation, the midwife nevertheless decided to go with the troubled dwarf father. After an arduous hike, she entered the dwarves' cosy parlour, where the "Gnomini" - as the dwarves in the Lötschental were called - lived. Here she cared for mother and child for a week. When the two were back on their feet and "zwäg", the midwife wanted to say goodbye. The dwarf father said to her: "We can't give you any money as a reward, but so that you can see and feel that we are grateful, you can take a few coals from the "Trächa", the open fireplace. The woman had to suppress her laughter because she didn't dare upset the good people and took an apron full with her. On the way home, she dropped a piece of coal from time to time because they were getting too heavy for her. The dwarf's father called after her several times: "The more you drop, the less you have!" 

There was a lot of "Ah" and "Oh", the gossipers were amazed and the midwife was speechless and shocked. When she had regained her composure, she told the story of the coals and how and where she had scornfully dropped them. The women threw away their aprons, grabbed a sack and ran and stormed off up the path to Lauchernalp in search of the discarded coals. But they didn't find a single lump of gold. At Zwärglistein, the women searched in vain for the dwarf family. Their dwelling had been abandoned and the "gnomini" had moved away.

The Goori says: "Seemingly worthless gifts can also have it all ...